Ames or Bust!: Nebraska Chapter

After our side trip to the Lincoln Monument, Matt took over driving and drove us into Nebraska. Not too far past the state line, I took my first nap of the trip. I woke up to sunshine and humidity! Up until our time through Nebraska, we had only stopped once when we needed gas. Matt and I were both doing fine, since we had each napped and had brought sufficient snacks with us in the car, so we started trying to plan our dinner stop. Our mom really wanted us to stop and get a hotel for the night, but Matt and I saw that as a waste of time and money!

Once upon a time I claimed not to like the Summer Olympics. I don't really know why I said that other than perhaps I had never taken the time to watch them. Anyway, this year I fell victim to the Phelps fanaticism. I don't think he's gorgeous, like so many girls my age, but he's one heck of a swimmer. Plus, he doesn't look bad when his mouth is shut. :) Anyway, Matt and I knew Phelps was swimming Saturday night so we tried to plan our dinner to watch his race.

We stopped in a little town called Ogallala and found a little bar that was playing NBC. We only chose a bar because there was literally not another tv in town. We felt a little silly ordering a Dr. Pepper and a water, and we didn't know if you tipped at a bar (thanks to the fam who answered my texts :) but we were disappointed to realize the only Olympic event on the tv was the women's marathon. Not exactly what we'd been looking for. So after dinner at Pizza Hut and another fill-up on gas, we decided to forget Phelps and keep driving.

My father, previously employed as a sports journalist before law school, was kind enough to call when Phelps raced his relay and give us some top quality play-by-play. Go USA! At a little after midnight, Matt and I stopped at a rest stop where we spent the night in the car. I'm not going to lie and tell you my back found it the most comfortable sleeping arrangement, but it really wasn't bad. We woke up Sunday morning, brushed our teeth in the bathroom, and got back on the road!