Day Five - Lincoln to Cheyenne

The beauty of the location where the Motel 6 was situated in Lincoln, was that it was across the street from a restaurant called Perkins.  The Perkins Family Restaurant is a great place that serves a variety of great food, almost like CB in nature, but they came to fame because of their baked goods.  I am not sure of the whole story but people flock to their locations throughout the Midwest for their decadent deserts.  They have some amazing pies.  While we were staying in Lincoln, Jeff made a call to a friend and former roommate who lives in Omaha to met up.  Jeff had a few boxes of stuff that he was giving his friend and since we were close he really wanted to meet up.  We decided to head over to Perkins for dinner.  For the past few days I have been enjoying a rather hearty diet of food so I was really craving a light pasta dish.  Other than the occasional Olive Garden we didn't really come across anything interesting on our journey.  I wasn't sure how good the pasta dishes would be at a place like Perkins but to my surprise they had a few dishes among many other dishes.  I opted for a pasta dish that had asparagus, diced tomatoes, grilled shrimp, all in a light cream souse served over curly pasta.  I don't know the name of the pasta but it was curly in nature.  I was skeptical on two fronts, first because how good would a pasta dish be from this place and how generous would they be with the shrimp.  As it turned out it was excellent and I was very surprised but also very happy.

We woke up fairly early because we knew we had a good seven hour drive ahead of us as we made our way from the eastern side of Nebraska clear across the whole state and into Wyoming, where Cheyenne is only fifty miles or so from the NE border.  We decided to once again hit up the Perkins and try out their breakfast.  It was good, nothing too crazy special, but it was good and worth the price.  We were on the road by 9:00 and began our way across NE.  After we cleared Lincoln and the surrounding suburbs the land really opened up and it was pretty cool to see all of that open land, albeit filled with corn.  When we were driving in Iowa I was surprised at just how hilly the terrain was across the state, it wasn't what I had in my mind, but NE was different.  I80 west is, for the most part, straight and flat which fit in with what I had imagined it would look like.  There were far fewer clusters of trees, which littered the cornfields of Ohio and Iowa.  There was very little livestock though, which is curious but not surprising when you think about it for a minute.

Looking out from a gas station in NE

Looking up the street from the gas station in NE, notice two things, more corn and not another soul on the road

The scenery didn't start to change until we passed through the I80/I76 split.  I76 heads on a more southern route into Denver, while I80 continues to stay north of Colorado and through into Wyoming.  By staying on I80 we were heading into the Nebraska panhandle.  We began to climb in elevation gradually and we noticed that the cornfields were becoming fewer and further between.  It wasn't what I had expected but it was nice to see the change, even if it were a subtle change.  We continued to climb and climb so that by the time we were nearing the border we really could see out over the land and into the distance.  We have yet to see any wildlife of note but I am hoping that as we head into WY and then Utah that may change.  We entered the Cowboy State around three and were in the greater Cheyenne area about forty-five minutes later.  The scenery changed dramatically as the fields slipped away and it began to look more brown, more grass.  We were seeing more horses and cattle after crossing from NE.  It was nice to see that change.  As we descended into Cheyenne from the hills that surround the capital city, the highway took us right into the city which allowed us to see a bit of the town.  The Motel 6 where we are staying is north of the center so we won't be able to really see the downtown but we got to drive through a bit of it on the way from the highway to the motel.  This one was located around a bunch of auto dealerships and nothing else around.  There was a railroad track that ran right behind the motel and was very busy...all night.  

A look at the sunset outside my room

After relaxing for a bit and refreshing we decided that since we were in the Midwest/Mountain area we should go out for steaks.  We asked the lady at the front desk what our options were, hoping that she might recommend a local restaurant that was popular, but instead she gave us two option, Outback and Texas Roadhouse.  I am a fan of Texas Roadhouse, so we decided to go there.  TR is a very popular restaurant throughout the Midwest and they even have a few in MA, like the one in Everett on 99.  they are known for their cuts of beef that they hand cut in the back each day, and their rolls with a cinnamon butter.  The rolls and butter is a very delicious combo but one can fill up to quickly and have no room for dinner.  We were also lucky because as we walked into the restaurant I looked at the TV and saw that the Sox game was on which was a bonus.  The food was good and we decided to head back to the motel.  On the way Jeff spotted a bar that advertised "karaoke Wednesday night 9-1."  Jeff and Jess are big karaoke fans, especially given the fact that Jeff is or has been the front man for many bands and has the personality and desire for attention.  He made note of the location of the bar and we figured we would hit it up later since it was only 6:30 by the time we got back to the rooms.  

When we walked into the bar I was a little apprehensive at first because we encountered a few guys, maybe a little younger than me, that were well on their way to being "over-served" and trying to play pool.  They were eying us up and I was hoping that they weren't looking to mess with us.  Now I am not a small person by any means, but I like to believe that most people would think twice before approaching me, if they didn't know me.  Fortunately we they left and we headed over to the other room where the karaoke machine was set up.  Jeff and Jess jumped for the book and began to seek out their first songs.  I took a seat at the bar and watched as people began to trickle in.  It was an interesting crowd to see, they had their own unique style.  I will leave it at that.  While they may be in a backwoods area, they were very outgoing and friendly.  By the end of the night Jeff had sung three or four songs and everyone in the bar knew us as "the people from Boston going to California."  It was a good time and I had fun hanging out with some of the locals.  I got a good feel for what life is like in Cheyenne.  

We will see what happens tomorrow as we cross Wyoming into Utah where we will stay in Salt Lake City.  I'm hoping that this will be a good leg of the trip.