day 6: lincoln, nebraska to moab, utah (1334 km!!)

Thanks to our sleep aides the night previous, we were able to wake up at 4am and leave the campground by 5 for what would be a 13-hour drive. This is the 4^th of 6 long drives as the latter part of our trip will see us cruisin’ up the west coast at a more leisurely pace.

You knew at some point that we would run into car (‘er van) trouble. And today was that day. At a place called Ogallala, NE, the ‘check engine’ light turned on. I had seen on TV that as long as the check engine light isn’t flashing, that theoretically you can continue driving. That always seemed odd to me and the sight of that light made Chris’ face turn white, but only temporarily.

Ogallala, NE is in the heart of the Midwest. Picture cowboy boots, cowboy hats, saloons, and Yosemite Sam style moustaches. We found a Chevy dealership in town and they ran a diagnostic on the car. Fortunately, the problem was nothing serious and nothing that needs immediate attention.

This sign was hanging on one of the office doors at the dealership – priceless.

We hit the road again and as we crossed into Colorado, we kept our eyes peeled for any signs of the Rockies. Instead, we passed through fields upon fields upon fields of Brown-eyed Susans. They were such a delight to see after days of boring tan landscape that was so difficult to photograph from a moving car.

Remember those mountains? Well about 5o km outside of Denver, they appeared in the distance. And from then on in, our drive became so much more interesting...

After leaving Aspen, Colorado, the landscape turned into a 'star wars' esque desert and we seemed to be the only highway inhabitants for hundreds of miles. Gas stations were averaging approx. 100 miles apart...




The heat and desolation of the desert was very surreal for 2 east coast kids used to water and lush green landscape. There was a deafening silence in the car - we were both spooked. Fortunately, signs for Moab slowly began to appear, and we felt closer to civilization...

Neither of us were ready for the heat. It was 40 degrees which meant that if the sun was shining on you, it felt like you were standing too close to the stove and if you stick your hand out of the window on the highway, it felt like a hairdryer. Again, not confidence inspiring with the check engine light on in the middle of the desert.

The next set of photos were taken as we entered Moab Valley. They speak for themselves...