Goodbye Plains, Hello Mountains

Total distance covered: 533 miles (17 % of the the total distance; 56% overall)

Number of states visited: 2 (Nebraska, Colorado)

Number of traffic violations: 1

Today was particularly exciting in large part because we finally left Nebraska.  Undecided about whether I should buy a souvenir to commemorate my stay in the land of corn, the Nebraska

State Police made my decision much easier.  I received a speeding ticket for driving 85 MPH in a 75 MPH zone.  Once I accepted the reality of the situation, I decided that this ticket only further validates my cross-country trek.  

Eve Note: This was bound to happen eventually. Although I saw a truck with a house on its flatbed barreling down the road at a faster pace than our clocked speed about ten minutes after we were ticketed. Something tells me his breaking distance would be greater than ours.

With the future ethanol capital of the U.S. in our rearview mirror, we crossed into Colorado with our sights set on Denver.  It took almost 2 hours of driving through Colorado before we began to see glimpses of the Rockies.  As we approached Denver, we could see the mountains 

looming in the distance, dwarfing the downtown skyline.  As mentioned earlier, our plan was to meet up with Eve's cousin (Jim) and his wife (Molly) who live right outside of downtown Denver.  We exited the highway en route to meet Jim, who conveniently works in a building juxtaposed to Coors Field (home of the Rockies).  We waited in his office (complete with basketball net) and eventually made our way to the Hyatt in downtown Denver.  (Side Note:  if you are ever in the greater Colorado area and in need of legal help, get yourself the best team around at http://www.ghlawoffice.com)  Upon arriving, we took an elevator to the 27th floor

which contained a bar from which you could see the vast majority of the city, as well as the Rocky Mountains.  The vista from this bar was breathtaking.  You could see the Pepsi Center (home to the Nuggets and Avalanche), Investco Field (aka Mile High Stadium; home to the Broncos), and other buildings.  Directly below the window we were seated at was a piece of public art in the form of a giant bear attempting to scale the side of a building.  From the Hyatt, we headed to a restaurant called Steuben's.  Eve and I were both happy to have a real meal (Eve in particular since the menu in Middle America is not vegetarian friendly).  After a delicious meal and plenty of water to prevent altitude sickness, we headed to Jim and Molly's house.  Feeling the effects of yet another time zone, we are both exhausted and ready for some rest.  We plan to spend the day tomorrow exploring more of what Denver has to offer.  Until then, I leave you with one more amazing shot of the Western horizon (Enjoy!)

Eve Note: I've never appreciated seeing mountains so much before. Driving through days worth of cornfield and trucker stops and then suddenly there's this jagged line scraping across the horizon. It was exciting.

- We gained yet another license plate today thanks to Louisiana.  Still need New Hampshire and Hawaii

- In place of the most inane sign competition, we would like to give a shout out to the town of Overton, Nebraska (shockingly Eve failed to capture a usable picture)

- Today's lamest vanity plate winner: "Mini 13"; the car was not a Mini Cooper and the driver was no dwarf.