September 3, 2010 – Laramie WY to Council Bluffs, Iowa (9 hours and 549 miles along I-80)

Pushing Handcart at Ft Bridger

1. Last night Dad was up for about three hours, his mind racing. He went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet seat writing notes to himself.

2. Post office for stamps so Dad can send post cards to grandkids. Safeway for breakfast of bananas, granola bars and orange juice. We also picked up a can of cinnamon apple air freshener to make it more pleasant for two grown white men to share the same small bathroom.

3. Started driving at 10:30 am

4. As we drove we talked for hours about the Church and the personal notes that Dad wrote early this morning

Scaring Rattlesnakes

5. Lunch while driving: Turkey sandwiches, cookies and licorice from gas station

6. I napped while Dad drove

7. Checked into Western Inn Motel in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Room 103

8. Ate dinner of hot dogs, chips and chocolate chip cookies

9. Email and blog update

The prairies and farmlands of Wyoming and Nebraska were beautiful. Dad kept commenting about how these vast lands must have looked and felt to the pioneers with no ice cream stops along the way.

Even though Dad had only a few hours of sleep last night, we was up all day, full of energy, conversation and questions and didn’t go to bed until late tonight.