Hastings, Nebraska, to Greeley, Colorado

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A leisurely start with coffee, fruit for breakfast, bed making, packing, and pleasant conversation. It is a long way to come for a short visit, but it is good to see Barbara.

We set off from Hastings, with Michael driving. Remember how Michael was crook? My turn. A stop off at a truck stop. Free wifi is everywhere - truckstops, OfficeMax, Walmart, Borders, hotels.

I drove, but had to pull over on the highway somewhere in Colorado. Bringing together the bottle of Sprite, the high wind, and the smell of the cattle yard made for a very memorable experience. Michael took over the driving again while I felt very fragile. It was a long drive, and we enjoyed Garrison Keilor narrating one of his books along the way. It formed a distraction!

From UtopiaUSA2008

We drove into Greeley around 5 pm, and checked into a Holiday Inn Express. I crawled into bed and stayed there until 8 am.

Arose today feeling relatively normal, but had minimal breakfast and no coffee for me. Did a bit of research on the town. We are here because the town was a utopian community. Temperance had something to do with it, but more because of its foundation as the Union Colony, which as Wikipedia says was an experimental utopian community of high moral standards. We sought the museum (closed, because it is Monday) and the Meeker House (closed, because it is the wrong season), and generally drove around. We were disappointed, and will do the museum before we leave tomorrow. It seems most visitors to these parts are the active kind. All the hotel brochures are to do with hiking and white-water rafting and horse-riding. None of that is us. Although I've done my share of those things in the past.

We decided to hit the malls. Specifically Borders, where Michael was looking for local history, and I bought a knitting book. Then to Petsmart for a couple of dog toys for you-know-who, and to Office Max for a storage wallet for SD and compact flash cards. A quick lunch of soup for me and pizza for Michael.

The malls are all showing signs of the ailing economy. Many shops boarded up, "available", for lease. Things looking dingy. The town itself is lovely, with beautiful autumn foliage.

From UtopiaUSA2008

Just so you know I am on the job, there are manhole covers too:





As advised by my daughter, I used Ravelry to find a local wool shop, but alas when we went to the address it was no longer there. I think it is a sign of the times.

The hotel has a pool and spa, and as we had the afternoon free I availed myself. It was great to soak in hot water. Driving for long periods leaves one stiff, and the soaking was good. We have much more driving to do.

Speaking of which, I suggested we walk to a nearby restaurant (my appetite is back, thank goodness!). Michael snorted with derision at the thought of walking anywhere here, so we drove the 500 metres to the restaurant. Food was good - grilled chicken with apricot sauce, asparagus, broccoli and tomatoes. No cheese, no oil, nothing deep fried. Excellent.

We will have an early start tomorrow, aiming for Moab.