I hit the road bright and early at 6 am on May 30th with the car packed up and ready to go. The sun still had not risen, but the Garmin was there to lead the way.
Breakfast consisted of a sausage biscuit from Jack in the Box in Oklahoma. When I attempted to look up a donut shop through the Garmin, it led me to a vacant grassy lot. Getting desperate, I settled on a Jack in the Box. Then it was back to the road.
Lunch was going to be at a grill in Kansas, but the Garmin yet again led to an extremely sketchy (and closed) bar in the middle of town. So, Sonic was the only other option. Then it was back in the car, and back to the road.
Finally, the state line for Nebraska was within reach. The weather was beautiful, cool and clear. It rained twice on the way, and the sun was shining.
The land was green, trees were everywhere, and it was really pretty and different. I had finally made it to Nebraska!
Once I got into Beatrice, Nebraska, I called Jesse and asked him where he wanted to meet. I plugged the address into the trusty Garmin and headed his way. Driving on the road, there was nothing on either side but grass and trees. I thought I was going the wrong way when all of a sudden, there it was… as if it rose up out of the ground. It was gleaming in the sun, and I was getting really excited.
When I walked in, I was greeted by two female park rangers. I introduced myself and one of them called Jesse. They then asked me to meet him further down the road at the education center. I got back in the car and headed towards it.
I finally met Chelsi, who I had contacted earlier via Facebook. I also met Jessie Bolli, and he checked me in and handed me my keys and all of my paperwork. He then showed me where the interns would be living, and when I opened the door I met Allison, who had beaten me to the house.
I was given a tour and then began to take my things inside. Chelsi came home not too long afterward, and we made light conversation as I unpacked.
Allison is from North Carolina. She currently attends UNC Asheville, and is a senior environmental science major. She drove 20 hours to get here, and she passed through North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, and finally made it to Nebraska.
Chelsi is from Pennsylvania and she currently attends Wilson College. It took her three days and 1,000 miles to get here. And I thought 10 hours was a long drive! She passed through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa to finally arrive in Nebraska. She is also a senior environmental science major.
When the girls and I were sitting at the dinner table, we began talking about things we had made in the kitchen before. When it was my turn, I started describing my meal. “You know the honey barbeque chicken sandwiches they have at Whataburger? Well, I’ve made those before and they were pretty good.“ The girls both look at me and one goes, “What is ‘Whutaburger?“ STUNNED, I go, “You’ve never heard of Whataburger??” Then I had to explain what it was and what kind of food you could get there. I was literally baffled that they had never heard of it before.
I went to get dinner at a Mexican food place here that I heard was pretty good. It is named “Playa Azul”. I had a strawberry daiquiri, which I was highly disappointed in. The food was good.
Highlight of the day: At Playa Azul, the Baylor v. A&M baseball game was on the television.
