Something to look forward to on television next year …

When I was but a young teen, V was a great TV miniseries.  Forget the sequel (which wasn’t bad), and forget the series which followed.  The original miniseries was a really good examination about how powerfully evil movements (like Nazism) can easily grow in advanced societies that think they are immune to such things.  In addition to showing how seductive this evil can be, it also depicts (much like it was in France in World War II) that resistance movements generally draw from all strata of society … in other words, there is no one group that can claim to be the righteous … rather it is elements of all groups who come together to resist tyranny.  The original series depicted the resistance as being made up of journalists, scientists, street hustlers, doctors, mercenaries, religious, non-religious, rich, poor, and people of every ethnicity.

One of the highlights seems to be the casting of Morena Baccarin who you can see combines the exotic sultriness that she brought to the character Inara in the series Firefly, with the creepy authority that she brought to the character Adria in Stargate SG-1.

There was talk a few years ago of writing a continuation from the second miniseries (ignoring the brief series that followed), and even bringing back the same actors from the original series.  The next thing I heard was that it would be a strict remake of the original miniseries.

The look and feel given to this series (it will be a full blown series, not a miniseries like its predecessor) is very movie-like.  I look forward to seeing what twist is given this series over the original.

Baseball salaries and the level playing field

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-forbesoverpaid071009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Are baseball players overpaid?  Sure they are (at least most of them).  The New York Yankees alone owe a payroll in 2009 of over 201 million dollars.  This is actually down 8 million dollars from last year, but is almost double their 2000 season payroll.  As a comparison, when George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees from CBS in 1973, he paid an astonishing 10 million dollars (keep in mind:  Alex Rodriguez is pocketing 32 million dollars from the Yankees this year).

Also, by comparison, the Florida Marlins owe a combined payroll of just under 37 million dollars.  The Pittsburgh Pirates payroll is just under 49 million dollars.

Let’s take a trip back in time …

In 1975, the Major League Baseball Players Union created a test case situation, when two players opted to play one year without a contract, and declared themselves free agents.  Up until this point, all Major League players were subject to what was termed the “reserve clause”.  That is, once they signed a contract with team, they were forced to reserve their services for that team after the contract expires.  In other words, when the contract expired, they could not deal with other teams, and other teams could not approach them:  they could only deal with their original team.  As you might guess, this gave team owners tremendous leverage in dealing with players.  Players who did not want to deal with their current team were free to lave and not play, but could not deal with another Major League team.

In 1975, the grievance filed by the two players resulted in an end to the reserve clause, as the neutral arbiter sided with the players in that the reserve clause was an unfair way to deal with players.  The owners argued that if there were no reserve clause, the best players would always be signed by the teams with the most money.

Sound familiar?

As a result, in 1976, the owners and players’ union wrote a new rule, which refused a player free agency until they had played 6 years.  The rules have been rewritten a few times since then, however, it has remained relatively the same.

Not surprisingly, in 1977 and 1978, the New York Yankees won their first World Series since the early 1960s.  George Steinbrenner went out and purchased players like Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage, Bucky Dent, and ran roughshod over the league.

You might guess that the solution is simple.  Even on radio, many of the talking heads say to not blame the players for trying to make all the money they can (and I personally don’t), because it is the owners who voluntarily offer the money and pay the salaries.  If the owners simply refuse to offer and pay, the salaries will go down.

The problem:  the owners tried that and got hauled into court.

In the early-mid 1980s, the owners engaged in what is referred to as the era of collusion.  During this time, as players reached free agency, and started dealing with other teams, owners either refused to meet the minimum offers from the players, or offered salaries so low that it more or less forced the players to sign for more “reasonable” salaries with their original teams.  The owners were accused of fixing the outcome of seasons by restricting player movement, not to mention refusing to negotiate in good faith.  Not surprisingly, this created an era of bad feeling between the players and owners, which likely led to the players strike in the early 1990s.

So here we are:  we have finally reached the point where the best players are for the most part ending up on the richest teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Angels, Dodgers), there has been a corresponding increase in the value of teams (the Yankees are valued around 1.5 billion dollars;  the Cubs just sold for a vastly overpriced 900 million dollars).  Oh yeah, the cost of going to a baseball game has skyrocketed (the top seats, excluding luxury-type suites, at Yankee Stadium are $325 each).

So, where do we go?

It is clear that there needs to be the following in baseball:

1.  Owners must have a minimum payout to the players.  They already do, though this may need to be adjusted up.  There is something wrong when teams have combined payrolls that are only slightly higher than the salary of one player somewhere else in the league.

2.  There needs to be a negotiated salary cap, as exists in the NBA and NFL.  If player salaries continue to spiral out of control, then we are seeing the beginning of the end of the game.  We are already seeing national media all but refusing to cover teams not in the biggest markets.  Why?  Partially because in the smaller markets the interest in the game is waning because of an inability to land bigger stars and perform well, consistently (sure, teams like the Tigers occasionally make the World Series, but this is more about happenstance than consistency).

What is the problem?  The players have repeatedly stated they will not submit to a salary cap.  With teams experiencing an inability to succeed and draw fans, there has been talk of contraction (meaning several players losing a job).  The players successfully negotiated an anti-contraction clause into their last collective contract.  Given that the Expos would have logically been contracted, they instead moved to Washington where they have drawn flies in their brand new stadium.  This hasn’t worked.

In the end, baseball is seeing waning interest among young people …. it is not drawing an international following like the NFl does to a limited extent, and the NBA has to a much larger extent.  If baseball is to survive, something needs to be done to safeguard its players … and their employers … and ultimately the fans.

Wisconsin: Police State

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090710/ap_on_re_us/us_upside_down_flag

This is the story of an Iraq War veteran who returned home and spent $200,000 building a restaurant in a small town north of Green Bay.

The problem:  for some unknown reason, he was denied a liquor license.  Since then, to signal his distress, he has flown the American flag upside down.  He is concerned about bankruptcy.

On July 4, the local police went to his flag pole, and took the flag down, returning it to him the next day.  The police told upset neighbors to stay out of this.  They claimed they were acting on the behest of the town’s attorney to avoid a disruption which may have occurred during the soon to occur Independence Day parade.

Now, usually, the upside American flag is used to symbolize protest for big political actions … I’m not sure being denied a liquor license qualifies, but I know enough that it is not up to me to make that decision.  I also know that it is absolutely not the decision of the town’s attorney or the police to act this way.

I don’t like seeing national symbols desecrated, but this is yet another example of weighing what is important:  is it more important that a small disruption, and hurt feelings be avoided, or that the constitution be upheld.  This man volunteered to join the military and serve his nation.  I would say he knows how bad it is to desecrate a national symbol like the flag.  However, trampling the constitution is an even bigger problem.  Ultimately, veterans do not serve the president or the flag, but to defend the constitution.

This has always been a hallmark of the United States:  political protesters have rights.  They have a right to turn the flag upside down, yell at the president while he drives down the street, etc.  Those rights don’t exist in many other nations.

I am not a registered voter.  I give up that right for a number of reasons, one of which is a protest over a few issues …  I have that right.  I know there are people who cringe at that … just as I might cringe at someone disrespecting the flag.

It worries me that there are more and more people who seem to think that the constitution is more and more up for personal or local interpretation.

Disco Demolition, T+30 years

I remember July 12, 1979.  I was at my grandmother’s house, and remember my very young aunt leaving the house with a record album.  She was lucky.  She was going to the White Sox game.  I had no idea what the record was for.

We all found out later what it was for:

I am a music lover, but am no fan of disco.  The whole “scene” was a mistake as far as I can tell.  As the 70s were getting ready to end, there were those who were ready to see it end.  In Chicago, DJ Steve Dahl came up with a great plan:  between games of a twi-night doubleheader between the Tigers and White Sox at Comiskey Park, take a bunch of disco records (brought by patrons for discounted admission) and blow them up in the outfield.

That did successfully happen.  50,000 people filled the stadium, most of them buying walk-up tickets.  About 5,000 people didn’t get tickets, but many of them found ways into the stadium (including scaling the outer walls to reach the upper concourse).  Then, the inevitable riot broke out:

This video is an amalgamation of local TV news coverage from Chicago’s NBC and CBS affiliates (note:  young Greg Gumbel, young Bill Kurtis, and even Gene Siskel).

This is a little more sensational (though more informative) coverage from the local ABC affiliate, but it bring back great memories with Al Lerner, Joel Daly, and the (sadly!) late Tim Weigel.  Poor Rosemarie!

While a lot of folks look back on it was a tinge of nostalgia and find it all somewhat comical (even I find it a little funny), this event likely hastened Hall-of-Fame owner Bill Veeck’s final exit from baseball.  Veeck was the ultimate anti-establishment guy … he had tried to integrate baseball years before Jackie Robinson … he created the idea of the modern ballpark “promotion”.  Losing Bill Veeck from the game was a tragedy!  The manager of the White Sox, former Cub Don Kessinger, also may have left prematurely because of this (he was out at the end of the month).  On the other hand, the White Sox hired untried attorney Tony LaRussa to take his place as manager, so in one sense, Disco Demolition may have helped start LaRussa’s brilliant managerial career.

So, happy anniversary for Disco Demolition …. here’s to hoping someone somewhere is plotting something similar for Rap or Country & Western.

Home

The last few hours were uneventful, though I did get to see some beautiful bluffs overlooking the Mississippi as I crossed from Minnesota to Wisconsin.  While I have been to both before, I have never seen Minnesota that far south, nor the western part of Wisconsin (at least not that I remember … though some time ago I did drive to Minneapolis over nearly that same route).

As soon as I crossed the Illinois border I was greeted by the one thing that I had not encountered in any other state:  gridlock.  I had slowed down during the endless construction on I-80 and I-90 (among others), but never once had to travel slower than 55 mph.  I spent about 25 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic heading into Rockford, and spent about 3-4 minutes at one point at a complete stop.  At least I knew I was home.

To wrap it up:  what have I learned:

1.  I miss seeing friends and family who I don’t get to see very often.

2.  If you are in the left lane, and a faster moving vehicle comes up behind you, MOVE OVER!  I am more and more convinced that more accidents occur because of indecisive drivers who don’t signal to other drivers, and cork up traffic, than people who go a little faster than the speed limit.

3.  When the United States government gives away free road repair money to the states, that doesn’t mean they should all collectively tear up the same interstate at the same time.  I am convinced there is as much I-90 that is under construction as there is not under construction.

4.  To the State of Washington:  ignore point #3 — please fix your roads!  Outside of suburban Seattle, I couldn’t tell if I had a flat or if it was the road …. for nearly 50 miles!

5.  I enjoy playing poker.  I don’t see responsible gaming as a problem.  Allowing what is going on in Butte, Montana to occur is a crime!  I suspect it will get worse before it gets better as some of their casinos fail.

6.  Not having traveled like my cousin, I cannot rightfully say the western United States is the most beautiful part of the world … but it sets a pretty high bar!

7.  Making this trip alone was really nice.  I could take detours without a committee meeting.  I could stop when I wanted, and go when I wanted.  When I wanted to contemplate something beautiful, I could do so in solitude.

8.  There were a few times it would have been nice to share contemplations on the beauty I was experiencing.

9.  Doing this trip with young children would have qualified me for some kind of asylum.  With kids, you need regular stops with plenty of activities.  I think this could severely cut in to the overall enjoyment of what you see and experience, but if you are more into giving your family experiences, it might not be too bad if you have a lot of time and a very stout vehicle.

To my relatives in Denver and my friends in Seattle …. thank you for allowing me to mooch off of you.  I doubt I will get a chance to do a road trip quite like this again, so the next time  visit, it will likely be by air.

Day 14: Rapid City to Albert Lea

Some laughed, some cried … I recalled a passage from the Baghavad Gita:  I have become death, the destroyer of worlds …

This is the oft quoted (though I am praphrasing since I don’t have access to the actual quote) entry from Robert Oppenheimer’s journal on the day he witnessed the first nuclear explosion in the desert of New Mexico.  Our species collective inquiries into physics and science have revelaed many marvels, many of which led to positive advances.  The nuclear weapon has always had that special asterisk in history … it very well ended up saving lives by bringing WWII to a quicker end, but this was a creation that we have had to live with.

Today I visited Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  It is relativevly new on the National Parks register.  After treaties ended the use of the Minuteman II missile, one command bunker and one silo were saved from implosion to serve as a historic education site.

Sadly, I was too late to register for the tour, and thus did not get to visit the bunker and go down to the launch room.  I did, however, get to drive the 15 miles back the way I came to the silo.  It is a few hundred yards off of I-90 at the end of a dirt road.  The silo itself was surrounded by a chain link and barbed wire fence, but from even a close distance would have seemed innocuous to any observor.  The 20 megaton thermonuclear warhead that used to reside there had the equivalent energy of nearly one-half the entire explosive force of the Second World War.

There was a very nice ranger there who answered many questions and told many stories (he wsa a retired USAF officer who had been stationed at nearby Ellsworth AFB during the 1970s and 1980s.  What in fact looked like an easy to invade space was protected by fairly sophisticated technology … ranging from ground sensors to motion sensors.  as he explained it, military police could respond to any silo in less than 15 minutes, though most of the alarms were cattle along the fence, jackrabbits, and in one case, several camels that had escaped from a live renactment of the Passion.  As amazing as the sheer destructive energy that used to be there (South Dakota ranked behind only the USSR and the rest of the US at one time in terms of nuclear forces), was the 90 ton steel and concrete door which covered the silo.  Partially retracted today to see down into the silo, it was designed to be completely blown up and away (on rails) of the silo (several meters) in the event of a launch.

The ranger gave me a lot of info on the missile system that finally triggered several “aha” moments as I was able to put together some history and some physics to explain how parts of the later Cold War had played out.  That was a cool moment.

The rest of the drive was (sadly) quite boring.  Eastern South Dakota is not nearly as good looking as the west.  Far southern Minnesota looks exactly like central Illinois.

Home tomorrow …

Day 13: Butte to Rapid City

I was glad to finally get out of Butte, but actually didn’t leave until 6:30 …. the latest I have started driving on any day of my trip.  I was in no hurry, because my first stop didn’t open until 8 am.

Down I-90 is the town of Bozeman, Montana … the home to Montana State University (MSU).  In contrast to Butte, Bozeman is a great town …. very new looking … no gutted buildings converted into casinos (I saw two casinos … all off the main street a piece, and in new buildings of their own).

MSU has a museum called “Museum of the Rockies” (MOR).  Lots of schools have museums.  Some, like the Peabody at Yale, are famous in their own right (which helps when you are attached to a school like Yale).  The MOR attempts to tell the history of the northern Rocky Mountains.  There are displays on the native peoples, and on westward expansion, up until WWII.

But … what the MOR is world famous for are its dinosaurs.  The MOR has the largest holding of dinosaur fossils of any institution in North America (not the Field Museum, not New York’s Natural History Museum, not even the Smithsonian can rival it), which really isn’t bad for an institution which didn’t open until the 1950s.  From humble betginnings, this museum and MSU have been the toast of the world when it comes to dinosaurs, so much so that the museum became an affiliate of the Smithsonian (an honor not accorded many museums, especially of their modest size).

Most of the recent work has been done by Dr. Jack Horner, a guy I was studying in college almost 20 years ago, and who still works there.  Their specilties are the dinosaurs of the northern Rockies), which just so happen to include notables like Triceratops and Tyranosaurus.  They hold the largest T. rex skull in the world, and an in situ skeleton which is on display.  They have a massive Triceratops which is as big as an elephant (literally).  One of their Tyranosaurs made a huge buzz a few years ago when one of the museum scientists found soft tissue which had survived fossilization.  Not only did it spur on a race to compare dinosaurs to birds, but to actually complete a dino genome.  If that sounds a lot like Jurassic Park, it should:  Jack Horner was one of the inspirations for Michael Crichton’s protagonist, Alan Grant.  Horner even served as a consultant on the film.  Many of the species in the book and film are on prominent display in the museum.  I thought I might spend thirty minutes there, but after an hour and a half, I had to politely ask to be kicked out so I could get going.

Speaking of Steven Spielberg films, as I passed through Montana into Wyoming, I decided to take an hour detour off the interstate to search out Devil’s Tower.  Historically, it was the first natural monument to enter into the National Park Service.  Of course every one from my generation remembers it from Close Encuonters of the Third Kind.  Amazingly, there are in fact numerous cattle raches surrounding the site, as well as a train line (just like in the film). The only thing the film exaggerated was an evacuation:  I doubt more than 3,000 people live within an hour of the site.  An evacuation would not be as difficult as they made it seem to be.  The movie aside, it is a strange place.  You can see taller mountains in the background, but this hunk of rock, where it seems none should be, seems to jut out of the ground with those weird grooves on the side.  I didn’t get too close (getting closer would have been more time and money), but I took some time to contemplate this curiosity.  As humans we automatically start trying t ocategorize and compare.  It looks like a mountain, but it is clearly not a mountain.  It is in the midst of hills, but it is clearly not a hill.  It seems to defy easy categorization, and geologists have had some trouble figuring it out for the better part of this century.

One of the visual highlights was driving through the Badlands.  When I drove through southern Wyoming, I could only think “desolation”.  Driving thruogh the Badlands harkens back to Buzz Aldrin describing the moon as “magnificent desolation”.  The closest description would be to think about what you saw. if you ever saw Dances With Wolves.  An endless sea of prairie grass covering rolling hills of different heights and configurations.  Sometimes, when you reach a tall hill, you can see for miles in all directions and see this view to the horizon.  I could only imagine what it would have been like to be a Native American, or an early settler seeing this pristine for the first time.

As I ended my time in Montana, I passed through a Reservation for the Crow Tribe (it is on this reservation where the Little Bighorn Battlefield is, but I did not stop, opting instead for the museum and Devil’s Tower).  From what I could see, it is a sad reminder of how these people were swept out of history’s way, given a plot of land, and little else … rusted wrescks of cars, trailer homes, many in a sad state of repair … it was hard not to play the beautiful scenery off of that.

I crossed into South Dakota, and it was easy to tell when you got there.  I think South Dakota has an anti-tacky law.  They keep anything of legitimate historic interest, bulldoze the rest into oblivion, and build new.  I was impressed with how neat everything appeared.  Even the signs for touristy thnigs that are normally in bad sahpe all looked brand new.

I needed to get an oil change, and was able to do that thanks to the hotel staff, and had a nice meal.  Exercise and rest before heading off for minnesota tomorrow.

Also, I hope to see the seeds of Armageddon (or at least the hole into which one was planted) at some point tomorrow.

Days 10-12: Seattle Farewell & Seattle to Butte

First, I had to leave Seattle, and while it was sad to say goodbye to friends who let me leach off of them for a week, it was especially sad to say goodbye to their kids.  Their son will certainly never remember me (aged 13 months as he is), but his laugh is utterly infectious.  Their daughter who is smart as a whip might remember …. she is a cutey, though going through that stage where she is stretching her legs for the first time …. it can be tough on parents and kids alike.  I will miss them all a lot (not to mention getting to see Tom’s parents again ….)

My last day in Seattle was my only sightseeing day as Tom and his daughter and I first got to go to dad’s work.  Beccause of the sensitive nature of his work, I cannot discuss too many details, but suffice to say it is a combination of Muppet Labs and Industrial Light and Magic …. the future is truly coming alive in very strange ways …. everything from laser nets that can shorten the life of malaria carrying mosquitoes to scientific investigations into cooking to creating 3-D models of brain anneurisms for doctors prior to operation …. then it was off to LaserMotive, his “hobby” job where he is helping to create a laser powered robot that can climb a cable to orbit.  Next month there is a big competition for his team, as they seek significant coin from NASA.

Another highlight was the Seattle Museum of Flight.  This is a very cool museum hoised at the still functining King County Airport (mostly small, private traffic now), which is also across the street from Boeing.  Among the collection:  another SR-71 (though there was also a cockpit you could climb in), an F-14 Tomcat, an A-6 Intruder, a Mig-21 Fishbed ….. outside there was one of the British Airways retired Concordes, as well as a Boeing 747, and a VC-737B which happened to be used as “Air Force One” at times from the Eisenhower through Nixon administrations.  My assessement was that the president traveled in pretty good style, though I found the Concorde exceptionally cramped (fortunately they were all short flights).  It was a great museum that I only wish I had more time to explore, thought time was a bit limited.

My travel today was hampered a bit by construction and rain, but other wise was not bad.  I traveled through Spokane, through the pan handle of Idaho, and into Montana.  The area around the panhandle was magnificent!  Trees, some 70-80 feet tall just standing rank after rank after rank on top of mountains.  It was very storybook.  This was (except for the area around Seattle) finally the “Pacific Northwest” I was looking for!  It must go to show that this area is not as large as I suspected, and perhaps it serves as a caution that this area needs to be looked after carefully!

Upon entering Montana, I found it odd that there were casinos in the border towns.  I figured it was a way to draw in tourist bucks from naive Idahoans and Wyomingites.  Then I discovered that it was more than the bordeer towns.  I kid you not, the casinos have descended like locusts!  In Missoula, there was a “Fuddruckers, Casino and Lounge”  I could see that there were former small businesses, restaurants, etc, that had been gutted to make casinos.  It was exceptionally sad!  Vegas, for its gaudiness and glitz was at least built that way …. you go there expecting to see what you see.  Besides, it is all surrounded by desert …. if you want to see more desert, you can always find more.  This paradise is in the act of being ruined!

This was like someone took a pristine wilderness and put two casinos on every corner.  I could not help but think of The Simpsons episode where Homer escapes the PBS pledge drive collectors by hiding on a plane carrying missionaries to a Pacific island.  Homer quickly teaches them that casino gambling worked for Native Americans, and it can work for them.  Chaos ensues!  I was half expecting a fire to break out with someone staggering out yelling “How can an Ace be one and eleven?  What kind of god allows that?”

I am spending the night in Butte, Montana.  At least Missoula was something of a college town.  Butte doesn’t even appear to have that.  Its “Historic District” was a series of old turn-of-the-twentieth-century buildings, some vacant, all dilapidated.

Of course with casinos, you can guess who are being attracted herer like moths to the flame:  you guessed it …. I am by far the youngest person in the hotel:  the seniors have swarmed in like locusts feeding on locusts.  In my opinion, it is just a sad, beat up town that has likely not been on its feet for a long time.  I suspect that opening statewide casinos will not be the answer (for the record, just on the main street, Butte has at least 9 casinos that I counted).

Tomorrow, I am off to Rapid City, South Dakota, and am hoping to take two detours tomorrow:  one to a museum, and the other to check out a famous alien landing pad.

Days 5-9: Seattle

Whomever came up with the state nickname “The Evergreen State” never traveled through southeast and central Washington ….. it is as brown as Wyoming … as was northeastern Oregon.  There were only a few spots of evergreen trees … a bit disappointing.

It was cool, however, to come across part of Washington’s fruit country.  Washington is known the world over for its wonderful apples, but there is considerable grape and cherry growing as well.  I was a bit surprised to see the growing on the sides of mountains …. several small mountains had their bases and up to half the distance to the summit covered in groves of apple trees, cherry trees, or grape vines.  That was a cool.  I hope to get a chance to buy some fresh fruit on the way out.

I have been helping T & E move.  While only a short move (one town over), it was a huge undertaking!  Suffice to say, their old house was nice, but their new house is very nice!

It has been awesome to visit with their daughter again (who is far smarter than I was at her age), and to meet their thirteen month old son who is a riot of smils and laughs.

The weather has been quite good (sunny, not too hot, relatively low humidity).  My internal clock is way off because not only am I two hours behind Chicago, but at the more-northern latitude, the sun stays out even longer (it is 9:30 here now, but it is still twilight).  So my body is thinking “11:30″, but the brain is saying “The clock says 9:30, and the pineal gland is thinking more like 8:30″.  Oh well.

I will be starting home in the near future.

Day 4: Denver to Idaho

Today I had to say goodbye to my aunt and uncle.  Last night I got to have a wonderful dinner with my cousing Tracy and her very cute and adorable daughter.  It was a great night!

TodayI also finally got to somewhere new.  This was the longest day of driving for my whole trip …. it took over ten hours with minimal stops.  Due north from Denver, then an arcing course on I-80 through southern Wyoming into Utah …. then bypassing Salt Lake City on a northwesterly heading into Idaho.

Wyoming is like Iowa is someone got rid of all the green and all of the people.  It is a desolate place.  The first thing you notice is the total lack of cars.  The only thing on the road were semis.  True, it was Sunday morning, but you get the impression that Wyoning is a place someone travels through, not a place you actually live.  There are farms, but almost exclusively livestock.  There is sparse plant life, but almost a greyish green sagebrush.

Of course, I did finally cross the Rockies … Denver is on the east side of the mountains, so it wasn’t until I got to Wyoming that I had any mountain driving.  Unlike Colorado, the driving here is much easier …. very few shard windings turns, and only two or three steep stretches of road.  I passed close to Cheyanne and thruogh Laramie, which are two of hte biggest cities towns.  They would barely qualfy to be considered alongside Crete, Illinois as a town.

As you came through the mountains, there were some beautiful buttes and mountains to finally see.

That continued into Utah.  I could see on the map that I was less than 20 miles from Salt Lake City, but I might as well have been in the middle of the Atas Mountains …. the scenery was tremendous with reddish buttes and snowcapped mountains in the background …. but considering I would be in the middle of Wheaton (relative to Chicago), I could hardly believe I was that close to a major city, and in the middle of total wilderness.

As I passed through Ogden, Utah, I could see the northernmost bay of the Great Salt Lake.  That small bay was considerably big, and while I know the Great Salt Lake is shrinking fast, it still has to be one enormous body of water.  No wonderBrigham Young got fooled into thinking he had reached the Pacific!  It is far easier to understnad now.

Idaho is a weird place … a combination of just a dab of Utah’s scenery, Wyoming’s livestock, and Iowa’s green farms (though noticably small crops .. I wonder what they could be?????)

But that is what else was different about Idaho.  You hardly ever crossed a river in Wyoming, and if you did, it looked sickly or dry. Idaho has rivers, and they look like rivers.  I crossed over the Snake, and it looked like a strong, helthy river … a couple of hundred yards across with a noticable current.  Hence:  in Idaho, you can grow things … in Wyoming, the cows and sheep eat the sagebrush.

Tomorrow, I head off on the last leg of my trip:  across the rest of Idaho, up through the northeast part of Oregon, and across Washington to Seattle.