Along I80

Andreas Paepcke

September 2, 2024

For various reasons I need to speed up my return. So I am sticking to I80 between Laramie, WY, and home. Via Clearfield, UT, Winnemucca, NV, and Sacramento, in a series of long days. With some regret I see an Air Force Museum, Green Dam Visitor Center, and other attractions. On the other hand, speed limits vary between 75 and 80mph, these being States of free citizens. I'm only half kidding. Some parts of life truly are overdone in California. In fact, our friend Ken, the Mega MAGA observed that Texas used to be a great State, and that Nashville used to be a livable city. Now all these rich Californians are moving there, having fucked up their own State. Now they're doing it elsewhere.

Good for us, I say. There is precedent. In Germany's late 60s a political watch word was The March Through the Institutions. Meaning, away from banging up window shops, to infiltrating the system; changing it from within. That's happening, if we ignore Elon here.

Anyway, speed limit. The low you get on open range county roads is 65. Tractor speed. And here is one of the situations where my BMW K1600B shines. You know the experience: empty, two-way road through flat countryside. Your cruise control is set the 70mph, that being the speed limit. You see a black dot where the horizon crosses your road. Over the next hour, the dot grows larger, until you are peering into the muffler of a car going 69 and a half. You might think What's the diff! So you lower your cruise control a notch. It even has a button for that..

This, however, is not possible. Not after 70mph for hours. Naturally, at this point, traffic has picked up. So passing, while possible, requires care. And when the time comes, your BMW K1600B does its job. Turning signal, and roll that throttle. A very slight increase in engine noise, and you are next to that idiot sixty-nine and a halfer at 100mph. The meneuver is over in seconds. A dot recedes in your mirror, and you let go of the throttle. The return to 70mph makes you double check. Really? We're crawling through the landscape here? And I do.

Amusement on Interstate 80

People in cars play games on long freeway rides. Calling out odd-numbered license plates, and so on. I don't do that, because once I can read a license plate, the bike requires focus. I have two different pasttimes. I love checking out open loads on trucks.

…these farmers get
something way better
in the morning

Windmill blades require
truly special rigs
I saw two of these.
This image is from the Web

You can get advice about hauling your farm equipment on the Web!

I'm not like a Sioux, who can gallop a horse, while shooting an arrow. Taking a photo on a bike at speed is not recommended. So I stole this blade image from the Web.

My other pasttime is to guess whether the company that makes the trailer of an 18-wheeler matches the make of the cab. Spoiler alert: it usually does. But not always! And you have your no-brand trailers as well. The all-white ones. You see how this is a fascinating activity, and you can only indulge while passing.

Jacket with pull ring — The Obsession Ring

My other pasttime is obsessive behaviors. Not obsessive enough—I left my motorcycle jacket on the plane; hadn't gotten into the obsession grove yet. I bought a new one in Chicago, and it didn't have rings on the zipper. I need those. All my important things are in the jacket pocket. So they have to be zipped shut. That's where the rings come in. If I can feel the ring through my gloves high enough on my side, I'm good. Last time I used hinged curtain rings for the purpose. Try finding those in the Great Plains. But key rings! They are a dream for the purpose. Sturdy, tactile access friendly. When I'm anxious about losing something, I caress that ring.

But Why the Spoon

Spoon on bike seat — Why a spoon at all times?

To complete my oddities, let me introduce you to my need for a spoon at all times. This issue reaches back to the dawn of childhood. When my brother and I had ice cream, I ate mine in miniscule drops. That way, when my brother's treat was all gone, I still had a good portion of mine. The competition is no longer on. But its spirit remains. I don't use a straw. It's spooning for me.

***Description*** — Makes the shake last longer...

Signs Along the Way

Of Rooms

After asking my financial planner to sell some assets to cover this trip, I still stuck to places like Days Inn and Super8. There are also LaQuinta, Ramada, Travelodge, AmericInn, HowardJohnson, Baymont, and many more. They are all owned by Wyndham. Hotel chains, the natural monopoly. But: it's all in a family spirit. Headline from 2018: Wyndham Welcomes La Quinta Inns & Suites. So sweet.

Are they all the same? Weeeell. Close. But there are differences. All have the air conditioner blow right onto your bed. But, some have an armchair. Some serve just cereal for breakfast, others go further: eggs and astonishingly greasy little sausages.

After a suspicious number of insect bites in my last Days Inn, which was also the only one with a big sign to watch your vehicle, I decided that my last few nights will be upscale. My decision was amplified by the fact that the adjacent Carls Junior attendant asked my indulgence for a brief absence from the ordering counter. He returned with his bicycle, which he parked at the kitchen entrance. The motel next door, he explained, sadly. To be sure: this was my only such Days Inn experience.

So, I'm in a Best Western Plus now. There certainly are differences. Roomy, quiet AC, free fruit and coffee in the lobby. An armchair with ottoman! AND a couch. And the best of it? Many outlets, including two on the desk lamp. I, and probably increasingly all of you need a lot of outlets. There's the laptop, the USB hub, my CPAP machine, recharging an emergency device battery. There is the charging of the phone by the bed, to ensure my awakening in the morning. Best Western Plus has me covered.

In the other motels—again, they do the job, but…—I frequently had to wrestle the nightstand away from the wall, disconnect the clock, and commandeer the outlets. I always leave a $5 tip.

But, what they all have in common is that the desk chair is low enough that you would be typing in a Harley position. Yes, the office chair does sport a handle for raising the seat. In the Wyndham chairs that lever does nothing. My Best Western Plus chair does raise by two inches. But nowhere near enough.