Day 17 Grand Island, Nebraska

I wondered why they called it Grand Island, so I looked it up, and Holy HECK!
No tornadoes, no tornadoes, no tornadoes!

https://visitgrandisland.com/about/grand-island-history.html

I told a lady yesterday, 
"I'm from Oregon. 
We have volcanoes but they only erupt
about every 500 years!"

Anyway, that's where I stopped today about 1:30 pm,
having started around 4 am this morning.
I'm POOPED!
Got myself a nice hotel room at the Ramada Inn
and I'm treating myself to a steak
in their Bar/Grill tonight at 5 pm.
I'm a happy girl.

Here is a photo of the pond where I stayed last night:

The ducks and geese were going nuts
because of a dog swimming nearby. 

Today's scenery was simply stunning.
Green, green, and more GREEN fields, forests, trees,
ponds and more green.
I would have loved to take photos,
but there is, again, no place to pull over.

The dirt here is the blackest I've ever seen!
It must grow very good food!

And the cows must be SO happy! 
Lots of fat. green green grass for them to eat.
I only saw one small feedlot.
Can't wait to taste that steak tonight!

Happy Cows!

Black black dirt!
 

The excitement for today was being run off the road,
literally,
by a giant semi truck.
I was passing and I guess he didn't see me.
I had to swerve into the grassy median and brake hard
so he didn't hit me.
Good thing I got those new tires before I left
because I could have easily lost control in that wet grass.
Funny how all those driving class lessons
come back to you in an emergency.
It sure got my heart beating!

I have a few choice words for that guy, but I won't put them here. 
The truck in front of him had just passed him
and I guess it made him mad so he swung into my lane
to pass THAT truck.
If I hadn't been paying attention,
he would have squished me.
I think he probably came within less than a foot of my van.

Jerk!
I tried to take a photo to report him but couldn't get close enough.

I'm not sure where I'm going tomorrow. 

I'd love to make it to Salt Lake, 

but 

11 hours is just too far for me,

so I'll have to find a place maybe 6 hours from here.

I think I'll plan on stopping at the Loves at Laramie, Wyoming.

I may end up driving further but that is a good goal.

That way I can stay later here and eat my free buffet breakfast!

Yay!

Looks like it's going to be Tuesday or maybe even Wednesday

 before I can make it home.

I'm hoping the weather holds.

There were tornadoes here yesterday, Joe said.

That scares the poop out of me!

Nauvoo is getting slammed 

with thunder and lightning and rain right now.

Glad I got out of there!

Three more days...

Love,

Annie