Day Eight

Woof. Driving for any length of time on less than 5 hours of sleep makes for a less than enjoyable time. I never felt like I was in danger of falling asleep on the road, but I was a cranky-pants! Thankfully it was a short drive today, so I have plenty of time to do my thing here before I can rest soundly for the monster day tomorrow... but more on that later. So, last night was a blast! Stayed up way too late, drank a lot of great beer, and met some awesome people. This morning when I woke, I regretted nothing except the time at which the festivities ceased. I left Billings and made my way south back to Route 20, picking up right where I left off the day before. Route 20 took me to Thermopolis, WY where I had lunch at Las Fuentes Mexican restaurant. If you are ever here, make sure to try the hot salsa with your chips(as opposed to the mild, which I found to be pedestrian at best). Also in town was the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. They have a lot of great fossils and numerous full size dinosaur skeletons (some actual, some casts), including a triceratops, a T-Rex, one of only ten found Archaeopteryx fossils in the world (and the only one publicly shown in North America), and a Supersaurus, which hovers over the entire length of the display area! After Thermopolis, I made my way south and east along Route 20 to Casper, WY, which is where I am staying for the night. (When in Casper, do yourself a favor and visit the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant, and order the sesame shrimp. BEST. CHINESE. EVER.) I'm getting plenty of sleep tonight, because tomorrow is going to be a monster. I'm driving from Casper to South Sioux City, Nebraska, with no stops other than gas and meals. Should be about 11 hours of driving, plus losing an hour to the time change. Add that to the fact that northern Nebraska is as exciting as an Impressionist wing in an art museum is to a 5 year old, and, well, let's just say I better sleep well tonight! But as daunting as it sounds, like all days, I am very much looking forward to it. See you tomorrow!