On The Road Again

Thus far we have been in five states and we are bordering on a sixth. We are three days out and almost half way to our destination in California. Started in Michigan, progressed through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, and are settling down for the night at the Days Inn in Sidney, Nebraska which is almost to Wyoming. We are staying the route on I-80 instead of diverging through the mountains of Colorado as we did last time. We believe it will be faster, meaning less time in the car, which is always an issue when travelling 2200 miles. We managed to pick up a nifty coupon for the hotel at the Chinese buffet which convinced us to call it a night despite gaining another hour today. By far the best road food ever was at a CSA / Organic restaurant just west of Des Moines called L.T.'s Organic Restaurant. The L.T. stands for "leisure time." It is run by a family. Both the parents were health care professionals who came to realize through their work that the reason people get ill is because of their diets. They believe strongly in the importance of pesticide free food as well as vine ripened food. A plate of food at their farm restaurant was $17.50 but easily fed two people and was well worth it. On top of a great meal full of vine ripened veggies and very fresh farm chicken, we were able to wander about the farm and appreciate all the work that went into our meal. The hens were completely free range and the girls loved following them around the farm. We noticed the rooster had its legs tied together. Sofie was able to ask our server why the rooster's legs were tied together, so we learned that the naughty rooster wouldn't stay otherwise. We have yet to learn why that rooster wouldn't want to stay with twenty or thirty hens and a farm full of veg. They also had a really nice outdoor seating area in the shade which was made with Gourd plants. The only drawback was the giant gourds hanging down everywhere this time of year. Boz's Kiwis seem more practical and delicious, but it was a great way to make shade in any case.