Back in the Vineyard
I have returned to the vineyard after 4 months in Indianapolis. My husband lives there. So while the grapes are getting their winter’s nap, we get to live in the same state.
Matt (my life and business partner) and I began the 2400 mile drive on Friday, March 31st around 3pm. We managed to get to the “world’s largest truck stop” in Iowa along I-80. We missed tornados and thunderstorms that struck central Indiana by a few hours.
The next day’s drive through Nebraska was uncharacteristically entertaining. Usually this section of the drive, 450 miles of flat featureless farmland, is only punctuated by the piques aroma of very large feed lots. But this year, we managed to drive through central Nebraska during the crane migration. I didn’t know cranes migrated at all. There is no telling why cranes would stop over in Nebraska but they do, by the hundreds. Cranes among last year’s corn stubble, cranes on the sandbars in the shallow Platte River, with their long necks, soft grey bodies and skinny orange legs all converging on the “Cornhusker State” in early April.
Matt and I finished the day in Laramie, Wyoming. Wyoming has striking landscape, really beautiful snow covered mountains; however, the towns themselves all look weather beaten and barren. The near constant wind just adds to the feeling of inhospitality. Many of the dwellings in Wyoming towns are trailers that seem to be just parked together haphazardly. It is also home to the worst coffee along I-80 from Indianapolis to Winnemucca. Apparently the concept of fresh coffee grounds are lost on the good people of the “Equality State” as they just keep brewing the same old coffee grounds over and over again.
From Laramie, Matt and I journeyed on. Every trip across the country we try to see something different. This year we took a quick detour through the Flaming Gorge area. I would like to return there and rent a houseboat for a week or so. The area is lovely but likely best seen from the reservoir.
Due to our little hike in the Gorge, we only made Elko, Nevada by nightfall. that night was the opening of the Major League Soccer season. We desperately searched for a hotel that first of all had ESPN2 and secondly took pets (fred, the brave and courageous vineyard dog, accompanies us). We found a Ramada Inn that fit the bill, only to discover that the cable feed had been interrupted by some freak cosmic event. I was devastated. We ordered pizza and glumly stared at the blank screen. Then Providence smiled on us; the soccer game flashed on the TV; ESPN2 restored just as the game commenced. I am humbled by the blessings bestowed on me by my God.
Our final leg of the journey took us north from Winnemucca along 140 from northern Nevada through eastern Oregon. This is a beautiful but desolate stretch, mostly populated by wild burros. As we approached Lakeview, Oregon, the road was hijacked by a herd of cattle being driven right down the road by two cowboys on horseback and a very energetic border collie. Bessie, her sisters and their calves, all plodded down the highway in no particular hurry. I felt like we were watching an old western movie. Head ‘em up and move ‘em out! The cowboys even wore cowboy hats and bandanas.
We arrived at the vineyard in the late afternoon. I called ahead to Auntie Pasta’s in Ruch to see if they’d stay open to feed us since we had no food in the LOL (the rv I live in at the vineyard) Carol graciously prepared a delicious pizza for us. We dined in style and toasted to another safe and successful trek to the vineyard.
Matt (my life and business partner) and I began the 2400 mile drive on Friday, March 31st around 3pm. We managed to get to the “world’s largest truck stop” in Iowa along I-80. We missed tornados and thunderstorms that struck central Indiana by a few hours.
The next day’s drive through Nebraska was uncharacteristically entertaining. Usually this section of the drive, 450 miles of flat featureless farmland, is only punctuated by the piques aroma of very large feed lots. But this year, we managed to drive through central Nebraska during the crane migration. I didn’t know cranes migrated at all. There is no telling why cranes would stop over in Nebraska but they do, by the hundreds. Cranes among last year’s corn stubble, cranes on the sandbars in the shallow Platte River, with their long necks, soft grey bodies and skinny orange legs all converging on the “Cornhusker State” in early April.
Matt and I finished the day in Laramie, Wyoming. Wyoming has striking landscape, really beautiful snow covered mountains; however, the towns themselves all look weather beaten and barren. The near constant wind just adds to the feeling of inhospitality. Many of the dwellings in Wyoming towns are trailers that seem to be just parked together haphazardly. It is also home to the worst coffee along I-80 from Indianapolis to Winnemucca. Apparently the concept of fresh coffee grounds are lost on the good people of the “Equality State” as they just keep brewing the same old coffee grounds over and over again.
From Laramie, Matt and I journeyed on. Every trip across the country we try to see something different. This year we took a quick detour through the Flaming Gorge area. I would like to return there and rent a houseboat for a week or so. The area is lovely but likely best seen from the reservoir.
Due to our little hike in the Gorge, we only made Elko, Nevada by nightfall. that night was the opening of the Major League Soccer season. We desperately searched for a hotel that first of all had ESPN2 and secondly took pets (fred, the brave and courageous vineyard dog, accompanies us). We found a Ramada Inn that fit the bill, only to discover that the cable feed had been interrupted by some freak cosmic event. I was devastated. We ordered pizza and glumly stared at the blank screen. Then Providence smiled on us; the soccer game flashed on the TV; ESPN2 restored just as the game commenced. I am humbled by the blessings bestowed on me by my God.
Our final leg of the journey took us north from Winnemucca along 140 from northern Nevada through eastern Oregon. This is a beautiful but desolate stretch, mostly populated by wild burros. As we approached Lakeview, Oregon, the road was hijacked by a herd of cattle being driven right down the road by two cowboys on horseback and a very energetic border collie. Bessie, her sisters and their calves, all plodded down the highway in no particular hurry. I felt like we were watching an old western movie. Head ‘em up and move ‘em out! The cowboys even wore cowboy hats and bandanas.
We arrived at the vineyard in the late afternoon. I called ahead to Auntie Pasta’s in Ruch to see if they’d stay open to feed us since we had no food in the LOL (the rv I live in at the vineyard) Carol graciously prepared a delicious pizza for us. We dined in style and toasted to another safe and successful trek to the vineyard.
posted by Long Sword Wine @ 8:28 PM
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