Carhenge- seriously!

Carhenge is the perfect place to pause during a long drive through Nebraska. It's quirky, it's free, and it offers the opportunity to stretch your legs after being cramped up in a car for a few hours. The sculptor certainly had attention to detail, recreating many features of the original Stonehenge.




It looks like the top cars are stuck in traffic on the car superhighway.



Is that the car from Harry Potter?




There are a couple of random sculptures next to Carhenge. This salmon is my favorite.

Soaker Hose Sucker.

Procrastination has prevented me from sharing some large developments in my grand garden experiment. I decided to put the second plot in a part of the lawn where I should have put both lots. I decided against it initially because it was close to the highway and street. I worried about contamination. I've decided this doesn't matter a whole lot. In the future, I think I might move the trees and a random bush, so the whole space can be used for gardening.



The main issue for any garden, especially one with an itinerant overseer, is water. I decided to try the very popular soaker hose and a digital water timer.

The first soaker hose was a bit of a disaster. It was a sturdy rubber type hose with a different texture than a standard hose. Water came out too hard from the holes at the top section and water did not make it to the holes at the end. It also left heavy trail marks in the earth where it sat. This ended up creating extensive errosion, resulting in seed movement.



I returned the hose and bought a different soaker hose, which was an improvement.



I wasn't completely satisfied, but decided I needed to get another soaker hose for the second garden plot. When I went to the local garden store (not a big box), a salesperson showed me how to make my own sprinkler system out of plastic hoses.

What the what? You can do that? I had no idea. First of all, I'm not that handy and it seemed like a complex project. I followed the sale guy's instructions and built my own irrigation system in less than an hour- in the dark!






It works great and I can put the sprinklers right where I need them to be. Combined with an awesome digital water timer that I got on sale, I couldn't be happier. The supplies cost about $65, but I have a lot of leftover pipe that I can use for other plots. Now, I just need to work on the system for the first bed. Currently, I'm using a regular sprinkler ($3), which works better than a soaker hose ($8-$10). Tomatoes, squash, and some other plants prefer to be watered at their base, so the sprinkler isn't the best option for them. My squash plants are mildewing a little from the irrigation system, but I think when they get taller, this should work itself out.




I picked some of the lettuce and spinach. The first success of the garden!



I scatter planted the carrots and they seem to be growing well- very excited for the carrots!



Things are starting to flower, so my hopes are high. This tomato has some flower buds.



Chile pepper with a small white flower hanging down.



The peas are also growing up like crazy. I didn't realize they needed a support, but read that branches work well. I had just cut down a small invader tree-like thing, which made perfect supports.



I'm excited that things are growing. I'm still not sure of the identity of some plants (are they weeds or something I planted?). I have identified one particular weed, which is deeply rooted and hard to get out. Other than that, I'm letting things grow until I can identify them. The soaker hose caused some of the seeds to move in the first bed and that's partly why I'm confused. The other part is, well, I don't know what I'm doing.

Lastly, I started a composting system with worms, but we'll save that for another time.

It Will Give You the Runza

Apparently, Nebraska has a fast food restaurant chain called Runza. I should have been suspicious from the name alone, but, for some odd reason, I thought it was a Subway type establishment. Assumption fail.

I walked in and realized it was more like a McDonald's with the exception of its signature sandwich- the Runza. Well, I decided when in Runza, eat a Runza.

The weird mystery meat reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite place it. The flavor was oniony and the color a greyish-brown. It was almost like a mix between a White Castle burger and a sloppy joe... the texture of a sloppy joe, but with the taste of White Castle instead of red sauce. The plain, flavorless white hoagie style bread was disgraceful.

The thing is, I love food that is bad for you. Nothing makes me happier than a fatty burger or an extra cheesy pizza. I just prefer it to be made from quality ingredients. My mouth still waters when I think of the Wagyu beef sliders and duck fat fries my friend J and I had at Tag Restaurant in Denver. It doesn't have to be wagyu beef (although why the hell not?), but it has to be better than the overly processed mystery meat at Runza (yes, this is where I draw the food snobbery line).

I ate what I could and then went to the grocery store Starbucks. Say what you want about Starbucks, at least it's fairly consistent and offers some healthier options.



In sum, if you see one of these restaurants, Runza. Sorry, I couldn't resist... Runza? Seriously!

Where There's Smoke, There's No Tire...

Today, I headed for Nebraska with a plan in mind. I would get to Scottsbluff in time for lunch and do a few hotel inspections. Unfortunately, my tire had other plans.

While going about 75 mph on I-25 (yes, the speed limit is 75), I was getting engrossed in an audiobook I had downloaded and heard a strange sound. I couldn't tell if it was coming from my car or not. Then, I felt some bumpiness, figured it was the rear tire, and pulled over. When I got out of the car, I smelled burning rubber and saw smoke coming from the tire. SMOKE! The tire had disintegrated, exposing two large holes.




See the pile of tire crumbs on the ground? Shocking! I didn't think a tire could do that... I mean, I've seen strips of tire, but this was bizarre.

Luckily, I'm okay. After spending three hours dealing with the situation, I still made it to Nebraska with the assistance of four new Goodyear tires.

Remembering Les Santes Fesitival in Mataro, Spain...

Today I listened to an episode of my favorite podcast, Too Beautiful to Live. The host, Luke, had called a listener who discussed his favorite Swiss festival involving a snowman that gets blown up.

This reminded me of a festival I experienced abroad. My ex-boyfriend and I were staying at his friend's house in Mataro, Spain. This was July 2001. The following links are just some examples I pulled off youtube.

First, we participated in building a Diada Castellera (human castle).

Capgrossos de Mataro:

Then, there was a parade of "giants".

All of that was pretty cool, but tame. The next part of the festival was total chaos. "Devils" chase after the townspeople with poles that have a wheel of spinning fireworks on top. This ends in a huge fireworks display.

After the pyrotechnics, there's a lot of drumming to the center of town where there's a big rock concert. At the concert, everyone is drenched in water.

It's called "Les Santes", the Saints, but there is nothing Catholic about this celebration... in my eyes the giant figures, the fire, and the water all seem somewhat pagan. Pagans were so much fun.

Kahill's (vegetarians avert your eyes)

I knew my adventures in the prairie would lead to mass consumption of beef. I had concerns... mainly for my ticker. However, I have to say, this steak at Kahill's in South Sioux City, NE was delicious. I liked the little stick confirming that my steak was, indeed, medium rare.

One steakhouse trend that I find annoying is the entree not being accompanied by a side. You have to pay extra for it, which makes sense to some degree, I guess. I mean, I can't count how many times I've opted to not have a side at all or simply not eaten it. My problem is the plate looks naked. At least they put a little mashed potato on this one to make it interesting.

I've been to restaurants where they do something unique with the veg, but the portion is more reasonable than what you would find at an Outback. It takes more time and creativity, but I think it's worth it. I think you should have one side option included with the entree. If people want more, then they can order more.

Steak will bore me eventually. I couldn't get enough as a child and teenager, but my job has changed me by diversifying my palate. For now, though, I'll remember this one fondly.

The most interesting thing in Sidney, NE...

...may be this sign.