Trouble

Yup... the unfortunate has happened. I was pulled over at 11:02 AM in Wendover, Utah. Normally, I set the cruise control between 5 and 10 miles over the speed limit, BUT I wasn't doing that this morning. I was coming down a hill and I got a little comfortable on the gas peddle. I was clocked 19 miles over the speed limit.

I'm choosing to take the glass-half-full approach and say this is a good thing. While I'm not excited to pay the fine (which I will find out in no less than five days), this will keep me vigilant in the future.

I did enjoy the conversation I had with the cop after he pulled me over. It went something like this...

Officer Daniels: Where are you headed in such a hurry?

Todd "Flustered" Miner: Apologies, I know I was speeding. I actually have no reason to speed, I have the whole country to get across. I think I was looking at the mountains and didn't notice how fast I was going.

Officer Daniels: Uh... OK. License and registration, punk.

I can't remember exactly, but he might not have said "punk." It was actually a pretty cordial interaction. It brought back memories of senior year in high school, when I got pulled over for going 105 mph on I-95 (headed up to New Hampshire). In that instance, when the cop asked me if I had any idea how fast I was going, I tried to guess high and say 95 mph. Needless to say, the cop had a very witty response. He was worried enough that he opened up the passenger-side door to take a look inside the car. My entire CD collection fell out onto the road, so he gave me a dirty look and handed me the ticket. What was excellent about that time, was I thought the cop might just give me a warning. I was not that optimistic this time.

Anyway, Separate from getting pulled over, the day was pretty great. The salt flats of Utah were incredible. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the salt and the lakes. That stretch of I-80 is home to the Bonneville Speedway, which is where the world land-speed record has been clocked 4 or 5 times. Since I have a ticket in my hand, you can email me if you are interested in hearing about my personal land-speed record.

There was also a very strange sculpture in the middle of nowhere that turns out to be called the Tree of Utah. I would say it was more weird than interesting, but it made me look.

After the Salt Flats, I progressed (within the speed limit) to the Great Salt Lake and then into Wyoming. Wyoming has been great so far. The skies have been enormous and beautiful. I pulled over a couple of times to take it all in. At a couple points I could see 5 or 6 different storms crossing over the area. It was a sight to see.

I'll be in Denver tomorrow with the Turk family. I'm excited to see Sally and Steve and their home in Colorado. It will be good to have a real shower and conversation (something I have been doing by myself for the past couple days).