Getting on the road again.

Actually got to bed at a reasonable hour last night, and the cats seem to have settled down a little. Midget even curled up with me last night, and Shponker parked himself on my butt (what a strange cat). Garfield is currently wedged behind the nightstand, but we're going to leave him there for now -- will be easier to catch him and throw him in a cage.

Today sees us moving into the Mountain Time Zone; we'll be crossing the western half of Iowa, driving north along the Iowa-Nebraska border, then up to Sioux Falls and across South Dakota to Rapid City.

Traveling with cats has proven to have one unusual advantage: Cats in the car (cats in the cradle?) are amazingly effective at keeping one from being sucked into tourist traps, which saves both time and money. As of this writing, we have not bought a single piece of gift shop garbage, or visited any landmarks, touristy spots, etc. Tomorrow will be the true test of this feline resistance, when we pass dangerously close to Mt Rushmore, which has an especially strong pull. Even more so, Yellowstone is within spitting distance of our route, and that park offers the option of driving through...something we can do with the cats. I mean...perhaps Annie would like to catch a glimpse of a herd of buffalo...and maybe Midget would like to see a few geysers go off...and....NO! Must...resist...must...not...go...

Must...resist...tourist peril. But maybe we can stop for just a little bit. A little bit of peril...