Phoenix Bound: Day 2

Des Moines, IA to Denver, CO

-Must have been good rains this year, since the western Iowa corn is a healthy green.
-Brief stop in Seward, NE with Rachel's cousin Nathan and wife Heather. Picture a classic urban starving artist studio apartment and place it above a hardware store on the square of a rural Nebraska county seat. Interesting juxtaposition.
-Yet they have 4 coffee makers (yes, a french press is a coffee maker.)

-Lunch in Kearney, NE, near a giant wooden archway over the highway.
-We hit the grassland, and Eric was impressed by the degree of desolation. No trees, homes, or crops anywhere.
-We made good time into Denver to stay with the Zillinger family (Rachel's cousin, husband, and 5 kids, 3 of which are pictured below).

-We spent Day 3 of the journey hanging out in Denver, giving Maggie a much-needed road respite. But she did really well, all things together. Hopefully she won't have too much trouble getting onto Pacific time.