The Price of Distraction

This time, I swear I had no idea I was speeding! Cha-ching again. We had just seen a sign and I was fervently explaining what a Prairie Dugout is to the kids. Blink! Blink! Blink! It should be duly noted that neither Grandma nor I had seen a speed limit sign in at least 50 miles. We assumed it was 70mph. Wrong-o. It was 60mph and I was pulled over for going 77mph.

The amazing part is that I was ridiculously distracted on this stretch of road. The noise from the back of the car is forever interrupting my focus, but every few miles I seemd to be actually stopping the car for one thing or another. Why? I was distracted by several things outside the car.

Apparently, in Minnesota, when a tiny sign says "road closed in 3 miles" it actually closes. They don't bother to actually block the road, or make it obvious that you need to exit immediately into no-mans land. One minute you're cruising along, and 5 minutes later the road is closed. A 3 mile U-turn sent us through some farmer's land and soon enough we were where we wanted to be. Shockingly efficient, if only I'd followed the tiny sign in the first place.

And then, the land changed again. The corn crops are at a different stage than when we were in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. Look at the amber waves of grain. Ahh, it just gets into your soul, this land. Miles and miles of ever-changing landscapes. The sky has clouds floating right above you one minute, and the next minute it's clear and you're sitting inside a still snow globe.

Then the windmills appeared out of nowhere like holograms! I missed a picture of these driving at night in North Dakota and have been bummed about it ever since. These alien-like structures creep up on you one by one, until there's an army of them and you're fully surrounded. They literally go on as far as the eye can see. It's truly an arresting sight and I stopped for numerous pictures; I just couldn't get enough of them. When a parking lot with blades lying on the ground appeared by the side of the road, we had to stop yet again and actually get out. The enormity of an individual blade can hardly be described. They're smooth and lovely and when hooked up to the base, grandiose next to the wee farms they tower over.

So, I hope by this time you're not thinking I'm unfit to be behind the wheel. This ticket caught us all by surprise...