April 2010 – Part Two

The last week I was in Salt Lake was incredibly hectic, there were a lot of good bye dinners, lunches, and cocktail hours. Oh yes, and an abscess with a raging infection that forced an emergency root canal and cap 2 days before I left. You heard correctly, emergency oral surgery 2 days before I left. Super fun!

My sister threw me a big goodbye party the Friday before I left, and my sweet and crafty (not in the devious way, but in the, “Hey, I can make super cool stuff out of thin air” way) made me the cutest little picture book of all the “Nubbins”. Thanks, Stacy! I love it, and yes, it made me cry. A lot.

On Sunday, my folks came up early helped me load the car (Mom was driving cross country with me) and we were off. We drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming and spent the night. We ate dinner at Chiles, and it was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. Service was extremely slow, the food was all cold, and the server(s) were indifferent to our existence. Blech!

Monday morning we were off again, and almost immediately were in Nebraska. Nebraska looks pretty much like you think it will; also, cows smell really, really bad. No, I mean really, really bad. And the only exciting thing to see is the Great Platte Archway that spans I-80. No exit, but a huge arch.

We made it all the way through Nebraska and to Des Moines on Monday. You may assume that Des Moines is not a happening place (and it’s probably not), but before we left I’d looked up some Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives places and found Stella’s Blue Sky Diner. We went there for dinner and it was quite the experience. First of all, it’s located in end cap of a strip mall so you are completely unprepared when you step through the doors…and into the 50s. The whole place is done in pink and blue with kitschy memorabilia including TVs, juke boxes, toys and disco balls. I tried to order the loose meat sandwich, but they were out of loose meat, so I settled on the crispy grilled cheese. It’s coated in cornmeal and fried(?...maybe, I’m not sure how they get it like that). It was really good, tasting sort of like a scone and sort of like a grilled cheese, and their fries were delicious. We talked about ordering shakes, and we really should have. You can have it served by placing the cup on your head, your server climbs up on the divider between booths (or you lay on the floor and they stand on a chair), and pours it from the mixer into your cup. They have great aim! The only time they missed was when the poor kid’s dad started poking him in the ribs so they kid squirmed away. There were also 2-3 birthdays in the restaurant. The counter-guys take a megaphone, announce the birthday, and have the entire restaurant sing while the birthday boy or girl rides a stick pony around the place. So, if you’re ever in Des Moines, I give Stella’s 2 thumbs up!