This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Dear America,

As you know, I spent last week driving across you with my son, who's starting school in North Carolina at the end of this month. Along the way, I jotted down a few random observations. Nothing too deep. Going deep is hard when you're trying to get from Salt Lake City to Greenville in just three days, right? Still, I thought you'd be interested.

Enjoy!

1. There's a lot of Wyoming when you drive through Wyoming.

2. The excellent news about Western rainstorms is that they cool things down and make the air smell fresh.

3. I'm curious — how did people make cross-country trips before air conditioning was invented?

4. If you want a good Thai meal, get in your car right now and drive straight to the Blue Orchid restaurant in downtown Lincoln, Neb.

5. Speaking of Lincoln, did you know you get 30 minutes worth of parking meter time for just one quarter? This is a way better deal than you get in downtown Salt Lake City, Mayor Becker.

6. Speaking of Lincoln again, a long road trip provides the traveler with an opportunity to consider the roads (literal and metaphorical) not taken. Like, what would've happened if my father-in-law had decided to stay at the University of Nebraska? Would my husband and I have ever met?

7. Did you know that Wymore is the "Welsh Capital of Nebraska"?

8. Clearly, there's also a lot of Nebraska when you're driving through Nebraska.

9. 108 degrees in Kansas City, Mo., feels a lot hotter than 108 degrees in St. George.

10. I was 14 the first time my family drove through Missouri. We heard banjo music on the radio, which I loved. Now? Radio music is less regional, more generic. Sadly.

11. It's fun to listen to audiobooks read by people with British accents!

12. If you take a five-pound bag of apples and a five-pound bag of peanut M&Ms, you'll eat the peanut M&Ms before you eat the apples. Guaranteed.

13. Utah is not the only place where people drive 55 mph in the fast lane.

14. Sometimes detours are good things. Backcountry is often more interesting than not backcountry.

15. The less than excellent news about Midwestern rainstorms is that they turn the Midwest into a steam bath.

16. Both Illinois and Indiana claim Lincoln as a native son. I did not know that.

17. The good news about being 55 years old is that I can now officially order items off the 55-and-older menu at Perkins Family Restaurants. The bad news is that no one asked to see my ID.

18. Really? They couldn't come up with a better name for the sports arena in Louisville than the KFC Yum! Center?

19. I want to eat biscuits and gravy for breakfast for the rest of my natural life.

20. A low crescent moon hanging over the mountaintops in West Virginia is a breathtaking sight.

21. You think there are a lot of churches in Utah? Try driving through the South, y'all.

22. Piggly Wiggly is the best name for a grocery store in the history of the universe.

23. North Carolina is the birthplace of Pepsi, which explains why it's so hard to get a Coke there.

24. I still am disappointed in myself for not ordering that maple-syrup-and-bacon milkshake in Raleigh.

25. It's official. You can knit 2½ pairs of socks from here (Utah) to there (North Carolina).

America, you are an awesome country. Glad I had a chance to become a little better acquainted.

Ann Cannon can be reached at acannon@sltrib.com or facebook.com/columnistcannon.