Remember these words of wise old philosophers
"No good deed shall go unpunished"
&
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

Background: Kathy met a lady from Sioux City, Iowa, who claimed that the best way to get to Sioux City when coming across Nebraska is to take Nebraska State Highway 77 at Lincoln. She passed this information to Kathy with the best of intentions thus the above words.
For all the Lit majors: Years ago William Least Heat-Moon wrote a book called "Blue Highways: A Journey into America." I read it about 40 years ago I think. The 'blue' roads are the rural state highways. Some critics contend this book surpasses "Travels with Charley" but I'm a Steinbeck fan and think they are comparable but it doesn't outdo "....Charley."
Day 2-Friday:
With "Blue Highways.." in mind I ask Eric if we should try Nebraska 77 which goes north out of Lincoln to Sioux City. We figure we have plenty of time to get to the Sioux Falls airport so we decide what the heck. My son David calls to say he is coming to Jackson Sunday morning. He asks if we are in Minnesota yet. I reply that I am sitting at the only traffic light in Wahoo, Nebraska (pop. 3,942). He laughs. Early in the drive a white pick-up passes me. On the dashboard he does NOT have a bobble-head hula dancer, nor a stature of Jesus nor any other bobble head. On his dashboard he has a statue of a bull elk. This guy has his stuff together.
We continue north. We see several combines out in the fields husking (?) corn. Highway 77 is also the main road for farm vehicles such as tractors, wagons, and other farm implements so speed is limited at times. At one farm site I see a Corvette parked by the side of the road with a For Sale sign on the windshield. I'm not sure if this is any reflection on the price of corn which is at an all time high. It does, however, trigger a memory of a TV show (you have to be my age to remember) called "Route 66", which was about two guys traveling in a Corvette along Highway 66 which starts someplace in the Midwest and goes through the Southwest to California-I think. We have a '95 Subaru and an 08 minivan. The show was popular on Friday nights in the early 60's when I was in college (one usually did not waste a Friday night to party but the show was popular with college kids so we just moved the partying back a half hour.
The traffic is just heavy enough that passing takes a somewhat macho attitude. One guy in a black super cab pick-up with a dog the size of a lion in the back seat passes me. There are three cars close together ahead of him and he decides to pass all three at one time. He chickens out when he meets a tractor and only passes two-one of whom is Eric. I have a semi tailgate me for about 30 miles and he won't pass when I slow down and there is no oncoming traffic. There is road construction with sections of one-lane roads so we wait for the pilot car to return to lead us through the construction area.
Part of 77 goes through the Winnebago Indian Reservation. I tell you our poor oppressed Native American brethren on the this reservation are not hurting for anything. The town of Winnebago may be the smallest town in America (unless it's Avon, Colorado) to have a traffic rotary. It also had a hospital that probably ranks second to only the U of Nebraska Medical Center. It also has a huge brand new school with a field ball stadium with artificial turf, a rubberized track around it and seating for about 500 tops.
When we finally reach Sioux City and stop at the Golden Arches, I ask Eric what he thought of Highway 77 and then we both laugh.
The other drawback is there were no RUNZA fast foods. Runzas are hamburger with cabbage and several spices baked in a bread roll. They are found only in Nebraska and I try to have one every time I go across the state. No Runzas on this leg of the trip.
We meet Keri, Kathy, and the boys at the Sioux Falls airport and begin the 90 mile trek to Jackson, Minnesota. Eric, Keri and the boys take the van while Kathy and I take our last ride in the "getter." In Jackson Keri finally gets to introduce her husband of four years to her grandmother. She's been wanting to show him off to grandma for quite a while. Grandma meets the boys but they are hungry and tired so that visit is very short. Eric is flying out of Minneapolis in the morning so he heads to the Twin Cities.
Day 3 tomorrow.