Eastbound, Part II

You might think long drives across the American West would be boring, but there is always something to see. For instance:

• The Umatilla nerve gas arsenal. Miles of bunkers full of artillery shells loaded with nerve gas. Each bunker looks like a mound of dirt. The whole place looks like a gopher village made by giant, militarily precise gophers. The great and powerful Reagan decided we needed to arm all these artillery shells. They never went anywhere. They just sat there threatening to leak really nasty stuff for 10 years. The Army finally started decommissioning them a few years ago. They finished up last year. One of the best ideas ever.

• John Day Dam. Those wires go clear across the river. Yes, those are windmills on top of the hills across the way.

• Weyerhaeuser Poplar plantations. 

• The aircraft radio beacon building. It's just the weirdest thing, this little white square building with the funny round tower on top, parked way out in the middle of a field. It's like a landmark. I saw another one somewhere else along the road.

• Woodpecker Truck. The place has always been there. In years past it looked like it looked like a ne'r do well garage. Now it looks like a thriving enterprise stocked with hundreds of late model semi tractors.

• The factory that looks like an alien installation out of a science fiction adventure, plopped down in the middle of nowhere. Actually a cement plant.
• Snow fences. Miles upon miles of huge (8 to 10 feet tall) snow fences.
• Road closed gates. Much like railroad crossing gates, but they go down right across the interstate, usually near an exit along with a warning sign to the effect that the Interstate is closed when the lights are flashing. Must have been one every 50 miles all the way across Wyoming and down into Colorado. 
• Signs warning about high winds and light trailers. Might be why I didn't see many RV's. 
• Speed limit signs in Wyoming have the number displayed in lights so they can change it as needed. They were all set to 75 when I went by.

  These roads must be a real adventure in the winter time.