Reflections on a trans-continental journey

• There's a reason all the millionaires flock to Sun Valley in Idaho's Sawtooth Range - it's stunningly beautiful. Where I camped my first night out, in the national forest just north of Fairfield, was by far the best camping of the trip. Gorgeous weather, a nice tranquil spot by a stream, no camping neighbors... bliss.
• The Idaho National Laboratory is bizarre. Miles and miles of empty desert criss-crossed with dozens of powerlines that all converge at what looks like a tiny, tiny village. I'm sure most of the action was underground.
• Jackson Hole has become horribly overdeveloped, and the air quality of the valley has deteriorated to the point where, viewing them from the south, the Tetons were shrouded in a pale brown haze.
• In Eugene and in DC, I don't feel that I stand out too much. On the other hand, judging from the stares I got in Casper, Wyoming, I must have had "FREAK" tattooed across my forehead.
• Surprisingly, eastern Wyoming was the most bug-infested (with HUGE bugs) place I encountered on the trip.
• Aside from the bluffs in the North Platte River valley in the western part of the state, Nebraska is B-O-R-I-N-G and L-O-N-G.
• My god, if Western Iowa isn't the most wholesome fucking place on earth...
• There are beautiful hills and gorges in southern Indiana, of all places.
• Trying to find a camping spot in West Virginia on the weekend before July 4th is impossible. I should know - I covered a good third of the state looking for one.