I-80, Wyoming

We are driving from Sundance to the Denver airport. We took the low road from Denver heading west so this time we opted for the "northern pass." The last time I passed this way was in August 1992. I was driving from the Grand Teton music festival in Jackson Hole towards Cheyenne and then on to NYC. We (my friend and bassoon section-mate Steve D'agostino) left Jackson Hole bright and early and drove all the way through to Manhattan. The real Manhattan, not that fraud in Kansas. Sometime in the middle of that first night, somewhere in Nebraska, I had my first McDonald's apple pie. It was a shock to me. I had no idea that it was deep fried. The apple filling goo shot out (the pie was fresh out of the oil) and scalded my tongue and throat. It was delicious. Only a few weeks later McDonald's made the switch to baking the pies; I have had no need for McDonalds.