This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

So I wrote a column a few years ago about some of the things I learned while driving from Utah to North Carolina with one of our sons. (Read it at http://bit.ly/1T7jmP5.) Well, I just completed another cross-country road trip with another son and am therefore prepared to add more observations to that original list, which is why I'm calling this column "More Stuff I Learned While Driving Across America Again."

Here goes:

• Apparently not everyone is a fan of our very own Robert Redford in Pennsylvania coal country — or so I surmise after seeing a billboard with the actor's face and this caption: "Demands green living. Flies on private jets." (He and Al Gore should jet-pool obv.)

• There is a motel in Cheyenne that makes you sign a paper promising you don't have any cats with you. I know this from personal experience because I signed off on said waiver. Frankly, it had the effect of making me want to sneak cats into our bedroom all night. Also! I wanted the backstory (but was way too tired to ask at that point).

• America starts to shrink once you're done driving through Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. Driving through Illinois and Indiana takes no time at all after you have those other states in your rearview mirror.

• I forgot how good Bugles are. I bought some in a truck stop in Nebraska and now I'm kind of obsessed. (I have a friend whose grandmother used to stuff them with Cheese Whiz at Thanksgiving. Genius!)

• Your 20-something son knows more about rap music than you do. Duh. But at least you know who Nas is now.

•Attention future restaurant owners — you should never name a sandwich The Wet Bandana. So we stopped at this BBQ place in Iowa for dinner that featured a sandwich called The Wet Bandana on the menu. #really? #why? #whothoughtthatup? I ordered it and discovered the sandwich was made out of meat, not bandannas, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you were expecting.

• M-m-m-m-m-m. Bugles.

• Looking at the actual physical lay of our land helps you understand why there are so many political points of view in our country. People who glance out their windows and see miles and miles of sagebrush are (perhaps) going to view the world differently than people who glance out their windows and see a yard or two of concrete. It's useful to keep this in mind as the Election Crazy continues to ramp up in the months ahead.

• Speaking of which, there are still regional differences in our country, thank the Lord. These differences show up most prominently in locally owned establishments that cater to and promote a community's activities and interests. I always love seeing posters in the window of a business advertising a school play or a team's schedule. I also adore a good local newspaper (especially one with a police blotter!), although those are getting harder and harder to find.

• No matter where you are at night — Wyoming, Iowa, Pennsylvania — the same moon hovers overhead. And it's guaranteed to knock your socks off. Step outside and see for yourself. It'll make you feel right at home.

America is still awesome, btw.

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