Rockies Gold 2007 - Day 1

So Tuesday has finally arrived. It's off to I-94 and Zeeb Road near Ann Arbor to meet Frank Carpenter for a day's ride to Sterling, Colorado.

I arrived at location about 10 minutes early and saw Frank in the McDonald's parking lot. The gas station next door, where we were to officially start our "Ironbutt" ride was closed. After due consideration and an Egg McMuffin, the lights came on at the gas station and we got the necessary time-stamped receipts. Shortly after 6:00 a.m. we were on our way west.

There is not a lot I can say about our first day. I have come to the conclusion there is little chance of the Unites States running out of corn or dead skunks in the near future. The Midwest is the price a traveler pays to see the rest of the country.

The first highlight of the trip was lunch and gas at the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa. Billed as the world's largest truck stop, a must see for shut-ins and people who want to add to their collection of truck themed Zippos.

Since we were on a mission, we hurried through the lunch line at Wendy's and then started to , gas up. Within moments, Frank broke his glasses. After a brief, unproductive search around the gas pump for a missing screw about the size of an atom, we opted for plan B. I found a small piece of tiny wire that fit through the screw holes in the glasses frame. We fitted the lens back in place and twisted the wire until the hinge barely moved, clipped off the excess with a leatherman and back on the road.

We were getting about 200 miles per tank and this was our 3rd fill up, a little after 11:00 CST.

Continuing accross the vast source of all Corn Flakes, we finally got into Omaha, Nebraska. As we threaded the maze of off ramps, road construction, farm trucks, tourists, and shredded truck tires, I kept an eye out for the famous Omaha Steak. Never saw one. Once past the hectic city, I glanced down at my newly installed GPS and one of the saddest things in recent memory. The little gizmo read: Turn left in 308 miles.

The rest of the day was as uneventful as the morning. We ground steadily westward and finally turned left on US-76 toward Sterling, Colorado. We found Officer Rusch at the Sterling Police Department who was willing to witness our arrival at 9:37 Mountain time (11:47 Eastern) thus officially qualifying for an Ironbutt (1000 miles in 24 hours) ride.

Prior to tracking down a witness, we had started the search for a hotel. Apparently Sterling is a destination for travelers as the only place we could find was a smoking room at the Super 8. The clerk had a voice like Sonny Barger and an indifferent attitude. The room smelled like a pair of old Army socks which had been marinaded in road kill. We kept the lights off and crept into our beds. The next day beckoned. We were loooking forward to some 3D terrain. To be continued...