Week
Three:
July 15
to July 21, 2004
Today was my day off. The continental
breakfast at Days Inn doesn’t get many stars, but it was a beginning of a new
day. And I was glad to have some extra time. Aside from web site management and
general trip detail administration, which can be time consuming, I have ongoing
responsibility for financial matters at Penobscot School, a language learning
and cultural exchange center in Rockland, Maine. I’m a trustee of the school
and also its treasurer, so having my laptop and cell phone with me on a trip
like this is a big help, and they get a workout on my days off.
I also used some
time to drop by a nearby Wal-Mart and pick up a battery charger for the
rechargeable batteries Christine’s digital camera uses. I had left the one I
brought on the trip at a hotel back in North Platte, Nebraska, and didn’t want
to have to rely on quantities of the non-chargeable types.
In between shopping
trips, dealing with Penobscot’s monthly financial statements, and getting the
past week’s trip narrative and accompanying photos uploaded to my web site, I
managed to squeeze in an ashiatsu session with today’s therapist of choice,
Jackie Braley. Her massage setup is in a fitness center a couple of miles up
the road from my hotel. She’s a terrific lady – works a lot with horses, and
has one of her own as well.
Tonight’s dinner was
at the same place I went to last evening. Settled for a reuben sandwich, glass
of cabernet, and ice cream sundae. Well, okay, so the food’s not a low
cholesterol choice, but the red wine makes up for it, right?
Checked the weather
forecast for tomorrow’s ride to Grand Junction, and it looks like an early
start is in order, so as to get there ahead of any afternoon thunderstorm
activity. So it’s lights out, and ready for a 5:30 reveille.
Friday, July 16—
Up early, got the
bike loaded, skipped the breakfast (it doesn’t start till 7), and got under way
a little before 7. Gassed up, said farewell to Steamboat Springs, and began the
trip to Grand Junction, which will be the furthest point west for this
particular adventure – about 30 miles short of the Utah border. I’ll also pass
the 3,000-mile mark today, so that’s a mini-milestone of sorts.
The skies in the
west looked blue and encouraging. There were signs of heavy rain-laden skies to
the south and southwest, but with luck they’d have moved out of my track before
I reached them. The ride couldn’t have been better – cool, sunny at times,
cloudy but dry at others, and mostly on a back road, sort of, that was well
equipped with sweeping turns around the mountainous terrain. Stopped for my
morning snack break around 8:30, then one more stop to refuel about 10:30, and arrived
at the Horizon Inn at 11. I had called ahead last night to check on directions
and also check-in time. They said any time after 11, so that made the early
departure all the more sensible. Much nicer to get to my destination early, get
unpacked, and have time to enjoy the surroundings.
Had plenty of time
to deal with administrative trip details, make some phone calls, and take care
of email backlog before heading out for my 3 p.m. session with Lisa Laver. This
was a special treat today – a two-hour combination of ashiatsu and hot rocks –
and was it great. Lisa is a gem of a therapist and has earned a gold star and a
place in my personal hall of fame. An exquisite performance.
Dinner was another
nice surprise – at a steak, seafood and southwestern fare restaurant across the
street from my hotel. I had checked earlier about reservations – they don’t
take any – and asked what time I’d have to be there in order to avoid a wait.
Come before six, I was told. I walked in about two minutes before six, and was
seated immediately. From then on, all newcomers were told it would be 30-45 minutes
wait. Talk about good timing. And the meal was first rate. All in all, one of
the better days of the trip so far.
Saturday, July 17—
Up at the usual
time, sampled the continental breakfast offered by Horizon Inn, got the bike
loaded, and was off by about 7:15. Grand Junction being the turnaround point, I
was now heading east for the first time since leaving Maine. That meant a lot
of riding into the early morning sun, when such was in sight. It wouldn’t prove
to be a long distraction today, however, because I soon caught up with the
overcast skies that had passed overhead during the night.
The ride was
pleasant enough, and dry. Although it was mostly along I-70, the scenery was
great. And it was through prime skiing country – Vail is a town along the
route, complete with $2.49/gallon gas. My impression that much of Colorado is
now carpeted by condos was reinforced today. Those who live in them probably
call it progress; I dunno.
Rolled into the Days
Inn in Boulder at 1, and got a room on the second floor just next to the
elevator. I had called ahead to request this, since it’s a nice perk when
lugging stuff to and from the bike.
My therapist in
Boulder from last Tuesday, whom I would also be seeing today, had told me to be
sure to check out the Pearl Street Mall, which I did today on my way to her
place for my 3 p.m. session. The mall, an area of several blocks in downtown
Boulder, is closed to auto traffic, and full of trendy boutiques and
restaurants. I spent about half an hour there, got a few photos for the web
site, and then went to Shari’s place for today’s ashiatsu session. It was
another success story. Tomorrow morning Shari will become the only therapist of
the trip to work on me three times. Sounds good to me.
Back to the inn, and
then another Subway sandwich special washed down with an oversized Heineken.
Now it’s time to wrap this up and get ready for tomorrow’s activities: my
(unusual) morning massage with Shari, then the long trip to Colby, Kansas. Stay
tuned.
Had a more leisurely
start today. Since there is no massage therapist, ashiatsu or otherwise, at
today’s destination of Colby, Kansas, I am having my third session of the past
six days with Shari MacCallum here in Boulder. It doesn’t start till 10, and so
it will be close to noon by the time I get underway. To add to the long day is
that I lose an hour today – passing from the Mountain to Central time zone.
Yep, more proof that I am indeed heading east.
Anyway, finishing my
six-day Colorado immersion stint with Shari was a fitting way to close out this
part of Barefeet2004. She did another superb job – seems to get better each
time she works on me. And she’s proven to be a quick learner of some new twists
to the standard ashiatsu routine that I’ve been introducing her to.
Pulled away from her
curb about 11:45, headed out to US36 to Denver, where I joined I-70 for the
rest of the trip to Colby. A couple of rest stops and refueling stops helped
break up the boredom of the endless stretches of bleak landscape for today’s journey.
By the way, for any of you who think of Colorado as nothing but the Rocky
Mountains and ski resorts, think again. Much of the eastern third of the state
has a striking similarity to Kansas or Nebraska.
But the going was
smooth and the weather fine. It was on the warm side, but not uncomfortably so.
The scattered thunderstorms mentioned on last night’s weather forecast didn’t
materialize along my route, so no complaints on that score. Pulled into the
Quality Inn at Colby about 5:30, got settled in, made a few phone calls, and
headed across the street around 7 for dinner.
The restaurant was
named Montana Mike’s, basically a steak joint but with a good local reputation.
One of their specialties is a – get this – 66-ounce sirloin. Never heard of
such a thing. I settled for the 12-ounce peppercorn sirloin – best one I’ve had
in a long time. Then I walked up the street to visit the local Baskin Robbins
for dessert.
That’s about it for
this unexceptional day. Time to check tomorrow’s route and time schedule, watch
the 10 o’clock news, and get ready for a new day. Tomorrow for that matter is
Day 19 of 38, the exact halfway mark, time wise.
Today’s ride from Colby to Wichita would be
over more flat terrain, long (close to 300 miles), and hot – temperatures
expected to reach close to 100. Decided to get an early start, and called ahead
to La Quinta Inn in Wichita to request a room close to an elevator. It makes a
difference when lugging a heavy top box. Jessica said she’d do what she could.
After a quick breakfast (this time, the real
thing – bacon and eggs and stuff) in the inn’s dining room, got underway a
little after 7. Made three refueling stops – two for the bike and one for me –
and gestured politely at the town of Salina as I switched from the eastbound to
southbound interstate (some of Christine's family have some sort of Salina
connection) and a short while later arrived at the inn about 12:30. Today’s
massage is scheduled for 4 so I used the time in between to get laundry chores out
of the way. The hotel has its own guest laundry facilities, so that’s a help.
The massage therapist who worked on me today,
Jennifer Erdmann, is certified in ashiatsu work, but is temporarily out of
action because an incision from recent surgery had opened up and she has to
avoid barefoot work for a while. No matter. She gave me a very nice Swedish
relaxation massage and then dutifully posed for the web site photo op. And the
spa where she works, Healing Arts Medical Day Spa, is quite an elegant establishment
– it would be at home in any big city or upscale resort.
Back to the hotel to get out of my riding gear
and into street attire, then headed out for dinner at the River City Brewery, a
steak and brew type of establishment in the Old Town part of Wichita. This is a
good example of the neighborhoods in cities around the country that have been
refurbished to recapture the charm they had in the earlier part of their lives.
The restaurant, which had been recommended by the front desk clerk who checked
me in, lived up to its billing, and I had a very flavorful rib eye steak. Well,
if I’m in Kansas, I ought to eat beef, right? Good thing I’ve only got one more
night of this, otherwise I’d probably have a heart attack.
Decided to walk back to the hotel – the inn’s
shuttle had brought me over – cause I figured the exercise would do me good,
plus give me a chance to see a little more of Wichita on foot. Not a bad hike –
probably a little over a mile. Tomorrow night I’m planning to go back to the
same neighborhood for dinner at another highly recommended steak house.
Caught up on some email and web site
management details, got Jennifer’s picture uploaded to the Barefeet2004 site,
and called it a night. Tomorrow is catch up day for lots of pending items and
my day off from riding.
Sampled the hotel’s continental breakfast, and
then tackled some administrative chores for most of the morning. Settled on the
best route for tomorrow’s trip to Springfield, Missouri, with some timely input
from the Wichita road department’s engineer. The road construction along Route
400 that I had been warned about shouldn’t prove to be a problem.
Today’s massage was at the same spa I went to
yesterday, and tomorrow’s will be as well. My therapist was ashiatsu-trained
and did a nice job. Too bad she was camera-shy and asked not to be included in
the therapist photo gallery. Personal reasons, she said, without elaboration.
End of my streak, I guess. I’ll have to start a new one tomorrow.
On the way home, I stopped at the Wichita
Triumph dealership to have the fluids checked. They were okay, but the brake
pads were worn down to about 50%, so I had those replaced, and the drive chain
tightened up. Everything else checked out fine, so hopefully that’s the only
dealer assistance I’ll need this trip.
Dinner tonight was at the Whiskey Creek
Steakhouse, in Wichita’s Old Town. It came highly recommended, and was okay,
but I liked last night’s place better – a livelier atmosphere and better steak.
Walked to and from the place to try and keep my fitness level up to snuff.
Can’t expect my therapists to do it all without my help.
Today’s journey would take me to Springfield,
Missouri, roughly 280 miles from Wichita. But not before having my daily
ashiatsu fix at the same spa where I’d been worked on the past two days. This
was one of those rare occasions that I couldn’t find an ashiatsu therapist at
my day’s destination, so in those cases I solve the problem by getting the job
done at the beginning of the ride. Not ideal, but it works.
Today’s therapist was Ashley Fraizer, a young
and energetic bodyworker. Her basic ashiatsu skills are solid and she has a
nice manner. She had another client right after my session but we did manage to
get a quick photo session done, so my web site streak has restarted.
Got underway for Springfield around 10:15. No
interstates until about the last 75 miles of the trip. Until then, it was US400
from Wichita till I exited Kansas for Missouri. Talk about boring rides – this
one takes the cake. Mile after mile of straight-as-an-arrow highway and
absolutely nothing else – no services, no towns to speak of, no traffic. But
when I finally crossed the state line into Missouri, it was as if someone
flipped a switch, and like magic, the landscape seemed to change. Probably my
imagination or the heat, but that’s the way it seemed.
And it was a hot day – well into the 90s. A
couple of refueling stops and one or two rest breaks for the driver were
welcome relief. Dehydration was a potential problem and I didn’t want to risk
that. Finally arrived at the Best Western in Springfield a little before 4, got
unpacked, made a few calls, and relaxed till it was time to go search for a
nearby restaurant. Except for fast food joints, real restaurants were scarce as
hens’ teeth. Finally wandered into Shark’s Pool Hall and Grill, had a couple of
beers, chips and a hamburger. Miserable service, strange looking crowd, and the
sooner I got out of there, the better.
Made the short walk back to the inn, and am
now about to get the week three narrative and photo update launched onto the
Barefeet2004 web site. And before I forget, today marked passing the 4,000 mile
mark.
Trip
Statistics at end of Week Three
Miles
ridden this week: 1,327
Miles
ridden this trip: 4,155
States visited: 14