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Published: July 13th 2013
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Goodbye, real food
Hello, America's diners! Palo Duro Canyon to Colorado Springs:
After swallowing the bitter reality that our food stash had been man-handled by the local wildlife, we took inventory of what we had. Turns out only our Clif bars and some penne rigate were touched. So we fired up the camp stove, made some oatmeal and coffee and packed up just after dawn.
We drove until the town of Dumas, where we decided to stop for a more proper breakfast at a time-worn little diner. The foyer had a big bulletin board filled with important community news like an upcoming fundraiser for a local boy and an announcement that Poptart the cat has gone missing.
Then we entered the formica-tabled, thread-bare carpeted, tacky decorated diner to find... you guessed it... the predictable table of toothless old men who obviously convene there on a predictably regular basis. That very same scene was taking place in many a diner in every little small town around the world, I'm confident. And that's what makes it so comforting.
After breakfast #2, we finished up Texas and headed through a bit of northeastern New Mexico until we entered southeastern Colorado. Now this type of ultra-rural landscape
Still uncracked...
The secret diner code. may have a familiarity to some but not to us. Michael and I are both city folk to the bone. Why we thought we should go tent camping for 2 weeks like this is not entirely clear but we're certainly going to learn a lot and be fascinated along the way. So driving through miles and miles of "nothing" has its own kind of entertainment. We try to guess what the different crops are, what the different agricultural plants are processing and exactly what you would do for entertainment of you lived in - literally- the middle of nowhere.
We tried to rate all the different states in order of overall attractiveness, analyze the different styles of the many RVs on the road with us and pick our favorite falsetto hits of all time.
All these games kept us amused through most of the farms and pastures until we reached Colorado Springs where we decided to stop for a late lunch at a local joint called McCabe's. The people-watching from the patio was a fun cross-section of humanity: a homeless woman screaming at something imaginary, a hairdresser who stood on the salon patio but slyly reached over to
Lots and lots
of empty lots the restaurant patio occasionally for his beer and our earthy-crunchy tattooed hippy waitress who recommended we support all the local businesses when we asked her where we could buy some whiskey.
Having no problem supporting the local businesses as long as they've got what we're looking for, we went on to an ingeniously designed liquor store for some supplies. The German owner had purchased an array of gorgeous hutches during his world travels that he uses to neatly display wines in the little rooms that make up his shop. We grabbed a small bottle of Seagram's 7 and a box of Lindeman's Cabernet and were all set for our stay at Mueller's Campground.
Let me take this time to say that it had been raining pretty hard. We were actually betting each other if we'd get soaked sitting on McCabe's patio but we just missed getting assaulted by the deluge. We had packed the truck as well as we could with a protective tarp and hoped the important stuff would stay dry. As the rain let up, we drove up the mountain road that is Route 24 to find our campground.
Traffic slowed to a miserable slog
Where...
...in the middle of nowhere are you? but the signs explained there was roadwork for the next mile. No big deal, we can get through a lousy mile. Then a couple of police cars pushed past, sirens wailing. And now it was too late to turn around. And now traffic came to a complete halt. And people started taking their dogs out for a pee.
Using a combination of local radio and smartphone technology, we discovered that there was some terrible flooding that had closed the road ahead and we weren't going anywhere for a long time. We started making plans for every eventual possible scenario. Except for the possibility that we would just be trapped on the road forever. But after about 2 1/2 hours, the police figured out a way to allow traffic to turn around and head back into town.
With no way to get to our campground and no desire to drive any farther, we decided to get a hotel room. While we were looking at all the possibilities, we noticed something we hadn't seen since we left Austin - Waffle House!! Of course we got a hotel room nearby. Our first choice, the cute Hyatt Place, was already full but
Civilization!
McCabe's Irish Pub in Colorado Springs. Gigantic meals and friendly people. we were able to get in to the Quality Inn next door at a very reasonable rate. We grabbed what we needed off the bed of the truck, put everything else IN THE TRUCK CAB (**wink, wink**) and went on to get settled in and enjoy a glass of boxed cabernet. It was quite drinkable, as are most of the Lindeman's wines that cost very little. Bet you never expected a box wine review as part of the travel blog, did you? Bonus!
The next morning we headed over to Waffle House for somethin' scattered, smothered & covered. Fully fed and very well rested, we were surprised that circumstances had brought us to a cozy bed and cable tv when we least expected it, but I'm sure some other portion of our trip will make up for this excess of comfort.
***See more pictures, following this page!***
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Leanne
non-member comment
"Why we thought we should go tent camping for 2 weeks like this is not entirely clear..."
Indeed, I frequently wonder whether you and Lindsay are adopted...