Labor Day Trip 2009, Part 1: Ottumwa to Salt Lake City

September 4^th, 2009

9:21am – On the Burlington Trailways bus to Ottumwa. Half-hour late leaving Des Moines. Am having to endure a Lifetime Western blaring on the bus. A made-for-TV movie aired in 2007 called Montana Sky. These Trailway buses are usually equipped with viewing screens and this one is no exception. I used to enjoy a nice ride to Ottumwa, but now my ability to zone off on the alpha waves of the engine is seriously hampered.

The concept of having to constantly entertain people is the same kinda dreck that has driven me from professional baseball. I just wanna sit down and enjoy the game, like I just wanna sit down and go on the nod when riding the bus.

I was on a red-eye Coach USA bus a number of years back going from Phoenix to Las Vegas. We left Phoenix sometime around 10pm, and the first thing the driver did once we got on the Interstate was crank up a DVD. Merde! Not just one, but two movies. I forget the first flick I had to endure but the second was The Big Country, and it's hard to go wrong with Gregory Peck – even when I should be sleeping.

11:17am – Life is better. Drinking Myers Rum with cola at the Tom-Tom Tap in beautiful, vibrant downtown Ottumwa. Okay, I'm being somewhat sarcastic, but I like the pace of life down here. I don't know if I could live here, but Ottumwa is always good for a quick chill.

5:54pm – I came. I saw. I ate canteens & Sterzing's. I was gonna hold off on eating anything significant until breakfast the next day, but the lure of Canteen Lunch in the Alley [see blog post] lured me in for dinner. I scarfed a couple of canteens with everything, a bag of Sterzing's potato chips and the obligatory glass of water with refills. It was good.

The Ceremonial Fire black-light mural at the Tom Tom Tap.

A classic Canteen loose meat sandwich.

9:51pm – Departed from Ottumwa abroad the California Zephyr around 7:30pm. A little late but nothing to sweat about. Hopes for elbow room were dashed when I got seated next to a woman heading for Lincoln. We exchanged perfunctory pleasantries. She spent a considerable amount of time in the sightseer car so I had elbow room, but could not commit to a leisurely sprawl. It's been awhile since I last rode coach, but soon realized to my consternation that a Greyhound bus is much darker at night than an Amtrak coach car. People who know me know that I'm not a light lover. The issue in question is the overhead lights that beam down from top center. If you happen to sit right under them, you are bathed in light. I can only compare it to a typical old-school TV police interrogation room. I'd rather not sleep in absolute darkness, but this is far from ideal. Bright as hell!!!

10:27pm – It's stuffy. I'm blinded. And I can't strip to my undies. I am so getting naked in Salt Lake City! In my hotel room, that is.


September 5^th, 2009

12:05am – There's something unsettling when referring to pillows as used. I wish I could remember this comment in its context but I'm at a loss.

6:28am – My ass hurts, somewhere west of McCook. Not because I'd made friends with some ultra hung dude named Big Stu, but from sleeping from a sitting position. I alternated from sleeping under the light in the coach car and sitting with legs outstretched in the sightseer car. There's way more ambient light in the sightseer car, but nothing that blares down into my eyes. Crazy dreams across foggy Nebraska. These kind of dreams can be a mixed blessing. As long as they don't involve work or creatures that bite I'm doing alright.

A short while later and we're finally in Colorado, running one hour late. Not bad, considering I have no connections to worry about missing. At breakfast, I believe I've upsetted a Hillary supporter. Try to ruin my meal with talk about politics. Hah! A good breakfast indeed.

Station platform, Ottumwa.

Track side cemetery, Commerce City, Colo.

10:32am – Long trek between Denver and Cheyenne on the detour due to track work. Mostly through an industrial zone paralleling the Front Range. Otherwise sunny skies are hazy from California wild fire smoke. Wow! What a concept this far away from the source.

2:21pm – Traversing "Big Sky" country somewhere west of Laramie. I've not been through these parts since I took a Greyhound bus to the West Coast uncountable moons ago. I must say making the trip via Amtrak is far more preferable.

Because of our detour, the usual number of travelers who would either be boarding in Denver or continuing on to points in Colorado are non-existent. There's merely a handful of people riding in my coach car. I relish the elbow room, but still engage in conversation with fellow travelers.

My ultimate moment in Wyoming: watching a bison poop.

I think the combination of higher altitude and wildfire soot is fucking with my lungs and sinuses. Feels like I've smoked a couple of filter tips the previous night.



11:42pm – Train pulled into Salt Lake about a half-hour early. Had to walk the length of the train from where my coach car parked to get to the station platform. Another short walk from the train station over to the adjacent Greyhound station and I spotted a cabbie ready to take me on. After a few minutes plying the unfamiliar streets of the city, we pull up to the hotel, I pay the man and lay a good tip.

Finally settled in at the Hampton Inn in downtown Salt Lake City. Scarfed a tasty chorizo burrito and cheesy quesadilla from Alberto's, a Mexican chain from out of California that I spotted through the window at end of the hallway leading to my room.

Satisfyingly filling for fast food. I give Alberto's props for taking the mom-and-pop taqueria concept and making a successful franchise out of it, with the added benefit of indoor seating. I did relish returning to the comfort of my comfy room at the Hampton, kicking off my shoes, digging into my grub with relish, and settling into bed sated.

Alberto's Vegi Burrito.

Mmm, good sack.

Photos from the Picasa Web Album: Ottumwa to Salt Lake City