I awoke at 6AM in my hotel room with no use of an alarm clock. It’s amazing how the human body can fall into patterns.
I snagged food from the free continental breakfast, which would end up becoming my modus operandi. My go to was some sort of protein such as eggs, bacon, sausage or whatever meat fare that was being offered along with some starchy potatoes. I also grabbed a bagel and peanut butter for the road because why not and it’s “free”. The food was usually lackluster being cold and picked over, but it was better than having to stop and pay for breakfast at a diner.
After eating, I grabbed my bag of belongings and hit the road. I had no specific destination in mind though I did hope to make it to Denver by nightfall if possible.
I drove West on I80 and the first city I came across was Des Moines. When people say that Iowa is just corn fields, they are not exaggerating based on my experience. I drove for hour upon hour across some of the flattest landscape I had ever seen. I will say that the people I encountered along the way at gas stations and the like were very friendly and had a Midwest nice to their demeanor.
Thank God that I had podcasts to listen to along the way. I have been listening to podcasts since I got my first Ipod back in 2008. It was my Sophomore year of highschool and I couldn’t afford to buy much music on Itunes, but I quickly discovered there was a section of free podcasts. Kevin Smith was an inspirational figure for me back then after seeing his films “Clerks”, “Chasing Amy”, and “Dogma”. I was delighted that Smith and his producer, Scott Mosher, had a podcast titled “Smodcast”. Their playful, unscripted banter was music to my ears.
I quickly became a fan of most any podcast that I downloaded. Over the years, I have probably listened to tens of thousands of hours of podcasts. Topics range from comedy, film, and music to history, spirituality, and personal finance. Rule 34 of the internet: If it exists, there is porn a podcast of it. No exceptions.
After 4 hours on the road I had crossed the border into Nebrarska and had reached Omaha. I have heard Omaha is a fun hang and there is a good bar scene. I drove right past though as I was on a mission to get to Denver. At this point, I couldn’t bear to stop given how boring the drive through Iowa had been.
I managed to snag a picture of the Archway in Kearney, NE. I would not recommend taking photos while driving for safety reasons, but there are a lot of things I do that I would not recommend. While the Archway had an interesting look, there was no way that I was going to pull off the road and take time to view the highway from the arch. I’m sure there are a lot better attractions in Nebraska.
I was hoping that the drive through Nebraska was going to be more entertaining than Iowa. Instead, it proved to be just as boring with flat cornfields replaced by cow pastures. I get why Omaha Steaks is a thing. The drive through Nebraska was only 5 hours though it seemed like an eternity. I was surprised at how wide the state is.
9 hours of desolate nothingness and hot black top had finally brought me to Colorado. I was 2 hours outside of Denver and was making good time given I only stopped for gas. The excitement of more diverse landscapes and mountains kept me moving. I had never seen the Rockies before outside of flying over them for a layover in Denver.
I pulled over to a rest stop and booked the cheapest Hilton brand hotel that I could find on the outskirts of Denver. My rewards points had accumulated from staying at Hilton hotels for work and it was always good to save some dough. 6:00 PM had hit and I would get to the hotel by about 7 PM.
The drive through East Colorado into Denver did not end up being that much better. The landscape was again flat and I would have not noticed the difference from Nebraska outside the road signs. I finally saw the Rockies in the background once I got into the Denver area proper.
The drive from Iowa City to Denver would mark my longest single day of the trip at 800 miles. My caffeine intake kept me going and I managed to not stop for food along the way.
I wanted to go out into the city to see the sights of Denver, but was tired from the drive. I decided to just grab a pre-packaged dinner at the Whole Foods across the street from the hotel. My plan was to be back in the Denver area at the beginning of July for the three Dead & Company shows at Folsom Stadium in Boulder. I figured I would have more than enough time to see what the city has to offer upon my revisit.
The view of the Rockies was somewhat visible from my hotel window and was beautiful. I was grateful to be able to look out at the sun setting over the mountains and contemplate what I had experienced and what was to come ahead. I probably could use a better camera and photography skills.
