Lakes to Mountains Tour

Magic Moments Trump Debacles

Tues May 13: Jules burg to Sterling CO: 59 miles; high 50s, cloudy then sunny late; 11:00-4:00.
I pulled into Sedgwick at noon, eager for a hot lunch and chance to warm up after an hour of chilly (52 degrees) riding under cloudy skies. The two-block downtown looked abandoned, with large handpainted signs on the different buildings stating they year they'd been built. When I saw a Coors Light neon sign lit in one window, I rolled my bike over to see if they served food.
As I dismounted, a man from a block away called out, "Hey! If you want a place to warm up, I've got a heater!" When I asked if the cafe was open, he shook his head.
I rolled over to talk to him without shouting. "How far is the next town where I can grab some lunch?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Crook is fifteen miles away, but I don't know if anything is open there. What are you looking for?"
"A burger, a sandwich, anything to get me a few miles further down the road."
He didn't hesitate. "How about some beef stew? It's homemade! C'mon, my sister owns the place across the street," he said, pointing to the Antique Inn.
He led me into the town's B&B. Elegant! and a stark contrast to the decaying town outside. Victorian furniture crowded around a fireplace in the main room; another was set up with dining tables for receptions, weddings, graduations, or what not. Upstairs, as he showed me later, were the antique-adorned bedrooms.
Into the kitchen we went, where a large pot of homemade stew sat coming up to room temperature. "Here's a bowl. Fill up as much as you want, and I'll heat it up. Open the frig and grab yourself some bread, butter, cream cheese, cucumbers - whatever you want. No one goes hungry here! And it's on the house."
He introduced himself as Rudy, down from Ogallala NE to help his sister with renovations. We chatted as I fueled my stomach with food and my spirits with his hospitality.
That served as the day's high point. The other two 'towns' along the road offered even less than Sedgwick, and the road carried little traffic - in one half hour, only ten cars passed me.
The morning's magic moment, along with three interesting talks at Julesburg High (where I forsook litter-vangelism to talk about book publishing and Africa), helped me weather the debacle that evening. Somehow the library confused the dates and advertised that I would speak there tomorrow night. Once I corrected her this morning, they put up a a small sign by the checkout desk of the change. Then, when I arrived with my night's hosts (who eagerly awaited seeing my talk), the librarian on duty couldn't find the key to unlock the cabinet with the DVD player, so she walked out without telling us she'd given up.
After waiting until 7:15 in the vain hope that someone else might show, Don and Bonnie Hooper took me back to the house, where I gave them a private presentation. Not what I'd planned, but still a pleasant evening after the embarrassment at the library.
NOTE: my TV appearance in Sioux City has made it to the web. To view it, visit http://www.ktiv.com/News/index.php?ID=25129 , and click on the red movie camera icon above the picture to see the video clip.

posted by Glen @ 8:06 PM