Day 35 (7/6): Pueblo, CO; 50 Miles

So from here on out we’re not actually in “Colorado” as the Colorado boys would say…rather “Eastern Colorado” or perhaps even “Western Kansas” or “The Conclave of Utah” (crazy Brendle thought that one up). Indeed this part of the state is pretty different from the highly populated cities we’ve hit in CO so far.

Got up to some usual crew chief breakfast and hit the road…took it easier in the back today with Brent, Snow, Country, and Brendel. Quick ride; highlight was racing a train to the crossing (we lost)…the scenery in this region isn’t quite as picturesque (more desert-ish).

Pueblo actually turned out to be a great stop...we lodged up in a local motel with huuuge rooms (with a separate little living room area!) which is a real treat. Showered up and headed over to the “Gold Dust Saloon” for some lunch provided by the town Chamber of Commerce. Our specially prepared menu (usual protocol for distinguished guests, of course) included either a cheeseburger or a cheeseburger with choice of side…it was some good eatin! The Chamber rep gave us each a little goody-bag of Pueblo promotional items (I put the sweet embroidered sticker on my bike…see if you can spot it in future pics!)

After lunch we had some downtime…most guys napped…I got some laundry action done at the convenient hotel Laundromat (after getting propositioned by some greasy-haired guy in the street to come to the “meeting” nearby where he and his “associates” were discussing identity theft…whaaaat??)

For dinner we headed over to the center of town where they were having their summertime-weekly “Friday Festival” …perfect timing! Put on by the local Art center, the fest has live bands, food, and lotsa booze (which we didn’t partake in…just yet). The local Arc (organization that supports people with disabilities) paid for our admission and gave us each an allotment of “tokens” to get food…super nice!! I allocated my tokens to a super burrito, a mountain dew, and some breadsticks (I sold the last two (festival value: $2) to Farley for $1…he was making moves to have some beverage purchasing power later on this evening). After hanging out in the sun for a little while we strolled on back to lodging with the rest of the evening off.

Some guys headed right back to the festival (in street clothes, this time) to catch the tail end of happy hour but most of us relaxed. I shaved the ole’ legs back up while watchin some tube with the roommates (a luxury we don’t often come by). Chad S., Pops, Farley, and Grant had gone to the thrift store earlier in the day to pick up some sweet suits for some “gentlemanly” fun this evening…they returned shortly after as the establishment was unfortunately closed.

Looking forward to some sleep in a real bed again tonight!