Machine Shed

This is one happy guy!  Finally getting to eat at the Machine Shed.  Family style cooking with huge portions and the best beef.  

Blackhawk Hotel

Our first week in Davenport we stayed at the historical Blackhawk Hotel.   Simply gorgeous!  During the early part of the 1900's the town was booming and this grand hotel had many famous guest.  Cary Grant being one, thus I borrowed his quote "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".   I took this to heart during our stay in Iowa, remembering his words when I would start to feel sad about leaving.  The Midwest brings a longing deep inside.  It feels like home.

The suite was stunning with a balcony view of the Mississippi River.  The hotel had recently been renovated to it's original time period with modern hip touches.  On the bottom floor is a bowling alley and bar sleekly designed.  The restaurant "Bix", named after Bix Beiderbecke the famous Jazz musician/composer, was wonderful.  

The last photo is a piece of the original china from The Blackhawk which Chuck bought in the 1970's from an antique store in Iowa.  We have had this in our china cabinet all these years and I never would have thought I would get a chance to actually stay in this hotel.

I could go on and on about how fabulous The Blackhawk is, but I need to move on to other parts of our trip.

Crossing The Missouri River

Once you cross the Missouri River which separates Nebraska from Iowa, the landscape becomes rolling hills with pretty farms.  Welcome to IOWA our destination.  We stopped for gas at a "KUM & GO"....hilarious name I thought!

Our goal was to reach Des Moines but it was another 3 hours drive.  We found a small town   with 2 hotels.  Again, another dump.  But we were able to laugh about our room with an ancient AC, no towel racks and a spider in the toilet.  

You've got to remember, I've been hearing about how good Iowa food is for the past 25 years.  So I was excited to have and ready for this meal.  The first indicator should have been that the place was empty.  Second one look at the salad bar, you could tell it had been sitting out all day.  I ordered steak, mashed potatoes and gravy.  I love food and especially mashed potatoes....I took one bite and yuck!  I couldn't eat them.  The steak was just alright.  Nothing to brag about.  Iowa is known for their corn fed beef, so what happened here?  Since I didn't eat much of the dinner I thought maybe I'll have a piece of the homemade pie announced on a large sign.  Big mistake!  Horrible!  Even the color looked off.  I pushed it away and look over at Chuck.  He's eating his piece with a cup of coffee that smelled old and burnt.  He said he was eating it to be polite.  We laughed about banana cream pie throughout the trip and don't think we will ever be able to eat it again.

CORN CORN CORN

Driving through Nebraska = corn field after corn field.  I actually enjoyed it though.  Our friends were telling us "be ready to be bored in Nebraska".   I wasn't bored and usually on a long road trip I would read or do a crossword puzzle but instead I daydreamed of owning my own farm.  What it must be like to have so much land and to walk in the fields.  To sit on the front porch and watch the corn grow!

Little Bit of Colorado

A relaxing morning after we left Georgetown, Co.  Chuck wanted to show me the town of Evergreen and he was excited to find the "Little Bear", a saloon with wild memories for him.  We sat outside on the beautiful street covered sidewalk having our coffee.  No hurry here!  I think we could have stayed all day.  Wonderful views of the mountains and trees.  Fresh cool pine scented air.  

The bad boys made it 700 miles so far being hauled up mountains, through tunnels and winding curves.  The trailer wasn't so lucky.  During the night trying to park in the narrow hotel parking lot, we literally were stuck.  Chuck hit a pole and dented the fender!  The desk clerk came out to help us get "unstuck".  Oh well, not going to let this ruin our day.

Rocky Mountain High

Colorado was even more beautiful than I imagined.  The river flowing through every town.  Rich green color and a cool pine smell.  Tunnels dug through mountains.  

We spent the night in Georgetown.  Chuck really had his heart set on staying there and I have been hearing about how he loves this town for 24 years.  When we arrived, it was already dark but I could tell I was going to love it also from just the smell in the air.  

A cantina was open so we had a few cocktails and dinner.  The atmosphere was friendly and fun...but unfortunately the menu was "Mexican" which actually had a weird Colorado twist to the recipes.  Coming from Arizona, I don't think I would call it Mexican food but more like hippies trying to be creative.

There are only 3 hotels in the town.  The only one with a vacancy was a total dive.  Oh well, we were so tired it didn't really matter.  It was nice to sleep with a window open and smell the pine trees.

In the morning, I step outside and I'm blown away by the scenery.  Straight ahead was the largest mountain I have seen.  The town sits at the base and I didn't realize just how tall that mountain was.  The houses and buildings were built in the late 1800's.  Every yard was so pretty and the stream wove throughout.  

I can see why Chuck wanted to stay in Georgetown.  Wish we had more time to explore, but our destination was calling.

Navajo Reservation, Monument Valley, Utah

Continuation of "Day 1" blog post:

We headed north towards Tuba City and into a huge section of the Navajo Reservation. There are many road side stands set up selling jewelry. Not really my scene. But I was intrigued with the unusual rock formations. Chuck thought they looked like prehistoric giant ant hills. I was driving so I didn't get a photo. This will be an interesting area to look into when we get back. As we approached Monument Valley, the formations can be seen from different angles with each being their own fascinating wonderment. Into Utah is a beautiful twisting river and colorful canyons. We ate a late lunch in a small town by the river. I noticed there were river boat tours, cute little cabins and zip lines. I think this would be a fun place to come back to in the future.