Another “Oh Sh*t” Moment

I seem to have a lot of these. Trust me when I say these are not contrived for the purpose of having blog material in the evening. These are simply the result of monumental brain farts. Fortunately, I haven’t managed to seriously injure myself yet (as I’m frantically searching for a wood-like surface in this motel room on which to knock). Today started off well. Dan and I got a fairly early start, leaving Moline around 7:30 with our goal being the little town of Peosta, Iowa. The wind wasn’t too bad, mostly across, and there wasn’t a whole lot of gravel that we had to navigate so we had covered about 35 miles when we arrived in DeWitt. McDonald’s had placed a very enticing billboard just outside of town so we picked that as our spot to sit down and get a drink and lay out the strategy for the rest of the day. (BTW, any size drink at McD’s is only $1, substantially less than a convenience store, plus it’s air conditioned with booth seating for those that need a little soft landing after a few hours on the bike seat). When I went to the counter to place my simple “large drink” order, I noticed an important item was missing - my credit card. I was able to confirm that it had been left at Montana Jack’s in Moline last night after dinner. The problem was that DeWitt was 35 miles, by non-electric or gas powered two-wheeler from Montana Jack’s. We considered riding back to Moline but decided our best alternative was to rent a car in Clinton, just 19 miles in the wrong direction away. We tried to get a one-way rental so we could throw our bikes in and get up to where we wanted to go, but those are not available in this neck of the cornfields (there are no woods here). After riding to Clinton, getting the car, leaving our bikes in the back office of Enterprise, returning to Moline, retrieving the card and then returning to Clinton, it was too late in the afternoon to press on. Our target had gone from 53 miles away at 11am to 63 miles away at 4:30pm with not much in between. We decided to take cover at the Quality Inn in Clinton for the evening and sort out our recovery plan over food at Clinton’s finest eatery - the BWW.

I glossed over the hotel choice above as if it is an insignificant item. While it does not have the same level of impact on the day's events as losing my stupid credit card, it is a worthy side note. There is one primary criterion for selecting a hotel for the evening - cost. In that regard, there is generally a fairly clean line between reasonable chains and the local versions of the Bates Motel. That seems to be right around $100/night. Last night in Moline, we found a very passable Country Inn and Suites for about $80. Thinking that the going rates here in Middle America were perhaps a bit more sensible than on either edge of the country, I was pleased to once again find a chain motel for just $76.

The problems started almost immediately. After waiting for a brief moment to check in while one of the residents (note I didn’t say guests) picked up her towels from the front desk, I was given general directions through the labyrinth to my room. If you recall the old game of Tetris, picture the hallways as various shaped game pieces that have fallen together in some random formation. It was suggested I might have an easier time finding my room if I took my bike around the outside to the back. I dutifully obliged only to find myself in an odd courtyard/parking lot with two more apparent residents at a picnic table. I retraced my steps, found a door and then entered the maze. I made so many wrong turns in a row because of the somewhat random numbering system that was being used, I ended up within site of the front desk.

Too embarrassed to go ask for help, I meandered back through the hallways, dropping bread crumbs along the way until I finally stumbled into my room. The linoleum-ish floor is slippery like it is covered in the sawdust from a tabletop shuffleboard game. After about 15 minutes, I think I got used to the smell. After another 30, I braved a peek into the bathroom and found it surprisingly intact and clean. I grabbed the little shampoo (inexplicably, I still use it. Call it habit). I noticed that it seemed a little more watery than most. When I inadvertently got some in my eye, it felt like acid burning. I actually had to close my right eye so I could open my left and make sure I could still see out if it. I thought I was going to reach up and find my eye had just dissolved into my hand. I am happy to report that I did not lose my vision or my eyeball, and I only made one wrong turn on the way back to my room after dinner. Tomorrow’s got to be better.

The Mississippi River bridge from Moline, IL to Bettendorf, IA. This was much more pleasant than the previous crossing of the mighty Mississippi.

The best county in all the land

The best park in all the land, although we never actually saw a park.

Could we possibly be anywhere but Iowa?

The funky 80’s stylings in the hotel room at the (Low) Quality Inn