Friday, August 07, 2009

53: What We Need Is Another Winning Lottery Ticket...and Cookies

Stoker's Log

Day Fifty-Three

8/7/09

From Idaho Falls, ID

To Pocatello, ID

93 miles

11.6 avg mph

And now you've seen the Idaho Falls. Not quite Niagra, and surrounded by the commercial district, but I guess still nice enough to name a town after...

Since we had to make up miles, we got going early without breakfast; I ate the rest of the bread loaf on the way and Kyle planned to wait until we got to the gas station. Unfortunately, what we thought would be 14 miles was closer to 20, which meant a 40 mile round trip before we even started our new miles. With the heat, the construction, and the unexpected distance, we were pretty miserable, even though the ride offered some very interesting sights.

I've always said that the classiest (and most carnivorous) threads involve a raptor:

Other mascots were not nearly as effective. I'm not really sure what message this auto detailing company was trying to convey (child labor, pedophilia, and the Coppertone girl's brother come to mind), but it disturbed me.

And I couldn't get a good picture of it, but I swear this store says "Midget Market."

Distractions aside, we were incredibly relieved to FINALLY reach our new favorite gas station.

We needed a good rest there before starting the second leg. We chatted with some ladies as we ate our food: Kyle went super healthy with juice and Nutrigrain bars, but I decided that cream soda, pretzels, and Nutter Butters made a much better second breakfast. (It was a hard morning.) We also bought another lottery ticket and won $5, making it three in a row. Apparently I need to play the lottery whenever I'm having a hard day. (Note to self: I should probably rethink this idea.) Our fourth ticket lost and finally broke the streak, so we decided it was time to go. It felt good to be heading west again, and even better when we crossed over into new territory. The interesting advertising continued, including Martha, the fantastic giant drag-queen waitress.

We eventually reached Blackfoot, "The Potato Capital of the World!" (Bet you thought that was in Ireland, but no.) They even had a museum, which we sadly didn't have time to visit.

We actually thought about staying there for the night (the town, not the potato museum), but thanks to a dance competition and Native American festival every hotel was booked. We had to get back on the road -- and fast -- because a storm was on the way. We raced out of Blackfoot and towards Pocatello, 25 miles away. Terrified that Pocatello wouldn't have any hotel rooms either, I called my mom from the road and tried to explain the situation while sprinting through the wind and the rain. We eventually figured things out and she managed to book a hotel room for us, which was a huge weight off our mind. If only the storm would go away.

We passed the Shoshone-Bannock Festival that I desperately wanted to visit, especially to see the traditional ball sports, but the storm and the setting sun drove us ever onward into Pocatello. Fortunately, we had a pleasant surprise waiting for us there: my mom happened to choose a hotel where they bake cookies every night for their guests. That's right: the friendliest hotel staff I've ever met made us fresh. baked. cookies. We enjoyed them when they came out of the oven, after our delicious dinner at the restaurant next door, and for breakfast the next day. We love you Rodeway Inn!

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