In
November 2019 I went on an amazing 6-day road trip that began on Cape
Cod and encompassed a total of 2,100 miles. It was not however the
longest road trip I had ever been on. The 2019 trip was the bookend
to another trip that took place in 2001. The main difference was the
2019 trip was for fun, the 2001 trip was more by necessity. That
trip came about due to having to move back to Cape Cod from Las
Vegas, Nevada. It was also aboard a Greyhound bus, and began in the
dead of night. This is the story of that 2,700 mile, 3-day journey
that began my love of travel and my desire to do a proper road trip
on my own.
After
spending time going to college and working in Las Vegas things were
not working out as I’d hoped. It became time to unfortunately call
it a day and head back to Cape Cod to start a new chapter. It also
didn’t help that I had discovered how much I loved to gamble. By
gambling I mean blowing my paycheck at slot machines in Albertson’s
and 7-Eleven. The trip across the country began in the Greyhound
depot of Las Vegas located about 10 minutes north of the famed Strip.
It was winter and the dead of night as the bus began its journey.
Though nearly 20 years ago now so many of the memories of this trip
are still vivid in my mind.
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| The El Bambi Cafe and Sinclair signs from 2011 (ArbyReed on Flickr) |
Beaver,
Utah
The
first several hundred miles of the journey was along I-15, then to
I-70. I-70 begins near Cove Fort, Utah and travels more than 2,100
miles east ending at Baltimore, Maryland. In between short bouts of
sleep the first place I remember stopping was Beaver, Utah as the
skies began to see their first glimmers of morning. It was a truck
stop complete with a Sinclair gas station which fascinated me with
its brontosaurus logo because I’d never seen one before. There
wasn’t much time to look around however the bus allowed us to
stretch our legs and I walked across the parking lot to a small diner
called the El Bambi Truck Stop Cafe. It was every bit the classic road side
diner complete with the swirling desert case and a counter of
truckers having breakfast and coffee before being on their ways.
Grand
Junction, Colorado
About
300 miles east of Beaver is Grand Junction, Colorado. This is an up
and coming art city but also known for its mountain biking, wineries,
and overall scenery. It is where the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers
meet, thus the ‘junction’ name. While there I was able to take a
walk and see some of the famed Art On The Corner sculptures. The
outdoor-exhibit started in 1984 by Dave Davis includes some permanent
pieces and some that are actually for sale. In recent years its
Downtown has become a Certified Creative District and is an up and
coming place for younger people to live.
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| Art on the Corner in Grand Junction, CO 2001 |
Somewhere
along the way at a convenience store at a bus stop I decided to buy
some cheap sleeping pills to help make the long stretches on the bus
go by faster. These came in to play at the next stop 120 miles east
in Eagle, Colorado.
Eagle,
Colorado
This
small town lies close to the Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts. It
is popular for its hiking and definitely scenic views. While waiting
for the bus to leave Las Vegas I had struck up a conversation with a
guy about my age who was also heading across the country. At the
stop in Eagle the guy got off to go into the store but was late
coming back out. As the bus began to drive away he came running out
and although I did see him the sleeping pills had me in such a haze
that all I could do was watch him fade away. He did catch up with us
a few stops later just in case anyone wondered what happened to him.
Denver,
Colorado
The
most nerve racking part of the 125-mile trip east to Denver was a
winding drive through the Rocky Mountains as the snow fell. There is
nothing like feeling a bus skid while being thousands of feet up
separated from the cliffs by a single metal guardrail. After
arriving in the city we were allowed a little under an hour to
‘enjoy’ Denver. This meant taking a walk outside in the light
snow for a few blocks. Besides a convenience store and the
Ritz-Carlton hotel I did not see much of Denver. Not truly
sightseeing but more than most stops.
Ogallala,
Nebraska
After
leaving Denver we headed northeast on I-76 to perhaps the most unique
spot I saw on this trip. This small town was once a stop on the Pony
Express. It sits close to the border of the Central and Mountain
Time Zones, leading to some late sunrises. This was the case when I
arrived. It was a perfect combination of a late sunrise, powerful
sleeping pills, and a bus station with red and white vinyl checkered
cafe tables looking like it was straight out of the 1950’s. I
started wondering if I was either still asleep or in an episode of
The Twilight Zone. It was an interesting and unique time I spent in
this bus station, plus my Nana loved the town’s name so every time
I think of stopping here it reminds me of her.
 |
| My postcard from Ogallala 2001 |
Nebraska
is smack in the middle of the Great Plains. Riding by bus through it
showed just how flat and sprawling the land is. Not to say that the
area isn’t worth visiting, I just know that the views surrounding
I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa doesn’t lend itself to many picture
postcard images.
Walcott,
Iowa
The
World’s Largest Truck Stop is located here. On the eastern edge of
Iowa it opened in 1964 and is open 24/7/365. It is 30,000 square
feet and serves on average more than 5,000 people daily. It has a
barber shop, chiropractor, dentist office, laundrymat, private
showers, and even dog groomers. I only got a small taste of this
attraction, as was the case with most places on this list. It
looked and felt like a huge shopping mall, except for when the loud
speaker would call out random truckers names saying their showers
were ready.
 |
| The entrance to the World's Largest Truck Stop in 2001 |
Davenport,
Iowa
Located
on the Mississippi River less
than 15 miles from Walcott. It is widely considered one of the best
small cities in America. Upon arriving at the bus terminal I spotted
the incredible 3,800-foot
Centennial Bridge which connects Davenport to Rock Island. I took
off running nearly a half-mile to snap a couple of photos of the
bridge in the short amount of time that we were stopped in Davenport.
Chicago,
Illinois
My
first experience in the legendary Chicago I am sure is not indicative
of the greatness of that city. However this is how I spent my time
in Chicago. The bus rolled into the station around 5am. The bus
needed to refuel and get cleaned up so everyone was told they needed
to get off and spend some time in the bus terminal. That was no big
deal until the driver made it a point to warn us about pickpockets
and strongly suggested that none of us venture off into any dark
corners of the bus terminal. Needless to say I stuck close to where
we all disembarked and simply waited for the all clear to return to
the bus. To be fair though
I did not see anything close to the ominous warning the bus driver
gave us.
Leaving
Chicago led us through the rest of Illinois and through Indiana with
the main stop off being the city of Elkhart.
Elkhart,
Indiana
Located
110 miles east of Chicago this city is famous for two contributions
to the world. One is being the RV Capital of the World, the other is
once being considered the Band Instrument Capital of the World. At
one point Elkhart was home to 60 instrument manufacturers.
It
was here that we disembarked at a gas station with several passengers
walking next door to the McDonald’s. The line was a bit long and
some of us began to worry that the bus might leave without us.
Luckily the woman at the end of the line chimed in and said the
driver wouldn’t dare leave without her, she was his wife!
There
was a brief stop, more of a slow down, in Cleveland, Ohio. This was
after midnight and the city looked impressive despite only stopping
long enough to do a quick pickup/drop off. I was in and out as we
passed through Ohio into Pennsylvania.
State
College, Pennsylvania
It
was here that I again realized how strong the sleeping pills were
that I had been taking to help with the trip. This
stop was early in the morning and somehow in a haze I wandered into a
convenience store and made a few purchases and got back on the bus.
Only a few hours later did I see the random purchases I made with
almost no recollection.
From
there it was roughly 500 miles back to Cape Cod and more specifically
Hyannis. It ended more than 3 days of seeing many sites, though not
as much as I wish I had at the time. Thankfully
during my most recent road trip I was able to stop and see many
things on my itinerary and document them with photos and videos.
Maybe someday I will
recreate this route and be able to enjoy it more, until then it made
for an interesting few days in 2001.
-------------------------------------------------------------My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing
View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Deacon John Doane
Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com
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