Nebraska and Iowa

AUGUST 14, 2010 - DAY 10 - OMAHA, NE TO WEST DES MOINES, IA

I awoke in time to thank Ajax for her hospitality before she headed off to work. Sure wish we had more time to visit and get to know her, but already know she is a terrific hostess and wonderful person!

As we all got up and made our way to the living room we also made our way to coffee and computers. Clean made the true observation about how it looked as though we were engaged in our own internet cafe. The great thing was the ability to have laundry going at the same time.

While we typed and chatted away we came up with a great idea about a custom patch for the ripped pocket on my jeans. Clean then set about designing and creating the patches. I tell you, he and Ajax are full service hosts. As we packed up he even sent us off with IWMC pins and mugs, and even had Yeti and Hillbilly pick us up for the ride east, first meeting up with more River City members.

As we headed out with them we had to slow for a creature waddling across the cloverleaf of the interstate, and I swear it was a beaver. Then as we rode along we kept seeing this chain of gas station / convenience stores called Kum & Go. Really. I think it was the first thing Angel and I mentioned to each other when we got off the bikes. But since this is a family-read blog I will leave it at that.

The River City IWMC members were heading to Iowa for a meeting with that chapter so we rode with them all to Darrel's Place in Hamlin, IA, for lunch and the meeting. There we learned that they are famous for their fried tenderloin sandwich. Yep, that is fried pork tenderloin. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

When it was time to head out we said good-bye to the River City guys and saddled up with those from Iowa. They took us east on Hwy 44, with a stop in Grimes at Fat Boyz for a soda. From there Turd lead us down the road to our hotel and provided us with his number in case of emergency, as well as the name and location of a good Italian restaurant just down the road.

Dan-the-Man was working the counter at the Sheraton in West Des Moines and had the perfect job for his personality. He made checking in fun and we all had a good laugh. After we got settled we headed out, asking him and the two young women at the front desk where they suggested we eat. I think we had more fun listening to them banter back and forth than caring about what they actually said.

We followed Turd's advice and had a great dinner at Biaggi's. We knew it was going to be good before we even walked in because the parking lot was full and people were sitting outside waiting. But since it was just us two we were able to take the last two seats at the bar and get served quickly. As busy as the bar staff was they were still fun and friendly.

After returning to our hotel, some good conversation and hot showers to remove the road, we settled into each of our beds. The Sheraton always has great beds. They are full of fluffy pillows, a soft, plush mattress and a downy comforter. After such a wonderful day full of great people, it's gonna be a good sleep-filled night too.