Rest Day #2

Well, my rest day was alright, but it certainly wasn't as restful as I had hoped it would be. My visit to the La Vista Correctional Facility just down the road from here turned out to be extremely awkward, to say the least. The individual I know who currently resides at La Vista was shockingly unappreciative of my efforts to visit him. In fact, he was downright rude to me. Yes, it's true that if not for me he would be a free man, but I thought by paying him a visit while I was in town I might help smooth over any lingering hard feelings he might have. Well, as it turns out that was wishful thinking.

Upon entering the visitation room in prison, I sat down at my assigned booth and picked up the phone used by the visitors and inmates to communicate. On the other side of the thick plexiglass barrier, my friend, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, sat down and picked up his phone. No sooner had we started conversing when he unleashed a torrent of vile profanity directed at not only me but at my family as well.  Yes, I probably shouldn't have said I thought he looked good in orange, but I was just trying to lighten the mood. I was simply trying to add some levity to the situation. Perhaps it's when I said I thought his 20 years in the slammer would "fly by in no time at all" that something inside him snapped. There was simply no call for him to rip off his jumpsuit and press his bare buttocks right up against the glass, right there in front of my face. I know prison can be a difficult place, but there is no call for such rudeness. I summoned the guard to complain, but he just laughed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the glass, the guards wrestled my friend to the ground and put him in a  chokehold. I heard one of them say, "Looks like it's back to solitary for you, big boy!" And they dragged him away. I hurried out the door and used my cell phone to summon an Uber ride.

When the car arrived, I jumped in and told the driver, "Take me to Walmart and step on it!"
As we sped through the windblown streets of Pueblo, I gazed out the window and thought to myself, "Well, that didn't go very well, did it."

Upon arriving at Walmart, I found the line for the dentist to be unbearably long, so I decided to forgo having my dental work done for the time being. It's been some years since I've been to Walmart and I had forgotten the buzz, the bright lights, and the excitement that are the hallmark of every Walmart Super Center. Not to mention the everyday low prices on virtually anything a human could ever want.

With my shopping complete, I still had an afternoon to kill so I decided to do what any red-blooded American male would do when faced with being alone for an afternoon, I went bowling.
And where does one bowl in Pueblo, CO you ask? At Big Daddy's Sunset Bowl of course.

Upon entering Big Daddy's, I spotted the big man in the corner sitting in a large recliner big enough to contain his enormous girth. He had actually gained weight since I saw him last, which seemed impossible to me. He was puffing on a cigar, and he appeared to be studying The Racing Form. He looked up from his paper, saw me and let out a laugh so loud that it startled the bowlers. You see Big Daddy and I go way back. Unfortunately, due to a plea bargain agreement, I can't really go into the details of our relationship, but suffice to say that we crossed paths years ago when we were both younger and more prone to locking horns with overzealous federal prosecutors.

He asked what brought me to Pueblo and I told him about my bike ride. His face grew stern as he contemplated my journey. He then smiled and asked me if I wanted a hot dog. Big Daddy always loved hot dogs. I remember hearing that he once eat over 150 hot dogs in a 2 hour period. Do the math that is over one hot dog a minute for two hours. I'm surprised he didn't go into cardiac arrest.  Years ago he placed 3 rd in the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest that is held on Coney Island each July 4th. He describes it as an "off-year" for him.

For the next 2 hours, we eat hot dogs and reminisced about our checkered pasts and our carefree days in the Federal Witness Protection Program. When it was time to go, he insisted that I take one more hot dog for the road.

His parting words to me were as profound as any I've heard.
He said, "You have a long journey ahead of you, Paleface." ( Paleface was always his nickname for me)
"Remember, 10 Hot Dogs a day keeps the hunger away. God's speed."

I nodded in agreement as tears welled up in my eyes. We shook hands, he gave me a big hug, an extra hot dog and I went back to my hotel.

I had eaten way too many hot dogs, and I was now paying the price. I know I have a long night ahead of me, marching back and forth, to and from the bed to the bathroom. But it's a price I'm willing to pay to see an old friend. I just hope that I'll be in decent enough shape tomorrow morning to resume my journey.

Tomorrow, 121 miles to Lamar, CO.