Day 8 - The Missing Shoe
Day 7 was an off day at Ft. Collins. (the internet here seems to slow for video and pictures... I'll have to update all of this in Lincoln)
Today, Day 8, started out like any other day, but slower and later. Thankfully we had a quick and fairly easy ride into Stoneham, CO. After passing through a couple there's nothing here towns we were excited about the prospect of a town with more than a gas/grocery/antique station. 
Earlier today we ran into a woman who filled my water bottles with water, and ice completely unprompted by me! She told us when we get to Stoneham we need to check out Dewey's, and to not bother with the cafe on the highway. But on the way to Stoneham we bumped into this little cafe, the only thing in town except for the rodeo and the grain elevator. With the rodeo apparently being the best in the region according to all the newspaper clippings on the mini fridge. The best part was the 50 cent soda machine outside, and the $1.00 fountain sodas inside. I can't remember when a drink other than water could be b ought for a dollar or less!
We've been getting funny responses from people throughout our trip, although they lack variety. The woman running the cafe asked us where we were headed. Usually these questions get only two responses: 1) A grunt followed by a laugh. The person then exclaims, "Not Me," or "Better you than me" or something very close to that. 2) Their eyes get big and they say, "Wow that's far." Followed by, "How long is that going to take you?" Then almost everyone responds along the lines of 1. She was number 2.
We pushed on down the road and got to Stoneham a few hours later. Having forgotten the advice regarding where to go we went into the cafe on the highway. We walked in as we admired he Harley's out front. I walked in first, all spandex clad. As I stepped in every eye in the place fell on us. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared. All 9 people. Unconsciously but out loud I said, "Woah." Then smiled and said hello. It would have been perfect if a creaky swinging door hinge was fading out behind me while a tumbleweed blew through. But Matt and I sucked up our self consciousness and got an overpriced burger and some soft drinks. before long everyone there was curious about what we were doing and all of them were responding according to the #2 question response type.
We ate then asked the woman behind the counter about camping. We headed into town, which turned out to be 8 people, a grain silo, and Dewey's (one block in total).
It was early so we decided to take a nap at the dilapidated community center on the benches outside. After about an hour nap we headed down to Dewey's for some drinks to kill sometime before it was cool enough to setup camp as it was a cool 92 most of the day. So 5 beers and the best fried chicken I've ever had later we headed back to the community center to setup camp. As we rolled into camp, some 200 yards from Dewey's, Matt realized one of his cycling shoes was gone from his bag, which is in his trailer, which is attached to his bike.
They had been Velcro'd to each other then stuck under a bungee strap, but now only one was there. We searched the stretch of land to the bar, the other patrons even moved their cars to look under them (not even kidding this is how nice everyone that we've met is!), but nothing. I even climbed onto the roof of the bar the next morning just to make sure we weren't having a joke played on us. But it was seriously gone. All we could do was sleep. Amidst the cloudless rain showers and howling coyotes we finished off another day.
