As mentioned in this post I took a bus trip to Colorado Springs in preparation to go to GenCon in Indianapolis. Car is my preferred way to travel, but as I 1) do not own a car and 2) do not have money for gas, I had to figure out a better way to travel. Train would have been cool, but that would have required that I find a way to Omaha, NE to the nearest Amtrak station. Um, no thank you. I dislike flying intensely, which is why I did not simply pay out the nose, seriously, to fly from Sioux City to Indianapolis or pay less and fly from Omaha – although the same getting to Omaha issue for Amtrak would apply to the airport there – I will not get on a plane by myself. So, bus it was!

I had purchased my bus ticket back in May and because at that time the flooding of the Missouri river was still only a threat, but a very real threat that authorities already knew would turn into a reality, I was told to call at least 24 hours before my bus was scheduled to leave to ensure that I was leaving on time. When I called, I was told that my bus was leaving six hours before it was originally scheduled to. However, only the first bus would be leaving early. All the other busses would be running at their normal times. So what was supposed to have been no more than maybe 30 minutes in Omaha turned into six freaking hours. This would not have been a problem, except that the bus left Sioux City at 3PM, arrived in Omaha at 5PM – aka dinner time – and there was nothing around the bus station for food. The only food withing in walking distance of the bus station was the overpriced vending machines. Seriously – $2.00 for a Coke – no Pepsi products available at all – $1.00 for a tiny bag of chips or a candy bar? Holy crap. There was a machine that provided ramen noodle cups and cheeseburgers, but it was eating money and not giving out the food, so what was the point? I ended up eating a bag of Gardetto’s, a Coconut Twix (limited edition, darn it, that was freaking awesome), a package of Hostess Cinnamon Rolls, and a bag of M&Ms. I had a Diet Coke in my bag, so I didn’t have to get a drink.

The only other remarkable thing about the Omaha bus station was that we left 30 minutes late and there was a guy that they would not let get on the bus because he’d had a beer with his dinner – six hours before. Yes, I am rolling my eyes. I’d seen the guy before he went to get dinner and he’d been a loud, rude jerk before he ever went to get dinner. If anything, the beer settled his butt down, because he wasn’t as much of a jerk. But the bus driver took an instant dislike to him and when he asked the guy if he’d had anything to drink and the guy said a beer with dinner six hours before, the bus driver said he couldn’t get on the bus and called security. That was the reason for the delay – the “drunk” passenger called the cops on the bus driver and the security guard for preventing him from getting on the bus, because they said that he had to pay $15.00 to get his ticket changed to the bus that was leaving the next morning. To be honest, that bus driver was just as rude and belligerent as that passenger was, but that’s another story.

We made it to Denver, finally, after a 30 minute stop in Brush to get McDonald’s for breakfast – I ended up getting 2 Sausage McMuffins and 2 hashbrowns because I was starving. In Denver I grabbed my bag and got in line to get on the bus to Colorado Springs. The bus to Colorado Springs was packed, but the ride was uneventful. My friend was late getting me from the bus station, but that was all right, I wandered around with my bags for a bit before she came, just to see what was around. Not much, just a coffee shop. LOL

So that was the bus trip to Colorado Springs. Next up: the plane ride to Indianapolis.