We're not in Boulder anymore!

On my final day with my trainer, he decided that we should prospect in a more rural section of my territory so it was decided to head to the small town of Berthoud, Colorado.

Berthoud is a quiet little town that is beginning to show some signs of coming into the 21st century. Main street still churns along but at each end of town there is new commercial construction beginning.

Many of the places that we call on in this part of the country are home-based businesses. So armed with a portable GPS unit, we head off into the great unknown. Against my advice, my trainer decided that we didn't need a real map. The GPS unit was going to set our route and we would just follow it. So off we go into the wild brown yonder.

We visited a couple of places pretty close to each other and then it seemed that we were being drawn into an abyss by some type of tractor beam. We drove for 15 minutes...20 minutes...thirty minutes heading west toward the great Rocky Mountains. On our way out to "Deliverance", the trainer decided that he needed to pee. He suggested that I just stop at the next gas station. Hello!!! We are in the middle of B.F.E. All I see are rocks and sage brush. No houses, no trees, just sage brush.

Finally after about 40 minutes we see signs of life. Now I had to go pee too! That damn GPS unit drove us to a state park that is really a reservoir. If I would have had a real map, I could have taken the direct route but what do I know? But Ha! I know every state park has those little toilet buildings and we finally see one way ahead. As we get to it and stop, we get out only to find that the buildings are locked for the winter. Shit! Now what?

After peeing on the side of the building, we get back in the car an finally find the "business" we were looking for. The 'owner' was an essentric scientist and inventor that had to show us every little invention that he had in progress. I was finally able to get him to sit dowm long enough to give the sales pitch only to hear why he is so broke. Something about a divorce, kids, child support, whatever. No sale and 100 miles on my tired, old van.

Back in the van and down the washboard road, we finally make it back to civilization about lunch time. I pulled into a A&W root beer stand to go pee again and get a papa burger and a root beer but as I was waiting in line, the trainer said to me, "We're not actually going to eat here, are we?". Well...that was the idea. That's why I pulled into the driveway, parked the car and got in line with the other people who apparently wanted to eat here too. "I am on a diet and don't want to eat all this greasy food" was the next thing to come out of his mouth.

Back into the car, seat belt on and now were driving again. He decides to find a resturant using his little GPS unit. "Oh, they have a chinese place around the corner". Are you kidding me? We are in the middle of meat and potatos country and he wants chinese? I knew this was going to be my last meal with his so I was a champ and went along. Into the chinese resturant we go. As I open the door, the stench of burning oil (Grease) was floating in the air. He ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken (deep fried in grease) and rice (which he drenched in soy sauce...Sodium) and was as happy as a cockroach in a chinese resurant.

After eatting the worst chinese food in my life and a trip to the bathroom, we were off and running again.

I went to a small beauty salon that was basically a converted garage and met with the owner. After I finished my pitch, she told me the saddest story I have ever heard. She had worked hard for over 30 years, got cancer and had to have her sister come help her. They have one employee that works full time and they just had to take a pay-cut for themselves. Apparently the cost of doing business was just too much and now they live on less than what social security would pay them.

We have got to do something to help the businesses on main street right now if we are going to save the businesses on main street. We don't need another lame ass $500 "stimulus check". If a $500 check is going to change your life then you really don't have a life. What we need is to allow small business to operate their businesses without all the red tape that the state and federal government ties them up with. Cut taxes for small business so they can afford to hire people. Give them the breaks they need, not some giant company who didn't and can't properly manage money.

I saw the reality of our country today and I cried.