Don't worry, I've never heard of Haubstadt either. Granted I'd never previously heard of a lot of the towns I've ended up staying in. It's near Evansville, which is slightly larger, if that helps anyone. Or if anyone is interested. I'm not, really. I just know it's somewhere between Louisville, KY and St. Louis, MO. Hopefully closer to St. Louis, but who knows.
The day started today with a lot more interstate driving. But we finally made it into Kentucky, which is another state I've never been to. Yay! My stomach was angry with me for all the crap I've been eating lately, so I had to make an extra stop along the way for a bathroom. Thankfully it didn't turn anything beyond that. I've been drinking water like crazy, so hopefully that'll help.
We finally stopped in Louisville, KY to have lunch and wander around for a bit. Louisville has a surprisingly nice downtown. I really liked it. It was just really nice and cute. And totally random. There were buildings of all sorts of different colors, and one with little red penguins on top. We learned from a nice old lady at the tourist info place that a lot of the buildings are still the original cast iron. She even gave us an official "tester" magnet that we could attempt to stick to buildings to see if they were iron. Fun (and rather random) stuff. There was also a giant art museum downtown so there was a lot of random artsy stuff around. In one place there was a tent you could walk through right on the sidewalk that had little glow sticks made to look like pond plants that I can't think of the name of, along with little cricket noises. Then there were randomly painted horses in random spots on the sidewalk. But my personal favorite was the bike racks. Each one had been individually hand made in crazy, artistic fashions. One was three crazy colored poles, another was one giant tangled pole, along with a few others. It was stuff like that that just made it a fun place to hang out.
We found a nice little sandwich shop for lunch, and thankfully my stomach was finally up to eating. From there we were off to the Lousiville Slugger factory and museum, also home to the world's largest bat. After the prerequisite pictures in front of said bat, we went in for the factory tool. It was pretty crazy to see what actually goes in to building a wooden bat, as well as how different each player's bat can be. We got to see and hold a lot professional players bats, and see them being built. And better yet, we got a free mini bat as a souvenier. Because we all know Lacey needs more random stuff! It was a fun tour and museum though, and i'm glad we did it. It's just one of those signature Louisville things.
Speaking of signature Louisville things, we also stopped by Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. I didn't really care much about seeing the tour or the museum or anything, I just really wanted to stand at the location of the "most exciting 2 minutes in sports." The museum was closed due to flood damage, but we were hopeful that we could still see the track. We stopped in the gift shop to ask, and were told that we couldn't see the track without a guide, and the last tour had already left. Thankfully they allowed us to join up with the tour already in progress so we got the best of both worlds: a chance to see the track without having to listen to the entire tour. I really don't have much interest in horse racing and didn't want to learn about it...I really just wanted to stand by the track and take a picture. And I got to do that, and now I'm fulfilled with my Kentucky experience.
From there we got on the road for a bit, but it was slow going to say the least. It's not that we were moving that slowly, it's just that we've hit the very long, very flat parts of the midwest, that just aren't interesting no matter how you slice it. I will say we've seen some very beautiful fall colors. And I'm glad I'm not in New England looking at the fall colors there because it sounds like it's FREEZING there! It's semi cold here, but not bad. Too cold for camping though, unfortunately. And of course I still really miss the sun. It seems that nowhere in the country is seeing the sun these days. I'm sort of getting used to it...though it still makes me sad when I wake up in the morning and it's just as dark as it was the night before. Jody and I held a small celebration this afternoon when we actually saw the sun. And it was still covered in clouds, but at least bright enough through the clouds that we could tell where it was in the sky. And based on what we've had lately, that was enough!
So we drove and drove, and finally exited at the sign for an Amish Buffet, that sounded like an interesting dinner spot. Actually, the sign was about 13 miles before the restaurant, which gives an idea of how sparse of an area we're driving through. When we finally found the exit, we couldn't find the restaurant (it was right there on the road, but neither of us spotted it). Instead we ended up at a Chinese buffet, which was actually pretty good. It was probably a good thing we got off the highway when we did because it was getting late and it looks like there wasn't another hotel for a looooooong ways. Tomorrow we're going to work on getting started a bit earlier.
Once settled in to the hotel, Jody gave me a most impressive back rub. She is one heck of a copilot! And I even let her drive today! :) She's now telling me that I'm taking too long to blog, so I better go. After all, I need to read her blog. I'm not the only blogger anymore!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sidney, OH
The kidnapping was successful. Yay! I now have an amazing copilot/navigator/drink finder/brownie maker (yes she made me brownies...she's knows me well!). Now I just have to work on being less greedy about doing all the map reading and planning.
We stayed up chatting until waaaaaay into the night, so this morning we were off to a slow start. To say the least. We both woke up relatively early, considering how late we went to bed, but neither of us had a whole lot of energy in moving towards leaving. (Or even starting leaving, mom).
Neither of us had much motivation....especially not me....so by the time we were up, showered, and were eating breakfast, it was just about lunch time. It took me a long time to clean out my car. As anyone who has seen me knows, it hasn't actually stayed in the organized way that it started. Since it's been just me for so long, I've really really really spread you. It's amazing just how spread out I can get in a small car! But now I have to not only keep the passenger seat open but also have enough room in the back for Jody's....larger than expected....bag.
But finally the car was (relatively) clean, and we were off. We stopped at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn....had to check out a bit of what my ancestors were all about. Or something like that. Of course there was a very limited showing of the Dodge brothers at the Henry Ford museum, but there were a few quick mentions. And it was still fun to see all the old cars. Plus they had cool old bikes, motorcycles, and a bunch of other random stuff.
We stayed there for a few hours and then got officially out on the road. Unfortunately, the amazing Ohio scenery did little to keep us awake and alert after our limited sleep, so driving was difficult. We stopped at a Waffle House for dinner, so Jody could experience the wonder of Waffle House. Of course, Waffle House in Ohio is not nearly as exciting as one in the South, but we'll take what we can get.
From there we drove through the all too empty Ohio interstate, getting increasingly punch drunk as we went, stopped at a moderately creepy hotel briefly, and then continued on to our current hotel. And now I think I'll sleep. These last few nights of very little sleep are definitely catching up with me!
We stayed up chatting until waaaaaay into the night, so this morning we were off to a slow start. To say the least. We both woke up relatively early, considering how late we went to bed, but neither of us had a whole lot of energy in moving towards leaving. (Or even starting leaving, mom).
Neither of us had much motivation....especially not me....so by the time we were up, showered, and were eating breakfast, it was just about lunch time. It took me a long time to clean out my car. As anyone who has seen me knows, it hasn't actually stayed in the organized way that it started. Since it's been just me for so long, I've really really really spread you. It's amazing just how spread out I can get in a small car! But now I have to not only keep the passenger seat open but also have enough room in the back for Jody's....larger than expected....bag.
But finally the car was (relatively) clean, and we were off. We stopped at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn....had to check out a bit of what my ancestors were all about. Or something like that. Of course there was a very limited showing of the Dodge brothers at the Henry Ford museum, but there were a few quick mentions. And it was still fun to see all the old cars. Plus they had cool old bikes, motorcycles, and a bunch of other random stuff.
We stayed there for a few hours and then got officially out on the road. Unfortunately, the amazing Ohio scenery did little to keep us awake and alert after our limited sleep, so driving was difficult. We stopped at a Waffle House for dinner, so Jody could experience the wonder of Waffle House. Of course, Waffle House in Ohio is not nearly as exciting as one in the South, but we'll take what we can get.
From there we drove through the all too empty Ohio interstate, getting increasingly punch drunk as we went, stopped at a moderately creepy hotel briefly, and then continued on to our current hotel. And now I think I'll sleep. These last few nights of very little sleep are definitely catching up with me!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Waterford, MI
My weekend in Chicago was awesome. It was soooo great to see people from my Americorps team again. It was like visiting family. For a brief moment I worried about the clothes I'd planned to bring being dirty and all that, but I realized that more than just about anyone, my team had seen me at my worst. I didn't have to worry about making an impression anymore. It's nice to have friends like that.
It was immediately great to see everyone and it felt just like old times. We had a great weekend. We spent saturday visiting a cool little free zoo, and wandering around some of the fun touristy areas. I was really impressed with what a nice place Chicago is. It seems that the only time it makes the news these days is for issues with violence, people getting beat up on the streets, etc. So even though I knew there was a lot more to the city than that, that was the image I had coming in. Turns out, at least for the areas we went to, it was really nice and a lot of fun. That said, Andrea, whose house we were staying at, works at an elementary school with no recess because it's too dangerous to allow the kids outside. So I guess there's a bit of both. More nice though. We were there on marathon weekend too, which was cool to see. What a HUGE event! I'm still considering doing a marathon someday, but I can't decide if an event that huge would be cool and inspiring or just plain obnoxious. I'd like to be surrounded by that many runners, but I don't generally like races with big crowds. But I've got PLENTY of time to think about any of that....I gotta get some training in before I start to consider events.
But anyway...the funny thing is that it was freezing there today! Remember the Chicago marathon last year? Ending the race short because people were dying of heat stroke? Strange how different a year can be. But at least we got to see the sun. Yay! I don't care how cold it gets as long as I get to see the sun.
Well I guess I care a little, because I've temporarily lost my tennis shoes and i'm stuck with just sandals. We went out to a comedy event last night, and while the rest of my body was warm, my toes about froze on the walk there. The comedy event was a lot of fun...a little improv show at this tiny little theater. It was surprisingly funny. We then proceeded to get really, really drunk and wake Ryan (who had stayed home to sleep) to give him his cake and sing happy birthday. Lots of fun. Except maybe for Ryan...that's still up for debate.
This morning was a little tough to wake up, and driving hungover was less than fun, but I've finally made it to Jody's house. Yay! Tomorrow (shhhh don't tell her) I'll be kidnapping her and taking her to Denver with me. And there's nothing she can say to change my mind. Ha ha ha (evil laughter). She'll never see it coming! The perfect kidnapping.
But wait. Who's going to comment on my blog? Ack! I hadn't thought of that. Jody, I guess you'd better bring your computer after all. In that giant bag you're packing for this...ummm...surprise kidnapping operation.
It was immediately great to see everyone and it felt just like old times. We had a great weekend. We spent saturday visiting a cool little free zoo, and wandering around some of the fun touristy areas. I was really impressed with what a nice place Chicago is. It seems that the only time it makes the news these days is for issues with violence, people getting beat up on the streets, etc. So even though I knew there was a lot more to the city than that, that was the image I had coming in. Turns out, at least for the areas we went to, it was really nice and a lot of fun. That said, Andrea, whose house we were staying at, works at an elementary school with no recess because it's too dangerous to allow the kids outside. So I guess there's a bit of both. More nice though. We were there on marathon weekend too, which was cool to see. What a HUGE event! I'm still considering doing a marathon someday, but I can't decide if an event that huge would be cool and inspiring or just plain obnoxious. I'd like to be surrounded by that many runners, but I don't generally like races with big crowds. But I've got PLENTY of time to think about any of that....I gotta get some training in before I start to consider events.
But anyway...the funny thing is that it was freezing there today! Remember the Chicago marathon last year? Ending the race short because people were dying of heat stroke? Strange how different a year can be. But at least we got to see the sun. Yay! I don't care how cold it gets as long as I get to see the sun.
Well I guess I care a little, because I've temporarily lost my tennis shoes and i'm stuck with just sandals. We went out to a comedy event last night, and while the rest of my body was warm, my toes about froze on the walk there. The comedy event was a lot of fun...a little improv show at this tiny little theater. It was surprisingly funny. We then proceeded to get really, really drunk and wake Ryan (who had stayed home to sleep) to give him his cake and sing happy birthday. Lots of fun. Except maybe for Ryan...that's still up for debate.
This morning was a little tough to wake up, and driving hungover was less than fun, but I've finally made it to Jody's house. Yay! Tomorrow (shhhh don't tell her) I'll be kidnapping her and taking her to Denver with me. And there's nothing she can say to change my mind. Ha ha ha (evil laughter). She'll never see it coming! The perfect kidnapping.
But wait. Who's going to comment on my blog? Ack! I hadn't thought of that. Jody, I guess you'd better bring your computer after all. In that giant bag you're packing for this...ummm...surprise kidnapping operation.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Chicago, IL
I made it! Yay! It's great to see my Americorps team again! Well, part of it anyway. We're having a lot of fun catching up and reminiscing about old times.
It took me many hours to get here from St. Louis. It was still pouring rain (I miss the sun!) and the idiot drivers were still out in full force. I saw a big wreck happen maybe 5-6 cars in front of me. Well, I didn't actually see it happen, just the very end of it. I debated if I should stop, but the guy 4 cars ahead of me stopped and the two cars behind him ran into him. So I figured I'd be better off just getting out of the way. The three cars in the wreck covered a lot of distance (two spun into the median and one off the other side) but everyone was getting out and walking around, and already on the phone to call it in. So I just decided I was glad I wasn't a few cars further ahead, or anywhere farther behind where i'm sure traffic was backing up like crazy as it blocked all but one lane.
The horrible Chicago traffic was a big pain, but not as bad as I'd expected after all I'd heard about it. Still though, what mapquest told me would take 5 hours took about 8.5. But I'm here now, and all is well. Tomorrow it sounds like we're heading to the zoo and to explore some other events around town. I may or may not blog.
One quick story before I go. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night (the AC stopped working in the hotel room and it was super hot!) and had no idea where I was. Not because I was disoriented, but because at this point everywhere is starting to run together and I couldn't remember for the life of me what town I had stopped in. I guess it's a good thing I'm nearly done travelling. Strangely enough, last night was the end of my solo road tripping. I hadn't realized it until the middle of the night, but this weekend I'll be with my Americorps team, and Sunday night I'm kidnapping a co-pilot to take back to Denver with me. But more on that later.
It took me many hours to get here from St. Louis. It was still pouring rain (I miss the sun!) and the idiot drivers were still out in full force. I saw a big wreck happen maybe 5-6 cars in front of me. Well, I didn't actually see it happen, just the very end of it. I debated if I should stop, but the guy 4 cars ahead of me stopped and the two cars behind him ran into him. So I figured I'd be better off just getting out of the way. The three cars in the wreck covered a lot of distance (two spun into the median and one off the other side) but everyone was getting out and walking around, and already on the phone to call it in. So I just decided I was glad I wasn't a few cars further ahead, or anywhere farther behind where i'm sure traffic was backing up like crazy as it blocked all but one lane.
The horrible Chicago traffic was a big pain, but not as bad as I'd expected after all I'd heard about it. Still though, what mapquest told me would take 5 hours took about 8.5. But I'm here now, and all is well. Tomorrow it sounds like we're heading to the zoo and to explore some other events around town. I may or may not blog.
One quick story before I go. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night (the AC stopped working in the hotel room and it was super hot!) and had no idea where I was. Not because I was disoriented, but because at this point everywhere is starting to run together and I couldn't remember for the life of me what town I had stopped in. I guess it's a good thing I'm nearly done travelling. Strangely enough, last night was the end of my solo road tripping. I hadn't realized it until the middle of the night, but this weekend I'll be with my Americorps team, and Sunday night I'm kidnapping a co-pilot to take back to Denver with me. But more on that later.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
St. Louis, MO
Another non-interesting day today. But don't worry. I won't let you, my wonderful readers, down. I'll find a way to provide you with some interesting reading. Or I'll just write a whole lot about nothing to make myself happy, and you all can deal with it however you decide. Interesting options here.
As Jody pointed out on her comment to my yesterday's post, I was up late last night blogging. Well not just blogging. I was also watching Ghost Whisperer online, getting the crap scared out of myself, watching funny youtube videos to lighten the mood before going to sleep, and then watching more youtube videos just for fun (and possibly minor addiction) before finally going to sleep. So, it was most definitely not an early start this morning.
I had again looked in to seeing a show this morning, but nothing really jumped out at me as all that interesting. Instead I just got up and got on the road. Everything was completely socked in with clouds again, and right as I was leaving it started absolutely pouring. It's hard to feel motivated to do anything when it's raining that hard. It's also hard to believe that yesterday I was taking a nap in the sunshine and there was not a cloud in the sky anywhere. I found myself feeling my sunburn a few times today just to make sure yesterday was real. Unfortunately the sunburn is very real, painful, and makes me look really, really goofy, but I'm so so glad I took the time to enjoy the sun while it was here!
I got on the highway heading north towards Springfield. I saw a series of a billboards advertising a restaurant featuring "fun food" and "the only home of throwed rolls." These billboards were all kind of crazy and fun-looking, and I did need to eat, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The restaurant, Lambert's Cafe in the town of Ozark, was ridiculous and amazing! It was like the southern/midwestern version of Rodizios (my favorite restaurant in Denver). You order whatever you want off the menu, like normal, but then they also have "pass arounds". These are sides that are brought around to your table....similar to Rodizios except instead of fancy meats these are things like fried okra, black eyed peas, and mac & cheese. I got a hamburger steak, which was a giant burger covered with gravy, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It said it was served on a skillet, and sure enough it came out in a GIANT skillet, complete with the big long handle and everything. It would've been plenty of food for two without any of the sides. Then, everyone who brought a side would put a giant spoonfull on the plate and then ask, "is that enough?" My mountain of food kept growing at incredible rates. And my dr. pepper came in a giant plastic trucker-sized mug, as did my water, so I had one for each hand. And then, the best part of it all. A guy would come down the middle aisle of this very large dining area shouting "hot rolls!" If you raise your hand the guy will fling one too you. The floor was of course littered with missed catches, but the guy definitely had a good arm. I have a feeling he's done it before. So, while I'm still bothered by the phrase "throwed rolls," I greatly enjoyed my ridiculous and hilarious lunch experience. Wow I really should be a restaurant critic! :)
From there I got on the interstate towards St. Louis. Oh rural interstate how I have so so so not missed you! It was slow going due to the absolutely pouring rain, and the idiots were back out in full force causing wrecks everywhere. There were flash flood watches and warnings everywhere. I realized that I have no idea what one is supposed to do for a flash flood warning, except for stay off the roads that are closed and not go out and pitch a tent. I really do want to camp more, but it's not going to happen in this weather!
Because of all the crappy weather and traffic, I made it to St. Louis right at rush hour. St. Louis had been having it's own share of crappy weather all day, so traffic was even worse than normal. St. Louis is also crazy geographically. There's like 5 different highways all coming in from different directions and meeting in one little central area. I knew traffic was going to be bad, and I should've stopped earlier, but I really wanted to make a bit more distance. As I got close it seemed the one highway I needed was still moving ok so I went for it. Traffic wasn't awful but it just kept raining harder and harder. The clouds were so thick it looked like the middle of the night at 5:00! I was completely over it at that point and took the first exit with hotels and found one. It worked out well as I found one of the nicest hotels I've stayed in for the same price as most of the others. I feel much better being able to sit down and relax instead of stressing out in the rain, and judging by the creek in the parking lot turning into a raging river outside my window, it wasn't getting any better on the highway! I've got a fair amount of driving to do tomorrow to get to Chicago, but it's doable. Unfortunately it's not looking like I'm going to see the sun tomorrow either. Go away stupid clouds! It's a really really good thing I don't live somewhere like Seattle! It's funny, before this trip I always wondered what the super high speed setting on my wipers was for. Today I almost never got it off that setting. I want to go back to where it's dry!
As Jody pointed out on her comment to my yesterday's post, I was up late last night blogging. Well not just blogging. I was also watching Ghost Whisperer online, getting the crap scared out of myself, watching funny youtube videos to lighten the mood before going to sleep, and then watching more youtube videos just for fun (and possibly minor addiction) before finally going to sleep. So, it was most definitely not an early start this morning.
I had again looked in to seeing a show this morning, but nothing really jumped out at me as all that interesting. Instead I just got up and got on the road. Everything was completely socked in with clouds again, and right as I was leaving it started absolutely pouring. It's hard to feel motivated to do anything when it's raining that hard. It's also hard to believe that yesterday I was taking a nap in the sunshine and there was not a cloud in the sky anywhere. I found myself feeling my sunburn a few times today just to make sure yesterday was real. Unfortunately the sunburn is very real, painful, and makes me look really, really goofy, but I'm so so glad I took the time to enjoy the sun while it was here!
I got on the highway heading north towards Springfield. I saw a series of a billboards advertising a restaurant featuring "fun food" and "the only home of throwed rolls." These billboards were all kind of crazy and fun-looking, and I did need to eat, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The restaurant, Lambert's Cafe in the town of Ozark, was ridiculous and amazing! It was like the southern/midwestern version of Rodizios (my favorite restaurant in Denver). You order whatever you want off the menu, like normal, but then they also have "pass arounds". These are sides that are brought around to your table....similar to Rodizios except instead of fancy meats these are things like fried okra, black eyed peas, and mac & cheese. I got a hamburger steak, which was a giant burger covered with gravy, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It said it was served on a skillet, and sure enough it came out in a GIANT skillet, complete with the big long handle and everything. It would've been plenty of food for two without any of the sides. Then, everyone who brought a side would put a giant spoonfull on the plate and then ask, "is that enough?" My mountain of food kept growing at incredible rates. And my dr. pepper came in a giant plastic trucker-sized mug, as did my water, so I had one for each hand. And then, the best part of it all. A guy would come down the middle aisle of this very large dining area shouting "hot rolls!" If you raise your hand the guy will fling one too you. The floor was of course littered with missed catches, but the guy definitely had a good arm. I have a feeling he's done it before. So, while I'm still bothered by the phrase "throwed rolls," I greatly enjoyed my ridiculous and hilarious lunch experience. Wow I really should be a restaurant critic! :)
From there I got on the interstate towards St. Louis. Oh rural interstate how I have so so so not missed you! It was slow going due to the absolutely pouring rain, and the idiots were back out in full force causing wrecks everywhere. There were flash flood watches and warnings everywhere. I realized that I have no idea what one is supposed to do for a flash flood warning, except for stay off the roads that are closed and not go out and pitch a tent. I really do want to camp more, but it's not going to happen in this weather!
Because of all the crappy weather and traffic, I made it to St. Louis right at rush hour. St. Louis had been having it's own share of crappy weather all day, so traffic was even worse than normal. St. Louis is also crazy geographically. There's like 5 different highways all coming in from different directions and meeting in one little central area. I knew traffic was going to be bad, and I should've stopped earlier, but I really wanted to make a bit more distance. As I got close it seemed the one highway I needed was still moving ok so I went for it. Traffic wasn't awful but it just kept raining harder and harder. The clouds were so thick it looked like the middle of the night at 5:00! I was completely over it at that point and took the first exit with hotels and found one. It worked out well as I found one of the nicest hotels I've stayed in for the same price as most of the others. I feel much better being able to sit down and relax instead of stressing out in the rain, and judging by the creek in the parking lot turning into a raging river outside my window, it wasn't getting any better on the highway! I've got a fair amount of driving to do tomorrow to get to Chicago, but it's doable. Unfortunately it's not looking like I'm going to see the sun tomorrow either. Go away stupid clouds! It's a really really good thing I don't live somewhere like Seattle! It's funny, before this trip I always wondered what the super high speed setting on my wipers was for. Today I almost never got it off that setting. I want to go back to where it's dry!
Still Branson
Wow, I had such a non-interesting day I almost forgot to blog about it!
I'm in sort of a weird spot right now. My Americorps reuinion thing is this weekend in Chicago, so it's too early to drive there but too late to make it home. So I find myself needing to kill time in the midwest. Oh the joys. It was with that thought in mind that I woke up this morning, still feeling exhausted. I had planned to get up for the hotel breakfast but decided instead to go back to sleep. After all I'm in a decent place here, I might as well hang out and keep the room.
So I fell back to sleep, wake up and veg for a bit, and then realize I never called the front desk about keeping the room. At about 10:59 (11:00 checkout time) I call and they tell me "No, sorry, we're sold out for tonight." Ack! I get a late checkout for noon and rush to get cleaned up, packed up, and out.
I didn't really know what I wanted to do with myself, but I knew I had a lot of pent up energy and was very tired of my car. So I threw some water and a map into my backpack and went for a hike. Around Branson. Unfortunately I didn't actually look at the map before I got going, and I managed to end up in the most un-interesting part of the town. An empty highway. But I walked a lot....I'm guessing at least 5 miles but probably more (a very quick estimate from the map gives me 7.5 miles). Enough to give me blisters from my sandals. (Ouchie!)
I had planned to stop and see a show or go out to eat or something, but I never really saw anything interesting so I just kept walking. I did eventually find a nice patch of grass perfect for stopping to enjoy the sun. It's been many, many days since I've seen much sun. Today there was not a cloud in the sky and I wanted to take full advantage. I ended up drifting off for quite a while. The good news is, I'm no longer looking pale like I thought I was this morning. The bad news is, pale has been replaced with an impressive shade of red with faint white-glasses lines all over my face and down my neck. Of course I couldn't have slept on my stomach or covered my face with something first.
After my nap I continued my walk and eventually did go to the giant go-kart track. 4 stories of track in this crazy double spiral with an up and down bridge between them. It was fun, though the go-karts themselves sucked. I floored it the whole time and I would get going for a bit, slow to a near stop, then get a big vroom burst of speed and then slow down again. It made it far less exciting than I'd hope, but it was definitely one of those gotta try it once things. I raced a bunch of highschool kids who all really sucked. I started in the back and passed all of them...and I think I may have lapped one of them. I guess I shouldn't be bragging about beating highschool kids...but they were cocky boys who were beat by a girl, so I can enjoy my moment a little. :) From there I continued my search for a restaurant, but still never found anything too exciting so I instead went to Fuddruckers. As some of you know I had a bit of an obsession going with Fuddruckers after Outward Bound, but now it's been a while since I've been to one. It was pretty good, though I tried a buffalo burger (which was listed on the menu as a lighter option) and it was drenched in grease. Totally drenched! Speaking of their menu, they've changed it. My old "usual" is gone. So sad!
After dinner I got myself checked in to my new, super tiny but much more affordable hotel. And get this....the door uses a real key! No key card here! That actually makes me really happy. Ever since the New Mexico Best Western during Americorps that checked me in to an already occupied room and sent me to walk in on some unsuspecting guy, I have been very wary of key cards. At least with a physical key they're more likely to know when there's someone already in the room! Still though, as soon as I get in a hotel room now I do the top latch/chain so that even someone with a key can't walk in on me! Yeah I know, I'm paranoid.
I considered going to a show tonight, but everything that looked interesting also looked painfully expensive. So instead I sat in my strange smelling hotel room, shivering while trying to air it out with the AC, talking to friends. I'm considering a breakfast show tomorrow. We'll see. I had really hoped to camp tonight since the weather was so beautiful today, but seemingly within minutes as I was having dinner the sky went from not a cloud to not even a glimpse of sun or blue sky. Now I am listening to a thunderstorm outside. It's good to be indoors, despite how it smells. (And if you're wondering, which you're probably not, it's not a smoke smell like some of the rooms i've had. It smells like somebody spilled an entire bottle of especially horrid old lady perfume).
I'm in sort of a weird spot right now. My Americorps reuinion thing is this weekend in Chicago, so it's too early to drive there but too late to make it home. So I find myself needing to kill time in the midwest. Oh the joys. It was with that thought in mind that I woke up this morning, still feeling exhausted. I had planned to get up for the hotel breakfast but decided instead to go back to sleep. After all I'm in a decent place here, I might as well hang out and keep the room.
So I fell back to sleep, wake up and veg for a bit, and then realize I never called the front desk about keeping the room. At about 10:59 (11:00 checkout time) I call and they tell me "No, sorry, we're sold out for tonight." Ack! I get a late checkout for noon and rush to get cleaned up, packed up, and out.
I didn't really know what I wanted to do with myself, but I knew I had a lot of pent up energy and was very tired of my car. So I threw some water and a map into my backpack and went for a hike. Around Branson. Unfortunately I didn't actually look at the map before I got going, and I managed to end up in the most un-interesting part of the town. An empty highway. But I walked a lot....I'm guessing at least 5 miles but probably more (a very quick estimate from the map gives me 7.5 miles). Enough to give me blisters from my sandals. (Ouchie!)
I had planned to stop and see a show or go out to eat or something, but I never really saw anything interesting so I just kept walking. I did eventually find a nice patch of grass perfect for stopping to enjoy the sun. It's been many, many days since I've seen much sun. Today there was not a cloud in the sky and I wanted to take full advantage. I ended up drifting off for quite a while. The good news is, I'm no longer looking pale like I thought I was this morning. The bad news is, pale has been replaced with an impressive shade of red with faint white-glasses lines all over my face and down my neck. Of course I couldn't have slept on my stomach or covered my face with something first.
After my nap I continued my walk and eventually did go to the giant go-kart track. 4 stories of track in this crazy double spiral with an up and down bridge between them. It was fun, though the go-karts themselves sucked. I floored it the whole time and I would get going for a bit, slow to a near stop, then get a big vroom burst of speed and then slow down again. It made it far less exciting than I'd hope, but it was definitely one of those gotta try it once things. I raced a bunch of highschool kids who all really sucked. I started in the back and passed all of them...and I think I may have lapped one of them. I guess I shouldn't be bragging about beating highschool kids...but they were cocky boys who were beat by a girl, so I can enjoy my moment a little. :) From there I continued my search for a restaurant, but still never found anything too exciting so I instead went to Fuddruckers. As some of you know I had a bit of an obsession going with Fuddruckers after Outward Bound, but now it's been a while since I've been to one. It was pretty good, though I tried a buffalo burger (which was listed on the menu as a lighter option) and it was drenched in grease. Totally drenched! Speaking of their menu, they've changed it. My old "usual" is gone. So sad!
After dinner I got myself checked in to my new, super tiny but much more affordable hotel. And get this....the door uses a real key! No key card here! That actually makes me really happy. Ever since the New Mexico Best Western during Americorps that checked me in to an already occupied room and sent me to walk in on some unsuspecting guy, I have been very wary of key cards. At least with a physical key they're more likely to know when there's someone already in the room! Still though, as soon as I get in a hotel room now I do the top latch/chain so that even someone with a key can't walk in on me! Yeah I know, I'm paranoid.
I considered going to a show tonight, but everything that looked interesting also looked painfully expensive. So instead I sat in my strange smelling hotel room, shivering while trying to air it out with the AC, talking to friends. I'm considering a breakfast show tomorrow. We'll see. I had really hoped to camp tonight since the weather was so beautiful today, but seemingly within minutes as I was having dinner the sky went from not a cloud to not even a glimpse of sun or blue sky. Now I am listening to a thunderstorm outside. It's good to be indoors, despite how it smells. (And if you're wondering, which you're probably not, it's not a smoke smell like some of the rooms i've had. It smells like somebody spilled an entire bottle of especially horrid old lady perfume).
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Branson, MO
Driving is exhausting. Driving through the midwest is exhausting-er. I can feel myself getting fat from doing almost nothing active lately, but I just don't have the energy while also trying to make progress.
I slept surprisingly well by the highway last night. The trains stopped coming, and the passing semis made for good white noise. What got to me though was the bright street lights on the other side of the highway. The trucks would block them as they passed and it would get dark, but when there were no trucks the bright light would come back. I could handle it being light or dark, but i'd be about to fall asleep and then it would suddenly get bright and wake me up. Also, some other light went on in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up at 3am convinced that the sun was coming up. I had to get up and out of my tent to make sure it was still night. But overall I really did sleep well.
I got up pretty early, showered, and was all ready to go but decided to hang around 'til 8:00 for the campsites pancake breakfast. That would save me stopping later for food. It took forever to actually get food, but I finally made it out on the road at about 8:45.
It was a pretty straight shot to Little Rock, AR. I've been debating lately between hanging out and seeing the things I want to see, or just making distance. I'm tired of travelling, but at the same time who knows when will be my next opportunity to come to some of these places. With that thought in mind, I stopped at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. It was pretty cool. I'd never even heard of a presidential library before, but it's basically a museum of everything you'd want to know about the president. Or at least that's what this one was. The lower level was a giant timeline of his time in office and what he accomplished. It also had a replica of the white house meeting room so you could sit in his chair and pretend to be important.
Then there was the upper level, which had everything you'd ever want to know about life in the White House, including a replica Oval Office (though you didn't get to sit down at that desk. Sad.) There were tons of photos of the Clintons just hanging out in the White House, as well as some of the personal momentos they used for decoration. It was neat...made them all seem a lot more human. Then there was an entire exhibit of gifts given to Clinton from athletes, foreign leaders, and others. Finally there was an exhibit of little Billy Clinton's childhood, including bare butt baby pictures. I gotta say this was absolutely halarious! All sorts of pictures of him growing up....his cub scout records, his elementary school report card, an old pair of his shoes, etc. Fun stuff.
There was a mention in one of the exhibits about the integration of Central High School in Little Rock. I've read all about the Little Rock 9 and I've been interested in the story for a long time, but it still never occured to me that it was that Little Rock. After all the civil rights stuff I saw in Mississippi and Alabama (especially in Birmingham), I sort of forgot that it stretched all the way up to Arkansas. I decided to do a quick drive by of the school, just to see where it all happened.
When I was getting directions to the school, I discovered that since it's on the National Historic Register there's a National Park Service visitor's center right next to it. I figured I would park at the visitor's center, go take a picture, and then get back on the road. Instead, when I walked in to the visitor's center they told me that a tour of the school was about to begin. The only way you're allowed inside the school (unless your a student or staff) is to take a tour. I thought it would be cool to see inside, though I wasn't sure I wanted a full tour since it was getting late and I hadn't had lunch. But I went for it, and it was very cool to see. Strange though....being lead through a functioning highschool by a fully uniformed park ranger. Literally, this woman was dressed just like somebody you might see in Yellowstone, right down to the hat. It was very cool to see the school and be in the place where all the stories occured. Unfortunately one guy on the tour kept asking question after question after question, so the 45 minute tour turned in to almost 2 hours. But I couldn't walk around the school on my own and I didn't want to be rude and leave so I stuck with it.
Oh, and to add to the fun, it was pouring rain. It'd been cloudy all day but the rain finally started while we were in the school....along with lightning and thunder. At one point the power even went out. It went on again within a minute or so, but it left us with a nice awkward minute. The walk from the school back to the visitor's center left me drenched, even though it was less than a block away.
Once we finally made it back to the visitors center, I decided I'd gone so far through Little Rock I might as well keep going and get a new camping book from AAA. It was something I needed to do but AAA's can be hard to find sometimes. Thankfully this one was right where the map showed it to be, so I got it done quickly. In the end, my planned hour long detour for lunch and the Clinton museum thing turned in to about 4 hours. I finally got back on the highway, and after a quick stop in Conway to see where my friend Nicole went to college, I headed north off the interstate.
I admit Arkansas did get a lot prettier when I got to the western half. The mountains are nice. However the "interesting" Jesus vibe never quits. I drove through all sorts of tiny little towns that had more churches per capita than anywhere I've ever been. The Jesus billboards continued....as well as nearly all of the regular buisness billboards seeming to have some religious message. My personal favorite from today was a picture of the typical evolution image. You know the one...the bent over gorilla looking thing progressively standing up straight. The billboard was that image with a red circle and a line through it and the words "No Evolution!" Under that it had the beginning of Genisis: "In the beginning God created...." Like I said, I just don't get what they hope to gain from these things!
So now I've made it to Branson, MO, just barely north of the Arkansas border. Branson is an interesting place. It's billed as the clean cut, family friendly version of the Vegas strip. Personally I think Vegas is plenty family friendly. I mean come on now, Circus Circus! :) Really though, they do get some big name musicians and such here, along with some....interesting looking acts. I'm not even sure exactly how to describe them. They just look strange. By the time I finally found a hotel that was affordable, had space, and had internet, it was too late to really see or do anything. I did drive down the "strip" though, which was fun. In a sense it is like Vegas because there were tons of bright, flashy lights everywhere. It's much more of a strange rural sprawl scene than a strip though. It's weird...you drive down the road for a bit and find yourself in the midst of all sorts of craziness....then it'll get a bit quieter and you'll see a walmart and perhaps a taco bell, and then it goes back to the craziness again. I had hoped to walk down the strip, but the way it's laid out it's hard to find somewhere to go. I'm considering spending the day here tomorrow just to hang out. And because I noticed a place with a 4-story go-kart track that I just have to try. And because driving through the midwest is getting to me, though I've only just begun. I've been talking to the radio a lot, as well as singing along and coming up with actions to all the pop songs i'm hearing again and again. I even managed to sing Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" entirely in opera. And before anyone says anything about my knowing every word to that song....I spent the summer working at a climbing tower. With teenagers. It came up. A lot.
So yeah, I might take a mental health break in the ridiculousness that is Branson, MO. Especially considering that it's already midnight and i'm still awake trying to make sense of blogging. (Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm falling asleep as I type!) We'll see how I feel in the morning. And we'll see if my rather "verbal" car survives the night here! hahaha just kidding (I hope!).
I slept surprisingly well by the highway last night. The trains stopped coming, and the passing semis made for good white noise. What got to me though was the bright street lights on the other side of the highway. The trucks would block them as they passed and it would get dark, but when there were no trucks the bright light would come back. I could handle it being light or dark, but i'd be about to fall asleep and then it would suddenly get bright and wake me up. Also, some other light went on in the wee hours of the morning. I woke up at 3am convinced that the sun was coming up. I had to get up and out of my tent to make sure it was still night. But overall I really did sleep well.
I got up pretty early, showered, and was all ready to go but decided to hang around 'til 8:00 for the campsites pancake breakfast. That would save me stopping later for food. It took forever to actually get food, but I finally made it out on the road at about 8:45.
It was a pretty straight shot to Little Rock, AR. I've been debating lately between hanging out and seeing the things I want to see, or just making distance. I'm tired of travelling, but at the same time who knows when will be my next opportunity to come to some of these places. With that thought in mind, I stopped at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. It was pretty cool. I'd never even heard of a presidential library before, but it's basically a museum of everything you'd want to know about the president. Or at least that's what this one was. The lower level was a giant timeline of his time in office and what he accomplished. It also had a replica of the white house meeting room so you could sit in his chair and pretend to be important.
Then there was the upper level, which had everything you'd ever want to know about life in the White House, including a replica Oval Office (though you didn't get to sit down at that desk. Sad.) There were tons of photos of the Clintons just hanging out in the White House, as well as some of the personal momentos they used for decoration. It was neat...made them all seem a lot more human. Then there was an entire exhibit of gifts given to Clinton from athletes, foreign leaders, and others. Finally there was an exhibit of little Billy Clinton's childhood, including bare butt baby pictures. I gotta say this was absolutely halarious! All sorts of pictures of him growing up....his cub scout records, his elementary school report card, an old pair of his shoes, etc. Fun stuff.
There was a mention in one of the exhibits about the integration of Central High School in Little Rock. I've read all about the Little Rock 9 and I've been interested in the story for a long time, but it still never occured to me that it was that Little Rock. After all the civil rights stuff I saw in Mississippi and Alabama (especially in Birmingham), I sort of forgot that it stretched all the way up to Arkansas. I decided to do a quick drive by of the school, just to see where it all happened.
When I was getting directions to the school, I discovered that since it's on the National Historic Register there's a National Park Service visitor's center right next to it. I figured I would park at the visitor's center, go take a picture, and then get back on the road. Instead, when I walked in to the visitor's center they told me that a tour of the school was about to begin. The only way you're allowed inside the school (unless your a student or staff) is to take a tour. I thought it would be cool to see inside, though I wasn't sure I wanted a full tour since it was getting late and I hadn't had lunch. But I went for it, and it was very cool to see. Strange though....being lead through a functioning highschool by a fully uniformed park ranger. Literally, this woman was dressed just like somebody you might see in Yellowstone, right down to the hat. It was very cool to see the school and be in the place where all the stories occured. Unfortunately one guy on the tour kept asking question after question after question, so the 45 minute tour turned in to almost 2 hours. But I couldn't walk around the school on my own and I didn't want to be rude and leave so I stuck with it.
Oh, and to add to the fun, it was pouring rain. It'd been cloudy all day but the rain finally started while we were in the school....along with lightning and thunder. At one point the power even went out. It went on again within a minute or so, but it left us with a nice awkward minute. The walk from the school back to the visitor's center left me drenched, even though it was less than a block away.
Once we finally made it back to the visitors center, I decided I'd gone so far through Little Rock I might as well keep going and get a new camping book from AAA. It was something I needed to do but AAA's can be hard to find sometimes. Thankfully this one was right where the map showed it to be, so I got it done quickly. In the end, my planned hour long detour for lunch and the Clinton museum thing turned in to about 4 hours. I finally got back on the highway, and after a quick stop in Conway to see where my friend Nicole went to college, I headed north off the interstate.
I admit Arkansas did get a lot prettier when I got to the western half. The mountains are nice. However the "interesting" Jesus vibe never quits. I drove through all sorts of tiny little towns that had more churches per capita than anywhere I've ever been. The Jesus billboards continued....as well as nearly all of the regular buisness billboards seeming to have some religious message. My personal favorite from today was a picture of the typical evolution image. You know the one...the bent over gorilla looking thing progressively standing up straight. The billboard was that image with a red circle and a line through it and the words "No Evolution!" Under that it had the beginning of Genisis: "In the beginning God created...." Like I said, I just don't get what they hope to gain from these things!
So now I've made it to Branson, MO, just barely north of the Arkansas border. Branson is an interesting place. It's billed as the clean cut, family friendly version of the Vegas strip. Personally I think Vegas is plenty family friendly. I mean come on now, Circus Circus! :) Really though, they do get some big name musicians and such here, along with some....interesting looking acts. I'm not even sure exactly how to describe them. They just look strange. By the time I finally found a hotel that was affordable, had space, and had internet, it was too late to really see or do anything. I did drive down the "strip" though, which was fun. In a sense it is like Vegas because there were tons of bright, flashy lights everywhere. It's much more of a strange rural sprawl scene than a strip though. It's weird...you drive down the road for a bit and find yourself in the midst of all sorts of craziness....then it'll get a bit quieter and you'll see a walmart and perhaps a taco bell, and then it goes back to the craziness again. I had hoped to walk down the strip, but the way it's laid out it's hard to find somewhere to go. I'm considering spending the day here tomorrow just to hang out. And because I noticed a place with a 4-story go-kart track that I just have to try. And because driving through the midwest is getting to me, though I've only just begun. I've been talking to the radio a lot, as well as singing along and coming up with actions to all the pop songs i'm hearing again and again. I even managed to sing Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" entirely in opera. And before anyone says anything about my knowing every word to that song....I spent the summer working at a climbing tower. With teenagers. It came up. A lot.
So yeah, I might take a mental health break in the ridiculousness that is Branson, MO. Especially considering that it's already midnight and i'm still awake trying to make sense of blogging. (Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm falling asleep as I type!) We'll see how I feel in the morning. And we'll see if my rather "verbal" car survives the night here! hahaha just kidding (I hope!).
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