Where is your ideal Labor Day destination? Is it Manhattan, Kansas? Perhaps you've booked your hotel room and used up all of the gas at a roadside Conoco! If so, you win! You beat us. That's right, our attempts at another hotel room with a bedside jacuzzi (or any hotel room) were dashed because of Labor Day travelers. Likewise, we attempted to pump gas at a station completely devoid of the oh-so-necessary fuel! Good thing we had enough gas and Kate just remembered she knows someone in Lawrence, KS!
So, after Kate thinking we were in Kansas during most of our drive through Missouri, we arrived in Kansas City (Missouri). It was pretty, especially the lightning in the backdrop. Big ole raindrops were not so welcoming however. Afraid my car would stall out or I would hydroplane in standing water, we pulled over 10 minutes away from meeting our college friend at our destination: Eden Valley. Finally the rain subsided and we met our friend and my juggling grandfather (the person who taught the person who taught me how to juggle!), Greg! I hadn't seen him in at least 5 years!
Sadly we will miss the Kansas City site that my Grandpa suggested: Subtropolis. It was closed for Labor Day weekend, which makes sense because, although it's completely underground, it is an industrial hub! Next time I pass through this area I also want to visit the Insect Zoo in Manhattan, KS. Perhaps I'll even splurge on a guided tour!
Only one more state to go!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Winding my Way West
When you think about Nashville, you think about country music. But, the question is, do you think about Andrew Jackson? Amanda, my college friend and Murfreesboro tour guide, drove us to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's estate. They had a lovely audio walking tour (yay for not having to stop and read things when you are pressed for time!) and gardens with some of my favorite plants: zinnias and oregano!
This morning, Kate and I left Amanda and hit the road to Missouri! Half way along the way, we finished our YA audiobook and returned it at one of the millions of Cracker Barrels we've seen along the way. Our adventures in MO have been among my favorite on the whole trip. I tried some genuine St. Louis pretzels and Frozen Custard at Ted Dewes, BUT best of all, I rode a little pod car with four other tourists to the top of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (aka the St. Louis Arch or the Gateway to the West). So cool! We were 630 ft. in the air with a great view of the Mississippi (which we crossed a whopping 3 times today!), the baseball stadium (where a game was being played!), the Old Courthouse, and the St. Louis Cathedral.
Apparently we are in the West now!
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| Rear of The Hermitage |
This morning, Kate and I left Amanda and hit the road to Missouri! Half way along the way, we finished our YA audiobook and returned it at one of the millions of Cracker Barrels we've seen along the way. Our adventures in MO have been among my favorite on the whole trip. I tried some genuine St. Louis pretzels and Frozen Custard at Ted Dewes, BUT best of all, I rode a little pod car with four other tourists to the top of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (aka the St. Louis Arch or the Gateway to the West). So cool! We were 630 ft. in the air with a great view of the Mississippi (which we crossed a whopping 3 times today!), the baseball stadium (where a game was being played!), the Old Courthouse, and the St. Louis Cathedral.
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| View of stadium and the Old Courthouse from the top of the 630 ft arch! |
Apparently we are in the West now!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Kentucky Kindness
Day three began with a futile attempt at finding the Purple People Bridge crossing the Ohio River from Cincinnati, OH into Kentucky. After driving in circles for 45 minutes throughout Cincinnati, we drove across a different bridge. It was neat, though sadly, the bridge was not purple.
Once on the open highway, I immediately decided that I liked Kentucky more than Ohio. It had many more trees, was less flat, and it had a 70 MPH speed limit that people did not abuse to an extreme! In fact, it felt like traffic went slower than on highways with a 65 MPH limit. Speaking of highways and driving... I found another trucker friend! We traveled for an hour, maybe more, passing each other out when the need arose. He honked. I waved. It was a special relationship. In fact, he was driving a Kenworth and it might just have been the "Kenworth of my dreams..."
Without needing to drive for too many hours on end today, Kate and I were willing to do a bit of exploring. You can imagine how pleased we were when we saw the sign for the "Kentucky Bourbon Trail" The "spirits" led us to the Jim Beam distillery, right off the highway! Pulling in, Kate commented that the establishment looked like the mining operation in Zorro. The visitor's center and outbuildings were lovely, however. We didn't have time for a tour (Nashville traffic at rush hour? I don't think so...), but an employee personally introduced us to two bourbons: Booker's and Red Stag.
We hit Nashville well before rush hour and searched in vain for a nearby battlefield. Thus, the saga continues...
Once on the open highway, I immediately decided that I liked Kentucky more than Ohio. It had many more trees, was less flat, and it had a 70 MPH speed limit that people did not abuse to an extreme! In fact, it felt like traffic went slower than on highways with a 65 MPH limit. Speaking of highways and driving... I found another trucker friend! We traveled for an hour, maybe more, passing each other out when the need arose. He honked. I waved. It was a special relationship. In fact, he was driving a Kenworth and it might just have been the "Kenworth of my dreams..."
Without needing to drive for too many hours on end today, Kate and I were willing to do a bit of exploring. You can imagine how pleased we were when we saw the sign for the "Kentucky Bourbon Trail" The "spirits" led us to the Jim Beam distillery, right off the highway! Pulling in, Kate commented that the establishment looked like the mining operation in Zorro. The visitor's center and outbuildings were lovely, however. We didn't have time for a tour (Nashville traffic at rush hour? I don't think so...), but an employee personally introduced us to two bourbons: Booker's and Red Stag.
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| Booker Noe, sixth generation distiller, eternally enjoying his bourbon |
We hit Nashville well before rush hour and searched in vain for a nearby battlefield. Thus, the saga continues...
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Really Riveting Roadtrip: Day 2
I eagerly await the next time I'm in the car. I know... a little strange after driving at least 8 hours today. But, we have a book on CD! It is an amazing young adult title called The Virals about teenagers, scientific experiments on secluded islands, murder, monkeys, and the hope that high school students will morph into wolves! Tina, thanks for the suggestion of renting an audiobook at Cracker Barrel! You rock! We will be saving a Western/Romance audiobook (with a cowboy on the cover!) for Kansas!
The audiobook was the most exciting aspect of our slightly more flat journey down the length of Ohio. However, I was also fairly pleased to be saluted for my driving skills by a trucker today! I've heard that truckers represent the best (and worst) drivers out there. Apparently, I let him merge into my lane, hung back so I wasn't in his blind spots, and then passed him appropriately enough that he honked and gave me a thumbs up, sticking his whole hand out the window!
The day was really completed with a driveby of Grandpa's Cheesebarn (where they also sold fudge...) and a visit to a luxurious gas station/Starbucks/mini grocery store with amazing bathrooms!
The audiobook was the most exciting aspect of our slightly more flat journey down the length of Ohio. However, I was also fairly pleased to be saluted for my driving skills by a trucker today! I've heard that truckers represent the best (and worst) drivers out there. Apparently, I let him merge into my lane, hung back so I wasn't in his blind spots, and then passed him appropriately enough that he honked and gave me a thumbs up, sticking his whole hand out the window!
The day was really completed with a driveby of Grandpa's Cheesebarn (where they also sold fudge...) and a visit to a luxurious gas station/Starbucks/mini grocery store with amazing bathrooms!
Layover in the Little Leagues
Irene was ever present as a backseat driver throughout day one of our road trip to Denver! Kate had to take a detour on the way to Albany from Boston and the beginning of our trip from Albany through Binghamton also involved detours! A thruway attendant at the start of the thruway claimed that our route was now completely open, while the attendant at the end of the thruway, said that, no, in fact we cannot travel that road! Lack of communication resulted in some handy map reading on our parts! Paper maps will always be my friends (plastic coated, paper maps included!).
We passed through some beautiful country littered with small towns. But, alas, the sun did set and we needed to find a spot to rest our traveling heads! Kate had written down some info from hotels located in Williamsport, what I assumed was a small town in PA. The only rooms we could find were suites with jacuzzis! We wondered, why would those be the only rooms available... Then Williamsport turned out to be a bit bigger than we assumed and we saw signs for baseball this and Little League that... We discovered the Williamsport where the Little League World Series was held, just held! I bought postcards, though I must confess that I only saw the hotel/fast food region of Williamsport!
And that is how we ended up in the honeymoon suite at the Comfort Inn in the Little League Capital of the World!
We passed through some beautiful country littered with small towns. But, alas, the sun did set and we needed to find a spot to rest our traveling heads! Kate had written down some info from hotels located in Williamsport, what I assumed was a small town in PA. The only rooms we could find were suites with jacuzzis! We wondered, why would those be the only rooms available... Then Williamsport turned out to be a bit bigger than we assumed and we saw signs for baseball this and Little League that... We discovered the Williamsport where the Little League World Series was held, just held! I bought postcards, though I must confess that I only saw the hotel/fast food region of Williamsport!
And that is how we ended up in the honeymoon suite at the Comfort Inn in the Little League Capital of the World!
Irene visits the ADKs
My cousin and recent hiking partner just emailed me this story about the impact of Irene in the Adirondack Mountains (where we just went hiking) and I had to share.
Check out this article and take a look at this following picture. There totally used to be a bridge over the dam!
Check out this article and take a look at this following picture. There totally used to be a bridge over the dam!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Irene Update
Still have power (knock on wood!). Still raining.
I'm supposed to start my road trip tomorrow but this is dependent on 1) my friend Kate venturing across the great state of Massachusetts and arriving safely in Albany and 2) driving conditions in NY and PA. The Thruway has been closed at several points and the Mohawk and Hudson rivers won't crest until tomorrow afternoon. More flooding could result, limiting mobility. In addition, apparently I will be traveling along one of the most flood prone areas in the United States: the Susquehanna. But, trying to discover which roads are open and which are washed out is ridiculously complicated. (Any librarians out there know of a magical database I can use for this purpose?) Hoping to overcome all obstacles and expecting the ground to be a bit soggy tomorrow, we plan on splurging on a hotel room in PA! (Of course, I would probably get frustrated trying to figure out which campgrounds were open and which were closed anyway...) This trip is turning out to be an exciting adventure, possibly worthy of the blogosphere, after all!
I'll leave you with a scene from Troy:
Mudslide in Troy - News 10 WTEN: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports
I'm supposed to start my road trip tomorrow but this is dependent on 1) my friend Kate venturing across the great state of Massachusetts and arriving safely in Albany and 2) driving conditions in NY and PA. The Thruway has been closed at several points and the Mohawk and Hudson rivers won't crest until tomorrow afternoon. More flooding could result, limiting mobility. In addition, apparently I will be traveling along one of the most flood prone areas in the United States: the Susquehanna. But, trying to discover which roads are open and which are washed out is ridiculously complicated. (Any librarians out there know of a magical database I can use for this purpose?) Hoping to overcome all obstacles and expecting the ground to be a bit soggy tomorrow, we plan on splurging on a hotel room in PA! (Of course, I would probably get frustrated trying to figure out which campgrounds were open and which were closed anyway...) This trip is turning out to be an exciting adventure, possibly worthy of the blogosphere, after all!
I'll leave you with a scene from Troy:
Mudslide in Troy - News 10 WTEN: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports
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