Grand Canyon or Bust

** Note:  This was written 8/21/12 and posted tonight due to lack of internet where we were camping.

Steinbeck said that you don’t take a trip, a trip takes you.  And I have yet to experience anything other than that statement.  No matter how meticulously you plan a vacation, not everything will go to plan.  One must roll with the punches rather than dwell on missed schedules. 

He also said that a completely unplanned trip isn’t always such a good idea either, because, to a curious mind, a wanderer, and a joy rider, it is easy to get lost in your trip and spend too much time enjoying one part of it, while having to rush and neglect the  rest… vague schedules are needed… and so is, unfortunately, interstate driving.

Had to bow down to the caffeine gods.

Before hitting the open road, I realized, after spending three days in Arizona, that by seeing ALL the sights I could, it would be nearly impossible to get through Route 66 in two weeks… bypasses were needed, certain towns neglected.  Though some things were rushed through, I did NOT use the interstate system unnecessarily… which means, there are certain pieces of the road that are gone… so you have to jump on I-44 or I-55, and there are some moments… say, when the sky looks black behind you, and you need to get to a semi reputable hotel/motel to seek shelter from a storm (this happened once eastbound, and I backtracked the next day.)

This time, Sam and I will need to actually jump on the interstate in order to make time for our main event… hiking in the Grand Canyon.  You see, the Grand Canyon is not on Route 66.  It’s about an hour-ish north of Route 66… which is added time to the trip, plus, extra time to explore the Canyon… in short, to gain time for one part of the trip, we need to shorten other parts… specifically parts that don’t have as much to offer. 

Today, we drove through Missouri.  We looped around Eureka a dozen times thanks to construction and a guidebook which failed to inform us that the Wolf Research Facility requires a week’s notice to visit.  And we were misguided near Lebanon, thanks to a missed “Historic Route 66” sign and Sam not catching a turn in the directions (not her fault, the book is a little confusing.) 

Our highlights of the day were mostly viewed from the car, except for the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, which we took pictures in front of.  Otherwise, we saw our fair share of vintage motels, old abandoned gas stations, and the beautiful Missouri landscape: rolling tree covered hills scattered with farm fields and divided by rivers, creeks, and waterways. 

There were times we caught the wind in our hands, and other times we sighed at the sight of picturesque valleys.  We crossed rusted old bridges and saw deer sprint across the pavement, we saw blue skies speckled with white puffy cumulus clouds, and in varying convenient stores, empty shelves where once full sized marshmallows lived.

Though it was a driving day instead of a sightseeing day, it was a good day.  Part of the history and glory of Route 66 is in the drive, not just the roadside attractions.  Today, we were travelers on the mother road… who needed to hop on the interstate just passed Lebanon, because we needed to pitch a tent in Joplin before the sun went down.  Tomorrow, we’ll be tourists… the next day, who knows. 

All I know is that Steinbeck is right… you can’t pretend to know what will happen on a trip, you just have to experience what the trip wants you to experience… and also, sometimes, you have to hop on the interstate.

Camping in Joplin, MO

B.

Favorite Songs:

Joe’s Sunrise CD… pretty much all of the songs.  It was an awesome mix.

Justin… GREAT driving mix.  Truth be told, I listened to it eastbound as well.  I dig it.

Tim… perfect for some middle of Missouri driving.

Brian L.  We laughed… we danced, and then we sang along to Tiny Dancer… so thank you!

Auntie Judy:  We really enjoyed the mix… Sang along to Time of My Life, and cranked up Good Feelin’… One Week took me back to band camp haha!... and Radar Love is a PERFECT driving song. 

** Note:  Will have SMK do the blog tomorrow, as tonight she is hunkered down with her required reading, and I don’t want Mom to yell at me if I don’t help her get that done in time for school to start. 

** Second Note:  Will post pictures for this entry when I have a better internet connection!

Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis

St. Louis and I have always had a unique relationship. My feelings were generally resentful and angry, and St. Louis rewarded that with some interesting life drama and a side of very good friends.  When asked, my description of the "Gateway to the West" incorporated phrases like "small town feel," "good place to visit for a weekend," and "we did a lot of bowling."  After graduation, I vowed never to return without good cause. Today marked the third time in seven years I've been back.

On part one of my 66 trip, I revisited the parts of STL that I still had a grudge on, wandered the streets of my college campus, lingered on the top of the Edgar Rd. bridge, and retraced the haunting memories of train trips and film shoots. In other words, I made my peace and laid skeletons to rest. Because of that, it was only appropriate to use my trip back as an excuse to show my sister my most memorable and favorite St. Louis places in an effort to start fresh and move forward.  St. Louis was ready for us.

Our first stop was the City Museum.  If anyone asks me what my absolute favorite place in St. Louis is, without pause for debate, I say the City Museum.  Picture a place where your imagination explodes with an impact equivalent of two giant stars colliding with each other, and that's the City Museum.  For most of you, an eyeroll will occur after reading this.  Brianne endorsing yet another museum?  That's original.  I say to you, keep those eyes where they are.  This is not an ordinary museum with sleek displays of facts and dates and activity stations to teach you about how many tons of aluminum cans we throw into the ocean each year (a lot).  Nay, this is a museum jam packed with all the kinds of objects and activities which stimulate your mind in the same way a child's mind is stimulated''' with a sensory overload.  Grown up jungle gyms of junk welded together greet you at the door, while inside are massive caves, crazy theaters, a circus, a skate park, and a giant three story slide.  There is no way you can enter the doors of this place and not be swept up in the wonder of it all, which is why many a wedding is set here within it's colorful and texture filled walls. 

Samantha, as you read, had an absolute blast.  Her face lit up like a kid at Christmas.  And her curiosity ran away with her, just like it did with me the first time I came to visit, just like it does to us all who still have a little kid nestled in our hearts waiting with unusual patience to be let out.

Once we got our fill of museums, it was time to go to the Arch.  I surprise myself each time I go on my ability to find it without a lot of GPS assistance.  The Arch is cool, the tram ride is neat, and the park beautiful, but I've always had a soft spot for the Eads Bridge and the Metro station house inside part of it, which is probably why I always remember where to park for the Jefferson Memorial Park.  On the banks of the Mississippi, next to Laclede's Landing is the parking garage, welcoming you to St. Louis, and asking six bucks in return.   

We walked through the grounds and headed toward the giant silvery colossus.  Sam took a decided breath and said, "Wow, I forgot how tall it is."

The tram ride was just the same as all the tram rides, clunky and crowded, but Sam was excited, so I was happy.  The view from the top of the Arch is divided.  You can see an amazing cityscape on the west side, but on the east side, Illinois is mostly industrial and casino ridden.  If the river flowed city side, there would be no real reason to have windows facing east.  Luckily, for Illinois, this is not the case.

When we were done going up to the Arch, we drove through the Landing, bumping and rocking over the cobblestone until the GPS figured out where I was and directed us thusly to Ted Drewes, a St. Louis staple and Route 66 landmark.  The first time I had Ted Drewes frozen custard was freshman year of college.  Our RA decided to make it a floor trip and we piled into various car on a delicious adventure.  I'm going to be honest, to me frozen custard and ice cream? Tomato/Tomato.  I know there is a difference, and I do taste the difference, but I can easily substitute one for the other.

On our way back to homebase, I took her through Forest Park to see the view of the Art Museum and the fountains, then we snaked our way through University City, so I could show her a little bit of my history via the Loop (fun fact: the loop was named after the trolley route that took you on a loop through the neighborhood.) 

"There's the place where I had my 21st birthday, that's the movie theater we'd go to, there's Fitz's where you can get a pretty good root beer float... that Chipotle... is new." 

Oh, memories.

We topped the day off with dinner with friends, which is the best way to end a day, unless you've been working over 12 hours and just want to sleep. Sam got to geek out with a fellow artist/nerd, which was awesome and was icing on a pretty epic cake.  I was exhausted, something that is becoming more and more commonplace as I continue to get older and older. 

Well, signing off for now.  Had to finish this post in the morning, 'cause I passed out while typing it last night. 

Anyway, until next time,

-B-

Favorite Song of the Day: Lisztomania - Phoenix (Thanks Jeremy)

Caves, Arches and Custard

Today we spent the day in St. Louis. We started it off in the City Museum. The City Museum is pretty much the coolest place ever. It is a massive playground for ALL ages. The outside of the building is a complex of various sculptures made of wood, metal, piping, and even two airplanes. The structures tower about three stories into the air and are connected by lots of tunnels and walkways shaped into dragons and other creatures. And you can climb on all of it.

The inside gets even better. At first I was unsure of what to do but I just walked up to a giant hole in one of the trees on the first floor and discovered a whole tunnel that I had to crawl and slide through and ended up in some caves. The caves have lots of caverns and small tunnels you can crawl up. Some of them I could barely fit through on my stomach. the ones I picked led me inside of a giant whale and eventually to another giant tree and more tunnels. Just the fact that you can crawl all over these things and the fact that they have seemingly an infinite variety of tunnels leading in all directions makes this place my favorite place ever.

After we finished exploring the City Museum, we headed over to the arch. This is the second time I have visited the Gateway Arch. This time I was armed with my own camera and it was a very interesting thing to photograph. We took the Tram up to the top and looked out at the wide Mississippi and the beautiful cityscape.

Next we went to Ted Drewes and got some delicious Route 66 custard. Before we returned to our lodgings we drove though Forest Park and took in the beautiful lawns and fountain in front of the Art Museum.

St. Louis is an interesting city and full of great places but  my all time favorite must be The City Museum. That place was amazing! We'll see you later.

SMK

Cats 110

If you saw a license plate like that, what do you think it would mean?  Does it mean the lady driving the car has 110 cats?  Or is she the 110th person to have that license plate?  While driving through Illinois, just before Missouri, we came across a woman who looks exactly like what you'd think a cat lady should be... mini van and all, with the license plate "Cats 110" and it stirred up a large conversation filled with questions.  We wanted to see what you thought.



Sign on Michigan and Jackson

 We made it through Illinois today and it was a very big push.  We took our picture at the start of the route in front of a building on Michigan and Jackson in Chicago.  It cost us $1.25 for parking a total of 5 minutes to take a picture.  The price aside, I miss the city and it was sad to see it disappear in my rear view mirror.  For Sam, a chance at driving through downtown Chicago was a cool opportunity to see a landscape she isn't familiar with.  And the view of the John Hancock building via Lake Shore Drive was pretty darn spectacular.

In Joliet we met our first fellow Route 66ers outside of a restored gas station, and exchanged cameras to help each other with some picture taking.  Joliet is really into their 66 history and it was exciting to drive through.  We even stopped to take a picture of the statues of Jake and Elwood Blues dancing on the Rich and Creamy.  I also found out that you can take a picture with Jake and Elwood at the gates of the prison... but, we decided to move on, and I will need to save that for a future visit home.

Jake and Elwood Blues in Joliet

Our first Gemini Giant was in Wilmington (a muffler man in a space suit carrying a rocket) and we paused to take a picture (We may post this later, as it's on Sam's camera not mine.)

I think our favorite stop today was in Pontiac, IL where they, too, are super into their 66 history.  A couple museums, and a city tour of murals later (they have 22), we left the town for lunch, but not before meeting the mayor of Pontiac... because we are that awesome.

Mural in Pontiac, Il

The rest of the day was spent chasing lunch... which became dinner.  All of the cool restaurants we wanted to check out on the route were either closed for Sunday or sadly closed permanently.  However, our adventures took us to pieces of the old road that are still accessible to drivers.  It is a different kind of experience to drive on these roads.  The concrete seams are still intact and the road is narrow now due to wear.  It was easy to imagine the thousands of travellers who visited these paths in times past.  In a sense, even the flat, redundant farming landscape of Illinois came to life, and offered a pick me up at a time we were our most exhausted.

Overall, it was a long day, but rewarding.  And we can't wait for tomorrow. 

BK

Favorite Songs of the Day:

Life is Highway - Rascal Flatts (Thanks Mandy)
Star Wars - John Williams (Thanks Beth)
Blues Brothers soundtrack selections (Thanks Beth)
Varying songs from Chris's CD (we don't have a track list to let you know which ones)
The Doctor's Wife - Dr. Who soundtrack (Thanks JD)

Starting West

Well it's seven in the morning and we're about to eat breakfast with the family and then head out for the road.  I'm excited to finally start out on the trip we've been planning for a long time and I really want to see some of the sights my sister will show me when we get to St. Louis. Brianne can't wait for breakfast.

And Alex is eagerly waiting our departure so he can sit in front of the X-box for two weeks straight and play MineCraft.

Well we'll see you on the road!

SMK