Road trip day 2, Monday, 11:45 pm (central time): We drove 710 miles today and are currently in a Days Inn in Hays, KS. Kansas is as boring as you all told me it would be, but more on that in a bit.
We started out the morning with a quick detour to see the largest waterfalls in Indiana — Cataract Falls, just outside of Cloverdale. They were all right, but nothing like Tahquamenon in the upper peninsula of Michigan. However, there was a covered bridge spanning the top of the falls, so that bumped up its coolness factor a notch. I took some pictures, but I have to wait until I have a faster internet connection before I post them.
From Indiana, we drove westward through Illinois where we toyed with the idea of seeing Lincoln’s log cabin birthplace until we realized it was a 17 mile detour off the freeway and we had too much driving to do, so instead we continued on to St. Louis. This was our major break for the day, as I rode the little tram to the top of the Gateway Arch. I was surprised just how claustrophobic the little tram cars are. The Arch, which I now think of as a giant space age ferris wheel with a stop at the top, looks right over Busch Stadium on one side and the Mississippi on the other… again, pictures forthcoming.
Following St. Louis, we got back on the road and drove… and drove. Brian Wilson’s album, Smile, a concept album themed around the history of the United States from East to West accompanied us, followed by a Judy Blume book on CD. We stopped in Kansas City (MO) for some barbecue at Arthur Bryant’s, which was recommended by a friend and now I recommend it to you. Have the ribs. I also snapped a shot of Kauffman Stadium from the freeway. We didn’t stop for a game, as I’ve changed my mind and decided to see my allotted-only-one game in Denver tomorrow night.
Then more driving through Kansas, complete with rain and construction — but no tornadoes to take us to Oz. We did have the BBC radio version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the only thing that made Kansas semi-bearable. Tomorrow… more Kansas! And then the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Colorado Rockies. I expect to see lots of homeruns.