Adventures with Liz

Of Geezer Glasses and Gas Stations

Road trip days 3 & 4: Hanover, IL to Kansas City, KS to Amarillo, TX.

First things first: I apologize for not writing yesterday; we had a late night and I didn't have internet available. Also, the first few pictures are some I couldn't upload along with my last post: Elizabeth, IL, Danny and I in front of the Mississippi River, and the sign from the park.

Monday morning we got an early start and drove down to the water so I could relive my past and touch the Mississippi. We then started our trek through four states: Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. It was a long day of farmland, and searching for sunglasses, since Danny forgot his in his aunt's car. We stayed with a friend of Danny's from school in Kansas City on the Kansas side. She took us into the city (on the Missouri side) to try some authentic Kansas City Barbecue for dinner. Even I had some!

Our next stop in the city that night was Union Station, an old train station that still serves as an Amtrak stop. The inside was quite impressive, with high, ornate ceilings and large chandeliers. We next wandered across the street to the World War I Memorial, which is a huge structure that sits on top of a hill and looks out over Union Station into the city. We watched the sun set and the city lights come on, and then headed into downtown to see what kind of trouble we could get into. We ended up at the Power and Light district, which is a plaza with a bunch of bars and restaurants, and a stage for live music (although there was none when we were there). We tried a hubcap margarita (for all you UD people, think: the margarita version of a fishbowl!) from a little Mexican cantina, and then sat outside in the middle of the plaza for awhile. The night ended at a unique little jazz club called the Blue Room, which I highly recommend if you like jazz and you're ever in Kansas City.

Today was our longest drive yet. We drove through the rest of Kansas, which was incredible for a girl from the suburbs like me. There was so much open land, rolling with hills, full of nothing but free range cattle and horses. Oklahoma was equally pretty; there must be a lot of clay in the soil because there were patches of bright red everywhere. And we passed a giant wind farm--quite an impressive sight. We took a quick detour in Oklahoma City to see the memorial, which is a park-like area, with benches, a fountain, and two large black marble archways at either end. The fence surrounding the memorial was filled with pictures and mementos left of those who died in the bombing. I thought the memorial was very well done; it was both an attractive and meaningful use of the space, and an appropriate way to honor those who lost their lives. I personally think we should do something similar with the space where the World Trade Center towers stood, but that's just me.

Texas was the next stop. They're not kidding when they say everything is bigger in Texas. The land itself just feels bigger... it's open and flat and empty except for the occasional ranch or city. Oh, and the "biggest cross in the Western Hemisphere," which is promised to be "a spiritual experience you will never forget!" I suppose it was something like that; I mean, it was pretty big, and I'm not likely to forget it. And it went right along with all the signs in Kansas that told us to "Accept Jesus now, or regret it forever!" Apparently today was our spiritual day. Anyway, we are staying the night in Amarillo, home of Danny's ancestors (well, kinda... a bunch of his family is from here). We took his great aunt out for dinner and saw the city as we got lost on our way back to our hotel. We're safely back now, however, and ready for a relaxing night and an easier day of driving tomorrow... not quite so long. Nine hours in the car is a really long time.

Thanks to everyone who's keeping up with this!

posted by Liz @ 10:58 PM