2,368 Miles
Jake and Stone's daughter -- Sweetness! -- and her husband moved out to Lakewood, Colorado last summer. Our duo could hardly stay in New Jersey, could they? Plus, Jake was born and raised in Boulder, and still has family there. Plus, the same Colorado lifestyle that pulled their daughter and son-in-law westward to Colorado also appealed greatly to Jake and Stone. So they sold their house, put their furniture in storage, said goodbye to the few things they would miss about New Jersey -- their friends and family, the proximity to NYC, the cheap golf at Tamarack Golf Course -- packed up the car with some clothes and other stuff, and headed West.
But before I-70 they had to take the Penn Pike out of Harrisburg, PA. The pike ride was surprisingly nice, and rather lovely, with open vistas, large stands of trees, farms, rolling hills – all of which was washed in a deep green thanks to the early summer rains. Either the pike has been upgraded since they were last on it, or their ebullient mood made everything look better.
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| "Through a glass brightly..." At the Speers Street Grill |
The Clarion Inn in Belle Vernon, PA (just south of Pittsburgh,and recently opened) proved to be a very good budget deal at only $99. Clarion recently refurbished an old motel and everything seemed new – except the exit doors which still lacked locks, which management said would soon be secured.
Our pair had a nice dinner that night at the Speers Street Grill which overlooks the Monongahela River. (Monogahela is Native American for "river of many vowels.") The food and beer/wine were good and the price even better, which is typical of the greater Pittsburgh area.
Seeking apres dinner ice cream, Jake and Stone had an adventurous ride up and down the severely hilly neighborhoods of North Belle Vernon, where the usually wise Voice of Siri lead them to a “dairy bar,” some 200 feet above the river, which was about a mile off in the distance.
The “dairy bar” proved to be hole-in-the-wall store/cafe/pizza place that had ice cream all right –
small Hershey ice cream sandwiches from a beat-up floor freezer. At 35 cents each, our couple bought three of them. The store caretaker/floor washer/cashier let them slide for the nickel on the $1.05 bill rather than bother with the change of two dollar bills.
Our pair had a nice dinner that night at the Speers Street Grill which overlooks the Monongahela River. (Monogahela is Native American for "river of many vowels.") The food and beer/wine were good and the price even better, which is typical of the greater Pittsburgh area.
Seeking apres dinner ice cream, Jake and Stone had an adventurous ride up and down the severely hilly neighborhoods of North Belle Vernon, where the usually wise Voice of Siri lead them to a “dairy bar,” some 200 feet above the river, which was about a mile off in the distance.
The “dairy bar” proved to be hole-in-the-wall store/cafe/pizza place that had ice cream all right –
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| 35 cents! |
The sandwiches, shared in the store's small parking lot overlooking a less-than-handsome house with a hammock, a dog, and a young girl who was happily enjoying both dog and sling-bed, tasted downright wonderful. Serendipity often lives in western PA.
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| Skillet's chef and some of the restaurant's awards |
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| At Aullwood Audubon Center |
That night's budget hotel stop proved upsetting. At the Best Western in Richmond, Indiana, Stone discovered a suspicious looking bug on her bed's pillow. Carefully wrapped in tissue paper and brought to the front desk, the assistant manager confirmed that it was indeed a bed bug. Profuse apologies followed, accompanied by an admission that they had “had nothing but truckers and kids” for several days. Offered another room, Stone and Jake decided it was time to spend a little more money, and headed over to a near by Hampton Inn. A detailed, Stone-led check of the bedding, etc, confirmed that the Hampton room was indeed bug-less. Sleep was reluctant, but did finally arrive.
Monday June 26, 2017 – I-70 through Indiana and Illinois continued to be an enjoyable drive. The weather continued to be wonderful, the big sky and shifting clouds provided inspiration and awe, the truck traffic was minimal, and the speed limit was often 75 MPH.
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| The Stadium |
In downtown St. Louis the Drury Hotel's lobby was full of Cardinal baseball fans coming and going as the game being but hours away. So near panic set in when the reception desk couldn't locate our couple's reservation. After a few moments of frenzy, the desk discovered Jake and Stone were at the wrong Drury hotel. An easy mistake, as there are no less than three Drury hotels in downtown Saint Louis. Luckily it was but a 5 minute drive to the correct hotel, and but minutes later Jake and Stone were checked into their room.
TheDrury Inn and Suites St. Louis Convention Center (better get the full name into any query sent to the wise and wonderful Voice of Siri) is a mid-level, 3-star hotel that seems to be perfect for families. It worked nicely enough for our couple as well, despite a room numbering sequence that remained a system never fully understood. By the end of their two day stay, they learned to cut across the swimming pool area, go left of the coffee stand, look for a potted palm, turn the corner and viola! – their room.
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| The Man |
TheDrury Inn and Suites St. Louis Convention Center (better get the full name into any query sent to the wise and wonderful Voice of Siri) is a mid-level, 3-star hotel that seems to be perfect for families. It worked nicely enough for our couple as well, despite a room numbering sequence that remained a system never fully understood. By the end of their two day stay, they learned to cut across the swimming pool area, go left of the coffee stand, look for a potted palm, turn the corner and viola! – their room.
From the (proper) Drury Hotel it was but a 10 minute to Busch Stadium. The afternoon weather was baseball perfect. No sun to dodge and mild temps. The Cardinals started their half of the first inning with five straight hits, never looked back, and won 8-2. Busch deserves its high reputation. The statues of past Cardinal greats outside the stadium provide a great slice of baseball history, and the big statue of Stan “The Man” Musial (Jake's dad's favorite ballplayer) was always busy posing -- perfectly still! -- for picture after picture.
That evening, high atop the Four Seasons Hotel near their own hotel, Jake and Stone overlooked the spotty service to enjoy their drinks and food. The killer sunset views of the famous Arch, and the almost equally famous Mississippi River, would mollify the most demanding diner, let alone a couple happily starting a new adventure. It's not cheap at this altitude – $90 for a lobster cobb salad, lobster bisque, sea scallops, a martini and a glass of wine. But it was a great evening after a great day.
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| The View |
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| The Stone |
That evening, high atop the Four Seasons Hotel near their own hotel, Jake and Stone overlooked the spotty service to enjoy their drinks and food. The killer sunset views of the famous Arch, and the almost equally famous Mississippi River, would mollify the most demanding diner, let alone a couple happily starting a new adventure. It's not cheap at this altitude – $90 for a lobster cobb salad, lobster bisque, sea scallops, a martini and a glass of wine. But it was a great evening after a great day.
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| Missouri Botanical Garden |
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 – This morning it was necessary to take care of some business. Our twosome spent most of the morning at a branch office of the Navy Federal Credit Union, across the Mississippi river back in Illinois, filling out forms necessary for their mortgage on the new townhome they are buying in Littleton, CO.
Afterward they rewarded themselves with a delightful late lunch back in St. Louis at the very stylish Eleven Eleven Mississippi. Our duo took advantage of the varied menu: beer and wine, shrimp bisque, a salad, and a small sausage pizza.
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| Find Jake and win a prize |
From there it was a quick ride to the Missouri Botanical Garden – AKA Shaw's Garden, after the philanthropist who founded this wonderful 79 acreage just before the Civil War. They just made the next-to-last hourly trolley ride ($4 each) through this urban oasis, which is a worthwhile way to get oriented to all that is available. Jake and Stone have never been to a botanical garden they didn't like, but this one was one of the best, and was not overwhelming as can sometimes be the case. Not to be missed.
Our twosome tried to buy tickets that day to the Arch, but were much too late. Seems all the tickets were all bought on the internet (naturally!) weeks before. The view from the top of the Arch is certain to be spectacular, but Jake and Stone walked to a park near the Arch and got a view that was spectacular in its own way. At the bottom of the picture one can see Jake -- there by the white tent. Wow.
As dinner time approached, our couple sought another roof-top dining experience. At the top of the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Hotel (long names seem to be de rigueur for hotels in St. Louis) is Three Sixty, a venue that was as crowded as it was swanky. Seeking a quieter scene, they walked across South Broadway to the understated Anthony's Bar.
Here the scene was the polar opposite of Three Sixty. A small horseshoe bar had its population doubled when Jake and Stone took their seat at the bar. At a corner table of the small room an elderly, well-to-do couple hobnobbed with the apparent owner. In another corner three gents quietly toasted something or other. A single bartender tended to not only the drinks, but the food orders as well.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 – Jake has long been an admirer of Winston Churchill, and not just because he famously smoked cigars and drank champagne. The depth of Jake's esteem for Sir Winston can be measured by the fact that one summer long ago he read all six volumes of Churchill's “The Second World War.” (Such a feat is also testimony to the effect of New Jersey's summers and their ability to make any extended outdoor activity nearly impossible.) So when I-70 West intersected with Highway 54 south, it was impossible not visit the National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri.
It was at little Westminster College in Fulton that Churchill, at the invitation of President Harry S Truman (from Missouri, remember), delivered his famous “iron curtain” speech on March 5, 1946.
Many historians date the beginning of the Cold War to that day and that speech, and it is most fitting that a national museum is in that (still) small American town. The museum provides an excellent outline view telling of the life and times of Churchill. Both Jake and Stone greatly enjoyed their about 90 minute visit at a bargain price of $15 for two seniors.
Very near the museum is a piece of the Berlin Wall fashioned into a sculpture titled Breakthrough. The artist punched two large human figures through the wall. The sculptor chose her sections of the Wall from an area near the Brandenburg Gate. The graffiti repeats the work "Unwahr," which is German for "lies." To touch this wall was quite a moving experience.
Above the museum is a church that our duo liked exploring almost as much as the museum. In 1677, the great English architect Christopher Wren designed St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury as part of a city-wide attempt to rebuild London after the Great Fire of London in 1666. During the Blitz in 1940, Wren's St. Mary's was almost completely destroyed in the bombing. (The Germans bombed London for 57 straight nights.)
In 1961, Westminster College spearheaded a drive to memorialize Churchill by reconstructing the historic London church on the Westminster campus. In 1966 the foundation stone was laid, 300 years after the Great Fire of London. By 1969, the restoration was complete. The more than 7,000 carefully labeled stones had been shipped form London to Missouri and had been put in place. The church's interior had been meticulously recreated by English wood carvers, Dutch bell casters, and American glass artisans.
Thursday, June 29, 2017 – In the light morning rain before leaving Lawrence, Jake took advantage of the early morning hours of the Amyx Barber Shop (opens at 7 AM!) to get a hair cut and beard trimming. The shop has been there for years and shows it, both good and bad. Old school price as well, $15.
By the time the newly groomed Jake, and the always groomed Stone, hit I-70 West, the rain had become torrential. Stone did a magnificent job parting the waters with their trusty Nissan. As is often the case in the midwest, after about 20 minutes it was basically blue skies. But that didn't stop the rain. Oddly enough, large, seemingly individual rain drops kept pelting the car for another five minutes before the rain stopped completely. They reasoned the rain must have been wind-blown. And despite the basically blue dome above them, they kept a wary eye out for strange, Oz-causing events.
"Not much to see," is often muttered by travelers along I-70 west of Topeka. And it's often true. Out
of Topeka is Junction City, then Abilene, then Salina. Until the travelers see some things that are strangely vertical on the horizon. What the hell is that? Some miles later, it becomes clear. Wind turbines. Scores of them. Seems like a hundred. Smoky Hills Wind Farm. And there are over one hundred turbines. That is something to see.
Our couple is headed to Garden City, Kansas, so they leave I-70 and head south west. And once again it is "Not much to see." Maybe even more so. Every 20 or 30 miles along Route 56, then Route 50, there is a small town like Offerle, Kansas with its looming grain elevators. Concrete towers on the American prairie, they huddle together, as if for company.
Our twosome tried to buy tickets that day to the Arch, but were much too late. Seems all the tickets were all bought on the internet (naturally!) weeks before. The view from the top of the Arch is certain to be spectacular, but Jake and Stone walked to a park near the Arch and got a view that was spectacular in its own way. At the bottom of the picture one can see Jake -- there by the white tent. Wow.
As dinner time approached, our couple sought another roof-top dining experience. At the top of the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Hotel (long names seem to be de rigueur for hotels in St. Louis) is Three Sixty, a venue that was as crowded as it was swanky. Seeking a quieter scene, they walked across South Broadway to the understated Anthony's Bar.
Here the scene was the polar opposite of Three Sixty. A small horseshoe bar had its population doubled when Jake and Stone took their seat at the bar. At a corner table of the small room an elderly, well-to-do couple hobnobbed with the apparent owner. In another corner three gents quietly toasted something or other. A single bartender tended to not only the drinks, but the food orders as well.
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| Churchill |
It was at little Westminster College in Fulton that Churchill, at the invitation of President Harry S Truman (from Missouri, remember), delivered his famous “iron curtain” speech on March 5, 1946.
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| The "Iron Curtain" in concrete |
Very near the museum is a piece of the Berlin Wall fashioned into a sculpture titled Breakthrough. The artist punched two large human figures through the wall. The sculptor chose her sections of the Wall from an area near the Brandenburg Gate. The graffiti repeats the work "Unwahr," which is German for "lies." To touch this wall was quite a moving experience.
Above the museum is a church that our duo liked exploring almost as much as the museum. In 1677, the great English architect Christopher Wren designed St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury as part of a city-wide attempt to rebuild London after the Great Fire of London in 1666. During the Blitz in 1940, Wren's St. Mary's was almost completely destroyed in the bombing. (The Germans bombed London for 57 straight nights.)
In 1961, Westminster College spearheaded a drive to memorialize Churchill by reconstructing the historic London church on the Westminster campus. In 1966 the foundation stone was laid, 300 years after the Great Fire of London. By 1969, the restoration was complete. The more than 7,000 carefully labeled stones had been shipped form London to Missouri and had been put in place. The church's interior had been meticulously recreated by English wood carvers, Dutch bell casters, and American glass artisans.
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| Nothing can add beauty to light |
Today the church is a wonder to see and walk around, inside and out. Wren's simple, elegant chandeliers, his clear glass windows (“Nothing can add beauty to light,” he famously stated), and his soaring Greek columns (lone vertical survivors of the German bombing) give the church an expression that lasts long after the visit is over. On this cross-country trip, this beat even Busch stadium as a building to see and feel.
The college-town eating fest continued for Jake and Stone in Columbia, MO, home to the University of Missouri. At Sycamore Restaurant, a stylish place with a nicely diverse menu, Jake enjoyed the restaurant's tasty take on the Cuban sandwich and a bottle of Duvel beer (served in the proper Duvel glass), while Stone found major lunch satisfaction with her ½ portion pulled pork BBQ sandwich and a glass of malbec.
Lawrence, Kansas was this day's last stop. As with the other stops in college towns, Lawrence proved to provide a very good dinner spot. MerchantsPub & Plate provides a gracious venue in large room complete with an attractive bar. Brussel sprout salad, crab cakes, house salad and fettuccine and salmon, provided a memorable dinner.
The college-town eating fest continued for Jake and Stone in Columbia, MO, home to the University of Missouri. At Sycamore Restaurant, a stylish place with a nicely diverse menu, Jake enjoyed the restaurant's tasty take on the Cuban sandwich and a bottle of Duvel beer (served in the proper Duvel glass), while Stone found major lunch satisfaction with her ½ portion pulled pork BBQ sandwich and a glass of malbec.
Lawrence, Kansas was this day's last stop. As with the other stops in college towns, Lawrence proved to provide a very good dinner spot. MerchantsPub & Plate provides a gracious venue in large room complete with an attractive bar. Brussel sprout salad, crab cakes, house salad and fettuccine and salmon, provided a memorable dinner.
By the time the newly groomed Jake, and the always groomed Stone, hit I-70 West, the rain had become torrential. Stone did a magnificent job parting the waters with their trusty Nissan. As is often the case in the midwest, after about 20 minutes it was basically blue skies. But that didn't stop the rain. Oddly enough, large, seemingly individual rain drops kept pelting the car for another five minutes before the rain stopped completely. They reasoned the rain must have been wind-blown. And despite the basically blue dome above them, they kept a wary eye out for strange, Oz-causing events.
"Not much to see," is often muttered by travelers along I-70 west of Topeka. And it's often true. Out
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| Smoky Hills Wind Farm |
Our couple is headed to Garden City, Kansas, so they leave I-70 and head south west. And once again it is "Not much to see." Maybe even more so. Every 20 or 30 miles along Route 56, then Route 50, there is a small town like Offerle, Kansas with its looming grain elevators. Concrete towers on the American prairie, they huddle together, as if for company.
Memorable can't be used to describe the restaurant choices in Garden City, a town big enough to do better than it does. After finding one place closed, and walking in and quickly out of another eatery, Jake and Stone settled on Margaritas in downtown Garden City. The Mexican food was plentiful, if not outstanding. However, Jake's Corona beer was served without a lime (hooray!), and in perhaps the coldest beer glass in town.
Friday, June 30, 2017 – The reason for getting off of I-70 the previous day and heading to Garden City was simple and worthwhile – golf. According to Golfweek, Garden City has the number two ranked golf course in Kansas: Buffalo Dunes. The fact that Buffalo Dunes is run by the city makes it one of the best munis in the midwest. Jake got up early to play nine holes, got out alone(!), and had a wonderful, slightly windy round, amid prairie views and cottonwood trees, on a course in great condition. And all for $15. Saddle up, golfers, and make the trip.
The ride northward back to I-70 took our pair though some landscapes that were astonishing. Flat,
flat, flat. On roads that were lonely lanes among miles of wheat fields, it was not unusual to drive for 10 minutes without seeing another vehicle. At one point, on Route 385 out of Granda, Colorado heading north, it seemed they traveled 20 miles without seeing a person who was not driving a pickup truck or manning a giant combine machine mowing down the golden wheat.
Friday, June 30, 2017 – The reason for getting off of I-70 the previous day and heading to Garden City was simple and worthwhile – golf. According to Golfweek, Garden City has the number two ranked golf course in Kansas: Buffalo Dunes. The fact that Buffalo Dunes is run by the city makes it one of the best munis in the midwest. Jake got up early to play nine holes, got out alone(!), and had a wonderful, slightly windy round, amid prairie views and cottonwood trees, on a course in great condition. And all for $15. Saddle up, golfers, and make the trip.
The ride northward back to I-70 took our pair though some landscapes that were astonishing. Flat,
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| Yes! Grain elevators straight ahead. |
For the same 20 miles not a farm house was ever in sight, and when the black ribbon of road finally intersected another black ribbon of road, it was a relief to both Jake and Stone to see, shimmering in the distance, the grain elevators that are the towering, ubiquitous landmarks for nearly every town in this part of western Kansas and far-eastern Colorado. See, there must be people over there! This part of the final ride was spooky and thrilling at the same time.On arriving in Denver, Jake and Stone got the keys to their temporary one BR home on Franklin Street in Denver, then had dinner that night with Sweetness! and her husband in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. Our couple slept for that first night in a state that will no doubt be their home for years to come. The driving adventure was over. The much longer, better adventure was just beginning.
