The Long Road (To My New) Home: The SFO > STL Roadtrip Move, Day 4

Another late post for Saturday, December 4, 2010...

Sadly, after less than 24 hours in Denver, my road warrior respite had to end. St. Louis was still about 900 miles away, and a quick calculation in my head during happy hour last night figured that at best if I averaged a speed of 75 miles per hour, that was still 12 hours on the road ahead of me, plus I would lose one hour with another time zone. So after an all-too-brief good night's sleep in the lofted bedroom of my sister's apartment, I had to pack up and head out again, and hit the road. I admit that I was nervous: I wanted to drive safely, but I also just wanted to get to my destination without another night in a motel and my stuff still packed in the car. So as I drove out of Denver I accepted the reality that I did not know where this long road or when this long day would end, and I just hoped for the best. After the mountainous passes of California, Nevada, Utah and western Denver, this last leg was going to be brutally flat in comparison. But the sights were still not bad. In the changing light of day and varying cloud cover, there really were amber waves of grain...and every other shade of yellow and brown and green.

Bye, bye City Park in Denver, CO: I'll have to explore this place the next time!

Early morning CO sky.

CO barn.

More changing patterns in the CO sky.

Welcome to Kansas: "The Wheat State" (oh yes, and welcome to all hunters too - huh?).

Irrigation equipment in KS.

More irrigation on the fields.

Fairly constant landscape...

Windfarms in Vesper, KS and Ellsworth, KS.

Yup: that's a pick-up truck hauling an entire vintage airplane all folded up like neat origami.

Do these horizontal stripes make my Kansas hills look fat?

Late afternoon with one lost hour into Central Time Zone.

Small reservoir under the setting sun in Kansas.

Fittingly, there is an OZ Museum near the border of Kansas and Missouri, to remind any east-bound traveler that soon you really won't be in Kansas anymore.

First sign of my final destination, spotted in Kansas City, KS.

In addition to the cows and horses and crows on this leg, there were some beautiful hawks in this region, a lot of bales of hay, and even an honest-to-goodness tumbleweed rolling across the highway median. Kansas was the longest state I had to cross, so I had a lot of time to think about The Wheat State. The state kept me company for many hours (and so did my trusty showtunes - see soundtrack listing below), so if I could address the state as a person, here are some things I might say:

• Dear Kansas: You were a grueling and long drive, so thank you for the mostly pleasant weather on this exhausting day. I appreciate all your gas station markets with flavored coffees and cappuccino machines with no cup (up to 24 ounces) costing more than $2 - those certainly helped me stay alert! I admit that all of the "adult superstores" along your highway and the random $2.50 toll to get from Topeka to not-quite the state line had me perplexed. But I think you need to collect additional revenues to pay for all those lovely sights that I wish I could have taken more advantage of. You certainly take multi-faceted pride in showing off this land: the Czech Museum and Opera House; "Yarns!" the second friendliest yarn store in the universe (is the first friendliest yarn store also in this state?); Rock City; the Eisenhower Presidential Library; the Greyhound Hall of Fame; the Museum of Independent Telephony; the Custer House; the U.S. Cavalry Museum; the Kansas Motorcycle Museum (do other states have their own such place?); the Kansas Speedway Museum (where is the national museum of this kind?); the "JC Naz" - such a hip and freshly youthful name for the Church of the Nazarene; the Combat Air Museum; the Kansas History Center and Museum; the Brown v. Board National Historic Site, the Agriculture Hall of Fame; and even a roadside attraction area that features the world's largest prairie dog, a live five-legged steer, and a live Russian wild boar! In a way, Kansas, I am almost relieved that I didn't even have time today to stop at the OZ winery and then the OZ Museum. I mean, the town of Alma alone could have filled a day of my trip, what with it being the City of Native Stone and also the Home of the Famous Alma Cheese! So Kansas, I suppose I will have to come back and try to locate a baked potato or two in all your steakhouses some other time...when I have built up my energy reserves again to take in all your fabulous sights and sounds!

Kansas even brought me back to San Francisco, in a way. Last Saturday, I ended my weekly routine of volunteering in the kitchen of Project Open Hand. I will miss my friends there, even all the teasing. But as the fates would have it, my "nemesis" Gregg found a way to haunt me even on this drive!

Gregg Stratton at POH: can I get a break from you for just one Saturday, already? Geez...where's my mac and cheese?

The sun was setting just as I crossed from Kansas into Missouri, and at that point I decided to push on, despite what had already been a very long road. Perhaps I was inspired with the recent remembrance of Beryl Markham (see blog post for Day 1). Perhaps all those Kansas gas fill-up cappuccinos kicked in. Perhaps I was just anxious to unpack and not be in a motel again, having just spent one night in my sister's place in Denver. Perhaps I was motivated by the four different trucks that passed me sporting bumper stickers exclaiming, "Cowboy Up!" So as darkness fell, I continued along the mostly well-lit and well-trafficked I-70. (Judging by all the cars that had been pulled over by law enforcement - I counted at least 12 - the Missouri interstate is also very well protected.) Since it was getting darker, I didn't take any other photos and I am sure I missed many sights and place names and billboards. But suddenly I was all "eyes on the prize" and knew that I needed to keep my focus on getting to my new home. I knew that if I could get there, then there would be plenty of time for regional explorations later.

So after about 12.5 hours on the road (plus one hour lost to the Central Time Zone)...I made it safely to St. Louis, MO and St. Louis University! I'll post more details later, but I will end for now with this photo: it's what greeted me on the door of the apartment I will be staying in for the time being, until I get a more permanent address of my own.

The SLU Housing and Residence Lie staff at the Flats (the student apartment building that is my new temporary home) welcomed me with my own door tag.

Day 4 Fact File:
Starting Mileage: 80,255
Average Miles Per Gallon: 27.67
Visible Roadkills: 4 deer (including one inside the enclosed cab of a pick-up truck - yuck!), 5 rabbits, 4 skunks, and one unidentifiable rump and single leg (ugh).
Places Passed: Limon, CO; Hugo, CO; Kit Carson, CO; Genoa, CO; Arriba, CO; Flagler State Wildlife Area, CO; Bethune, CO; Burlington, CO (no coat factory); Kanorado, KS (get it? - Kansas-Colorado, right near the border); Caruso, KS; South Fork Beaver Creek, KS; Logan County, KS; Oakley, KS; Campus Road, KS (my address when I lived in Los Angeles was on Campus Road); Wakeeney, KS; Grinnell, KS; Quinter, KS; Voda, KS (the Russian word for "water;" where's 'Vodka?'); Ogallah, KS; Fort Larned, KS (is that where all the educated soldiers go after they get learned?); Ellsworth, KS; Wilson, KS; Lucas, KS; Sylvan Grove, KS; Lincoln, KS; Minneapolis, KS; Saline River, KS; Manhattan, KS; Abilene, KS; Talmage, KS; Geary County, KS (no 38 Geary MUNI bus from San Francisco, I bet); Mud Creek KS (don't all creeks have mud?); Junction City, KS; the OZ Winery, KS; Topeka, KS; Lawrence, KS; Tonganoxie, KS; Eudora, KS (do they have free e-mail access there?); Fort Leavenworth, KS; M
Soundtrack: Matthew Sweet, "100% Fun;" Of Montreal, "The Gay Parade;" Music For Animals, "If Looks Could Kill;" Jamie Cullum, "The Pursuit;" Original Broadway Cast, "Aida;" Original Broadway Cast, "Avenue Q;" Original London Cast, "Mamma Mia!;" Original Off-Broadway Cast, "Little Shop Of Horrors;" Original Cast, "Songs For A New World;" Original Broadway Cast, "BKLYN;" Original Broadway Cast, "Spring Awakening."
Ending Mileage: 81,105
Total miles since leaving San Francisco: 2,126 (phew!)