Pac NW Summer 2008

Day 2, In Kansas en route to Denver, listening to Bright Eyes (I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning).

16 miles of Kansas left, and thank goodness for that.  The person who started calling the middle U.S. the “great” plains was crazy.  After 2 hours or so of thinking about it, do you know how many great things I can think of about Illinois, Missouri and Kansas?  How about none.  Well, Chicago is cool but we were nowhere near there driving through.  Despite a very long day starting in Kansas City, KS with nothing but wheat and corn fields to look at for the past almost 6 hours (and that pesky speeding ticket this morning), spirits are high.  Patrick figured out that our average driving time each day will be 2 hours or less, with none on a lot of days, which is something to look forward to.

Yesterday went well, all things considering.  We were able to get a good start out of Campbellsville, KY, where we were visiting with my family, and hit the road.  We drove in rain the whole way through Indiana, with things finally really clearing up about halfway through Illinois.  We stayed in Kansas City, KS, which was about halfway between our starting point and first major stop in Denver.

On the subject of visiting with family—saying goodbyes is always so bittersweet!  I love traveling and seeing new places, but I tend to get very homesick.  Part of the purpose of blogging the trip is to be able to share all of the little things that make trips memorable (the world’s largest prairie dog is a great example).  I struggled yesterday with the decision not to wake my niece up to say goodbye to her before leaving, but I think I made the right decision as 4-year olds typically don’t handle goodbyes well at all.  At least cell reception should be good for the majority of the trip.

A brief note on the speeding ticket.  I’m not saying it wasn’t my fault, I was definitely speeding.  Was it bad luck that I was the speeder who got caught by that officer?  Yeah.  But really, what do cops expect people to say when asked, “Is there a reason you were speeding today?”  “Uh, yes officer, your state sucks.”  Seriously.  Despite not making a lot of money despite having a tough job, I’m still more than glad to sacrifice some disposable income to get through the barren state of Kansas just a little faster.

Some other random notes and thoughts:

1.       Patrick’s car continues to do well, which is great.

2.       The Subway off of I-70 in Kansas City is the slowest Subway on the face of the planet.

3.       It is very hot in the Denver area today, and the use of the air conditioning is not helping our gas mileage.

4.       Baby animals are funny to watch.  Yesterday we saw 3 ponies crowded in the shade to the side of a small barn.  There wasn’t really enough shade for all of them.

5.       My new Nintendo DS is awesome.  I tend to be an anxious passenger in traffic, and that thing has really helped keep me occupied.  Thanks, mom and dad!

That’s about it for now.  One other piece of good news—the Indianapolis Star is considering one of my pictures for publication!  I have to write a blurb about it before the final decision, but I’ll keep everyone about what happens with that.

More tomorrow!

Jessica