First of all, I am typing this at 8:54 pm and it is still light outside. The sun has just now set and I am disturbed by this. We are on the same time zone. What is this madness?!?!?! Secondly, I have been dreading driving through Kansas so much that I completely forgot that we had to get through Missouri first. We left this morning around 8:30, and even though I had been up for three hours and been very productive, I was still the last in the van. Thankfully, Anthony had not yet turned the wheel over to me, because we had to drive through the winding roads of the Ozarks and I wish I had taken a photo, but the one below was all I managed to get, before putting my blanket over my head to keep myself from freaking out at all the dangerous curves, and the big rigs flying past us on the other side. There was no median!
After surviving that drive, I started really looking at that part of the Show Me State and was in awe of how beautiful it is. We were on a much safer four lane highway, and kept passing Amish people on their horses and buggies because apparently, there are a large number of Amish who live in that part of Missouri. Their "share the road" sign has a horse and buggy instead of a bicycle and I thought it was very cool. I was very impressed at how calm the horses were with all the cars whizzing by. Shortly after we left Amish country, Anthony turned the wheel over to me, and I predictably took a couple of wrong turns. We almost went to a zoo. I would have loved to have gotten out and taken some photos of beautiful Missouri, but I had already cost us some time with my lack of attention to GPS detail. Kira took this photo from inside the car.
We stopped at a service station and when I came back out, everyone had shifted seats and I was canceled as a driver....for today anyway. We stopped in Kansas City to eat at Q39 on our way to Topeka on recommendation from Kira, who had eaten there during her recent road trip to Omaha and Chicago, and it was well worth the slight detour. I recommend this place to anyone who loves a good brisket, because it is the most tender I have ever eaten.
We got there at 3:30, and it was packed. Our waiter predictably called it the best BBQ place in Kansas City, and I was more than ready to agree with him after taking my first bite.
Anthony had ribs, pork,baked beans and fries.
I had burnt ends, brisket, and a delicious apple slaw. Also, Kansas City knows how to make a good sweet tea.
If I had known burnt things were a delicacy, I could have opened up my own restaurant years ago.
We finally got to Topeka late this afternoon, and after checking in, Anthony, Kira and I headed downtown. We stopped first at Gage Park, where we wandered through a rose garden, complete with a frog actually sitting on a lily pad, and then into a playground that had some weird balance equipment that Kira finally mastered and I did not even try.
Downtown was pretty, and most importantly, in the shade, since it is quite hot in Topeka, even after 8:00 p.m. Kira had some fun with some of their impressive statues, and I got a shot of the capitol building in the distance.
Today was a pleasant taste of The Sunflower state. Tomorrow will be a total immersion, and I have a feeling, I will be behind the wheel again. How lost can you possibly get driving through Kansas anyway?
No comments:
Post a Comment