Another Road Trip, part 1

So, last week we packed up trusty ol' Snubby and headed west to Kansas City, MO. Traveling from the east coast in Massachusetts, it's fascinating to watch how the landscape changes as you travel. Somewhere mid-Ohio, the land rolls ups its sleeves and gets down to business in serious flatness. Mind-boggling flatness. Endless flatness.

The midwest. Brown flatness. Green flatness. Yellow flatness.

Breaking up all the flatness is a cornucopia of billboards, mostly either quoting bible scriptures, or the exact opposite of that: advertisements for adult video stores. It is truly a conflicted land. When you cross the border into Indiana, you enter Tom Raper world. This guy's unfortunate name is plastered on every billboard, selling everything you can think of, or so it seems. He must own half of the state or something.

On our way out west, we decided to stop in St. Louis, MO and do some touristy stuff. We wanted to see the Gateway Arch, and it was definitely worth the stop. We even took the tram up to the top. The tram is very small and akin to an old-school sci fi egg-like pod. Five people squeeze into each tram pod. And I do mean squeeze. It has a tiny door with a window so you can see the inner structure of the arch as it clanks and clunks it's way to the top. I found this video on YouTube that gives you a good idea of what it's like going up. Definitely not for the claustrophobic, agoraphobic, or those prone to flatulence. The view from the top is pretty spectacular.

The view from the top of the arch, straight down. See the teeny-tiny people and the teeny-tiny cars?

So, the Mississippi River was a bit high, ya think?

Standing on a flooded road, I stick my toe in the Mississippi.