Author Archives: Satis

Road Trip, Day 3

I ended up getting into Boulder a little late last night, so yesterday’s trip is going to be recounted this morning. Having said that, there’s not much to tell; it turns out Kansas City to Boulder is one of the most desolate parts of the United States I’ve ever seen.

  I started out with a brief walk in Shawnee Mission Park just outside of Kansas City, which was actually pretty pleasant; most of the trees were still leafless, but there were a few buds and blooms coming up here and there, and the weather (for once) was gorgeous. There are a lot of nice walking trails around that area, and it’s almost a shame I had to get going to soon; I would have liked to spend a bit longer checking it all out.

  Around 10:00 AM, though, it was time to go, so I hit I70 and headed west. And west. And west. For over 500 miles, there’s literally nothing but grass, fields and grain silos. I did manage to find an old windmill (there are some new, fancy-ass windmills too, blighting the landscape) to take pictures of, but I’m actually kicking myself because there were at least two or three photo opportunities along the highway that I didn’t stop for. I was just a little too nervous about pulling over on the side of the highway and hopping a fence to take pictures of a graveyard and an abandoned farmhouse, although in hindsight I really, really should have.

In the end, there wasn’t much else to relate; I passed into Colorado around 3:00 PM, stopped to take a picture, and didn’t stop again until I hit Boulder. Below are what photos I was able to get, but I promise more will come as I travel west into the canyon lands!

Side note, I finally picked up a GPS tagger for my Nikon camera, so I’ll be able to track where I’ve been with better accuracy from now on. Yay!

   
  

This is what the midwest is made out of.

  
    

Welcome to Colorado!

 

Road Trip, Day 2

Today started out with dreadful rain; it had clearly rained throughout the night in Indianapolis, and hadn’t relented by the time I had to hit the road. The first few hours were dreadful driving, but as I got further west it slowly began to clear up. It was still a drizzle when I hit St. Louis, but light enough that I could wander about.

 

Sun Cafe, St. Louis

 My first stop was the Hyde Park district, for no other reason that I had found a cafe on the map that promised good coffee. I was really in the mood for a beignet, but I don’t know St. Louis or where to find them. It turns out the Hyde Park district is nearly derelict, but the Sun Ministries non-profit group are trying to reinvigorate the area. I spoke at length with (Terry?) and his wife, who’ve been in the area for a few years now, about their vision. They goal was to create a few businesses, and employ folk who would otherwise be considered unemployable: felons, addicts, and others who would have difficulty getting job opportunities. By giving these folk something to work and to live for, they hope to inspire pride in the community, and get people back on their feet.

By all accounts, this seems to be working. The people in the Sun Cafe where I breakfasted were lovely, and the food was delicious. They were gracious enough to let me take some photos of the cafe, which is furnished entirely out of what the community has built—reclaimed wood, furniture, and lumber all went into the tables and chairs of the cafe. I was truly impressed with what these people are doing in one of the most uninvested areas of the city. I truly had no intention of going into such an area, and had I known, I might have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to meet kind, wonderful people.

 

Entrance to Bellefontaine Cemetery

 By the time my breakfast was done the rain had finally let up, and I drove a few minutes across town to the Bellefontaine Cemetery, which was my intended destination in St. Louis in the first place. You might not be surprised to learn that I have rather a penchant for graveyards, and this was no disappointment. Apparently there are something in the region of 80,000 graves there, and remarkably nearly every one was well-tended. This actually made for some less-than-ideal photo opportunities (I prefer rot and decay), but it was utterly beautiful nonetheless.

Ultimately I sent around two to three hours in St. Louis, and I’m heartily glad I did. It was hardly a tourist trip, but it was well worth it. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more on my trip back in September.

Then it was back on the road for another few hours, on my way to Kansas City to spend the night with my cousin and aunt. Tomorrow I head out for Boulder!

   
    
    
    
    
   

Road Trip, Day 1

Well then … ! Today marked the first day of my cross-country trip to California. Thirteen hours, seven hundred miles, two and a half tanks of gas, and a hobo.

Set out from New Jersey around 9:00 AM, heading first for my favorite little town in Pennsylvania, Bellefonte. It’s a really cute Victorian-era town in the heart of the state, and I have fond memories of the last time we visited.

  It wasn’t quite so beautiful today, but I’ll chalk it up to the freezing temperatures and lack of any kind of flora (spring has been late in coming this year). I did get some nice photos, which I’ll attach at the end.After a burger and beer at The Governer’s Pub, it was highway time, hardcore. Made it through the rest of Pennsylvania and into Ohio, past Columbus and Dayton on my way to a hotel just west of Indianapolis. Just as it started getting dark the heavens opened, and I was very glad for my new windshield wipers (!). Still raining here in Plainfield, Indiana—we’ll have to see what it’s like in the morning.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for today; this was always going to be the longest day (I hope) of the trip in terms of driving, which sadly means less fun stuff to talk about. I’m planning a brief stop in St. Louis tomorrow; I hear there’s a fantastic cemetary to check out.

Good night, all, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

 

Rusty fountain in the park.

  

Beardless Lincoln …

  

Some of Bellefonte’s Victorian architecture.

  

Cheeky duck!