Wandering Kansas City

Day 2: We are a little rusty when it comes to prepping the car for sleeping. Over the course of the trip, we will figure out a routine so that all of the pillows, blankets, sleeping bag (for me because I am colder at night than Chad) and gear is ready to go within 10 minutes. This night it took at least an hour to get settled and Chad was out like a light.

The first night sleeping in the car went great for Chad and semi-ok for me. I defiantly did not have the pillows under my legs situated right and half the time my arms had fallen asleep.

Better luck next time, huh? While Chad has literally not moved since he fell asleep, I have witnessed in the wee hours of the morning a white Ford pickup truck squealing tires through the Love’s Truck Stop parking lot, wiz by the gas pumps, burning rubber in a large circle all while the occupant males are hootin’ and holleran’ at the top of their lungs profanity statements. Maybe a car chase? Who knows, but it was loud!

A billboard we passed on the highway read, “are you harassed at work? I blurted out, “Yes, yes I am!” for chad has been harassing me all morning, pelting me with ideas he would like me to research while I am using my desk (one example is learning about how much power I have in my laptop USB drivers to then potentially add an additional monitor later).

He also has thought about what needs to be put into the blog and has already laid out a format for me to use. There is nothing wrong with suggestions, but he only has one job right now and that is to drive! The creative juices cannot flow when someone else’s thoughts are permeating your own.

Chad did have a helpful suggestion for making the blogging process quicker by setting up folders for pictures to go into on the phone, which would make uploading and editing the blog a lot faster. Ok…thank you, Chad, that was helpful.

Arriving mid-morning in Kansas City, we drove around and around. There are so many buildings and homes with the oldest stones I have ever seen. There are a ton of big buildings in the Light District, but also scattered inside the residential areas. The grass is actually green and spring has been here for a while - road construction season!

I was able to find a cool little coffee shop, Quay Coffee, in the River Market District where there used to be city trolley systems - the railways were still engraved in the pavement. After about an hour of working on writing while Chad caught up with friends, we were both so jazzed from the coffee that we were both talking ninety miles an hour. Having not had anything in our stomachs to soak it up, the coffee hit us like a train.

Many of the local museums are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but the WW1 Museum happened to be open. “The National WWI Museum and Memorial is America's museum dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.” Check out the National WW1 Museum if you are ever in town.

The tower had an elevator which we rode to the top and we were able to gaze at the vast infrastructure laid far below. The city is endless concrete, high-rises, green spaces, large monuments and buildings completely made from old stone. Chad being Chad commented, “this would be an awkward time for an earthquake…” as we are 217 odd feet above the ground.

We chatted with a volunteer about the painting 'Panthéon de la Guerre' , which used to be the World’s Largest painting. “Its creators wanted to honor the greatest war the world had ever seen with the greatest painting ever made, and they had spent the previous four years working on it with the help of 150 artists.” It was so stunning and large that when Chad backed up to see it, he ran into a bench and plummeted onto it, absolutely stunned he is now sitting and at the size of the painting.

The remaining portion of the museum was found beneath the monuments and detailed the history of the Great War. There were a plethora of artifacts, videos, reenactments, cannons, guns, planes, cars, motorcycles, military gear of all fighting nations, war propaganda posters (hand drawn) and so much more. What a place.

After asking for recommendations from friends and the locals, it was a hard choice to select a place to grab some BBQ. We settled on Joe’s Kansas City BBQ and when we arrived at the location, we were pretty sure GPS had missed their mark. The restaurant was at a gas station?

Wow, was this the coolest food experience so far. Inside the gas station, it immediately turned into a order-at-the-counter restaurant and it had an entire section for people to sit down and eat. The gas station only had a counter and maybe two rows of items for sale, which included BB sauces and rubs. The people working in the restaurant were laughing, talking loudly and shouting out orders while the background noises were food sizzling and pans banging.

We ended up with some blackened beef tips, ribs, a sandwich they are apparently known for, seasoned fries and a side of their homemade apple crisp. YUM.

By the time we were done eating, it was around 7 p.m. and the line of people lwanting food was wrapped around the inside in a massive swirl to the point where the line was almost out the door. For sure almost 40 people waiting for food. We happened to get there when it was less busy, only 5th in line, around 5:30 p.m. Obviously, this is the place to be.

Friends have been reaching out to see how the trip is going, specially when it comes to food. "Dr Bublitz. Paging Dr Bublitz. BBQ report needed at the front office, stat!" Chad is happy to report the BBQ beef tips were worth waiting in line for.

Settling on a local truck stop, Chad and I weaved our way there through the city. Once at our destination, we realized they were full-up with all of the trucks and trailers coming in for the night. There wasn’t even a place for our little car to fit (without getting towed).

Improvising, we wandered the block and ended up parking in a rental truck service center not too far from the truck stop. Parking like one of their employees, we went unnoticed. Setting up for bed was a lot quicker and we were situated quickly. This time I adorned earplugs and was out like a light the entire night. Best nights sleep ever! Chad had no complaints and had a good night’s rest as well.