Missy's blog: Road Trip

On Thursday morning I took Kiernan to the bus stop in the morning. We were too late for it last time. So this was his first actual morning bus ride. He was very excited. He wanted to know where he would sit and where the bus would drop him off and we both wondered if we were early enough this time.

We talked about school and his loose tooth. We both knew I would be leaving but we were so in the moment it barely seemed real.

He got on the bus and I went to work and I didn't see my sweet husband or kids again for 4 days.

At lunch time mom picked me up from work and we left for Kansas. We drove to Kentucky and spent the night. It was a long day but the hotel was very comfy and we got far enough to eat breakfast in Cairo.

We drove though frosty farms and over major rivers.

This is the bridge of the Ohio crossing entering Cairo.

It was cold and south. I don't mean south geographically, although it was that. Frosty magnolia leaves were on the sidewalk. I wanted to see Cairo for two reasons.

The first is that Cairo is a major location in one of my favorite Neil Gaiman books American Gods

The next reason is that after reading the book I looked up the town and found its history sad and compelling and I wanted to see it for myself. I designed our trip so that it would pass us through the area on our way to Kansas.

The city was at one point huge and thriving as a river trade port in the 1850's.

It fell hard. It is like a Detroit. It has a strange sort of fame for its blight.

It wasn't really out of the way but it wasn't on any major roads either.

We checked Yelp for places to eat breakfast.
Mom got terribly sick from her breakfast so it was far from an unalloyed success. I hopefully will have a link to her hilarious review next week.

We left Cairo and crossed the Mississippi in the morning.

There was ice in the river and a barge went by. It was beautiful. The rocks were covered with ice.

I made a video for the kids and stood in the river for a moment.

Then we drove on and got gas in Missouri.

For 1.69 !!!

Then into Kansas and the wind.

I am from Kansas but didn't live there. I went back to see family on holidays or on summer vacations.

I really like Kansas. I really hate tornadoes. Every time I am in Kansas I love the light and the space.

I love how the rest stop looks. I love the quiet.

I dig travel.

As the evening fell we made it into Inman where Grandma is living now.

She had the stare of dementia and she did not know us. I was sad to see it but more convinced than ever that it was right to have made the trip.

On Christmas morning we called Grandma and she sounded slurred and couldn't form complete sentences. She knew us (I think) and she knew it was Christmas but after hanging up I felt very much that I wanted to see her while she had some chance of knowing that we had come to see her.

I had already scheduled my vacation time for the year and so I didn't have much to play with but I took a Monday and a Thursday and drove like crazy.

After 10 minutes of soothing talk suddenly something clicked.

She turned to mom and said "What are you doing here? No one told me you were coming out!".

She knew us and it was splendid.

That night we ate at a super crowded local Mexican place called Playa Azul. It was packed and loud and cheerful. My Aunt Jan recommended it as a place with good veggie options. She was right.

While I was in the parking lot talking to the kids and David mom was inside asking for a nonalcoholic Margarita. This request baffled the poor waiter who denied vehemently that they had any such abomination.

hahah

Welcome to Kansas.

We checked into our very suitable hotel and soaked in the hot tub before sleeping the sleep of the dead.

The next morning we grabbed my Aunt Terri for the day and headed out to see Grandma again.

Apparently Grandma doesn't sleep well at night and naps most of the morning. She was very sweet and we let her be.

There were a few things I wanted to see on this trip from American Gods and one of them was only a few hours north of Inman.

We went to see the Center. This is the geographical center of the lower 48. It is right outside of Lebanon Kansas. There is an old abandoned hotel and a tiny chapel and a plaque.

We parked by the hotel and walked down the overgrown steps to the plaque.

It is pretty empty around the Center.

The actual center is on the farm adjacent but the farmer wasn't interested in having tourists tramping through his property.

It was windy and cold and I was very excited to be there, so excited I sent a picture to Neil Gaiman. (ha pathetic fangirl tweets)

It was tricky to get good shots of faces with the wind so high.

On the way back to town I was thrilled to discover the worlds largest ball of twine.

Here it is up close.

Here it is with me being thrilled.

We went back to see Grandma (more confused but heartrendingly cheerful). We went out to eat with Aunts Jan and Terri at a deeply mid-western Sirloin Stockade. Then back to the hotel and met up with cousins for cards against humanity.

The next morning mom and I went for a hike in Sand Hills State park.

My Aunts upon seeing this picture said, with a what-was-the-point-of-that-trip look, everywhere looks like that around here.

I thought it was beautiful.

We met up for breakfast at Braum's (my favorite Ice Cream place)

The four sisters.

Cousin Josh came by from work and so did Cousin Audrey with her adorable baby and very sweet seeming husband.

My car got loaded up with some but not all of the stuff my Aunts brought for mom to take away. We then drove back to Inman for a last visit before driving home.

It was a good visit.