Leaving Albuquerque, we continued on down Highway 40 towards Tucumcari. Route 66 spectacles still within our sights, we hopped off the main highway and got another good look abandoned rest stops and towns along the old Main Street of America. Tucumcari had a bright and shiny chrome monument dedicated to the forgotten road, but otherwise the drive was rather drab.
We took a turn away from the Southwest at Highway 54, but we could not escape the drab. The sun was high, the sky was big, and for a thousand miles all we could see was grass and cows. Not rolling hills, but flat fields. Not happy cows, but cows crammed together in tight metal walkways and fenced into rancid mud pits. Hundreds of them, thousands, packed like sardines. The acreage was available to let the cows roam, but instead the beasts were locked in tight into feed lots or to be prepared for processing. It was a little sad to see, especially since we got to see it over and over again throughout the day, but that was the cost of having burgers and steaks whenever we want. I’m not going to say it’s worth it, but I’m not going to stop eating beef either.
Each town along the drive was eerily similar. A small town with a small shop and a large silo or two. Over and over. Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas: maybe this wasn’t your best side, but it was awfully boring. We cut over to Wichita to spend the night and then swung around Topeka to get to Kansas City the next morning.
And Kansas City was great. Jill and I were meeting an old PCT friend (KC) in town. While we waited for KC to get off work we wandered around the Missouri River’s waterfront park and market area and then took Huckleberry over to a dog park. We got to chat with a few KC locals at the park and then took a walk down a nearby city park, not even knowing what we had walked into.
On top of a hill we spotted several statues ordained with fresh flowers and hand written notes. These statues were dedicated to the American soldiers of World War I. We continued to walk on over to a massive stone pillar. It just so happened to be the National World War I Museum and Memorial. It was quite a sight. We had no idea this existed here. We stood on top of Kansas City at the memorial and looked down at the city below.
Kansas City was pretty and it’s people were welcoming. It’s a town we would definitely want to return to. There was too much history and character for us to take in during such a short visit. We grabbed some great barbecue at Char Bar with our friend and spent the night at her place. In the morning she went back to work and we drove off towards Alabama.
It was Friday, and today was the day we wanted to be in Decatur with Jill’s sister. It was a 10 hour drive, so we didn’t have time to mosey on over to St. Louis or Nashville like we had hoped to. We did get to pass by on the highways and take in the city skylines, but the cities themselves will be there waiting for us next time we can make it on over.
We crossed over the great Mississippi River and the eastern side of the Midwest offered us a bit more in the way of scenery. Not only were there more cities, but also hills, lakes, trees, and we saw several signs for state parks and forests and the like, all of which were lacking on our recent drive.
We crossed the Tennessee River at sunset as we rolled into Decatur. It was a beautiful end to the driving day. We arrived at our destination. The house was large and amazing. It had a big wraparound deck decorated with shapely spindles and columns and adorned with comfortable porch chairs and side tables, a home straight out of any movie based in America’s South. It was great to see family again, especially the ones who lived so far away. We spent the weekend playing with the nephews and exploring the nearby area. We all took a walk around the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. It was very swampy. There were some interesting birds and weird fungus to see, but unfortunately we never did get to see any alligators.
The time went quick, and all too soon we had to leave and begin our journey back home. It was fun hanging out with family, but we were looking forward to Louisiana and Texas! In Part 5 we flee from a massive storm!
Part 1 West Coast
Part 2 Arizona
Part 3 New Mexico
Part 4 Midwest
Part 5 The South
Part 6 The Border
