Heading to Points West

We just got back from our summer vacation, and this year's was more substantial than we normally enjoy. We decided to take a road trip to see our friends in Denver. This was our second visit to Colorado, and we debated flying which is the most expedient means of getting there, but my wife hates to fly and needs heavy medication just to endure it. The flight home from Colorado 5 years ago was a grueling nightmare for her, and the Ativan wore out during a chaotic layover in Philly. I looked into taking Amtrak, but the price to sit and sleep in one of their chairs for three days put it out of the question (not to mention the cost of a sleeper). We settled on driving knowing that, my car gets awesome mileage, we would have a chance to see some of the country, I had plenty of time off from work, and adding all the costs up it was the least expensive option even with the hotel prices.

Two weeks ago today, we left, and I promised my wife breakfast in Charlottesville if we could get out of the house by 6 a.m. I am an early riser and also wanted to leave Hampton Roads before the traffic got thick, particularly in the tunnels (few epic road trips begin in Norfolk without first going under the water through a tunnel, I considered it sort of a baptism for the trip).

We got to Charlottesville and finished breakfast just in time for Mincer's to open where my wife shopped for a UVA T-shirt and some school decals for her new car. While she was busy I took my son across the street to further his indoctrination into the glories of Virginia history by visiting the Rotunda and the Lawn. It seemed fitting that the beginning of our trip west would include standing in the shadows of some of Mr. Jefferson's best work.

Although these buildings are very significant both historically and architecturally, one of my favorite buildings on campus is Brooks Hall, mainly because of its animals. It was built in the late 1800's in a Gothic/Victorian style that fits in with the rest of the architecture like a Christmas tree in July. In fact is was almost torn down in the 1970's because of its misfit status.

The first day we made it to Louisville which is somewhat familiar ground, but once we crossed the Ohio River, I would be in terra incognito until we got to Denver.

The next day we began our trip into the Mid-West, and what little of southern Indiana I saw was incredibly beautiful. I do not know why this was surprising to me, I had no expectations as to what it should look like. I was also surprised at how rural Illinois was where we crossed - beautiful, but flat and full of corn. By mid-day we had made it to St. Louis.

I know you can never judge a city or state by what you can see from the Interstate, but Missouri does not show its best face from I-70. Would it hurt to have a few less billboards, or are they deliberately trying to hid the lovely countryside so more people will not want to move there?

By the second evening we made it to Topeka. I have heard tales of driving across Kansas, and I must say that the first third of the state was beautiful, maybe even stunning. I really loved the openness, the grasses in the wind, the hills and occasional rock outcroppings. It reminded me of driving through the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina - only the ocean never came into view. Hours after the land had flattened and the diversity disappeared, my opinion changed. I hope God has a special place in his heart for the people who live in western Kansas (and eastern Colorado), I couldn't do it.

There was not a noticeable difference crossing from Kansas into Colorado except the speed limit and our expectations were raised as we were nearing our destination of Denver.