8-20-2005

Note to self (and anyone else who needs it): If you're heading south on I-35 through Iowa and you see a sign for gas at the next exit in Turro, you'll find that the next sign says to head West for 4 miles to get to the Kum & Go (hee, hee) in Turro. For the love of Pete, don't do it! Keep going 4 more miles south on I-35 to the next exit. There's another Kum & Go (snicker!) and when I drove past it after the 8 mile round trip to Turro, I saw that gas was 2 cents per gallon cheaper there.

First impressions on the state of Missouri: There aren't nearly as many country radio stations as I'd have expected. I actually found 3 public radio stations in Kansas City playing All Things Considered and at least one of them was receivable all the way to Clinton, where I'll be spending my first night. I actually enjoyed listening to A Prairie Home Companion. (The battery on my iPod was really low)

On the way through Kansas City, I noticed a couple of billboards advertising adult oriented establishments. One in particular had the copy: "Topless entertainment for men and women". If they openly accept women at a strip joint, I guess that's annother sign that I'm not nearly as far into Hicksville as I expected. Of course, maybe they expect that the women will either take off their own tops or that they'll be busy making sure their husband doesn't forget they're there.

There's no Internet access here and I won't be watching Nero Wolf tonight because the place doesn't have the Biography Channel, but they do have Cartoon Network and Teen Titans is one that I haven't seen before, so that's good.

Tomorrow, I have to remember to keep the digital camera in the front seat with me so that I can take pictures of the things that spark odd thoughts like these.

08-21-2005

Second Impressions of Missouri: I keep seeing places with names like "Show Me Collectables and Souvenirs" or "Show Me Church of Christ", I haven't found a "Show Me Movies or "Show Me Topless Dancers" yet though. I guess I'll keep looking.

Missouri isn't a very interesting place to drive through visualy. I know that coming from Minnesota, I'm calling the kettle black, but really, Missouri is slightly bumpier than Iowa so far. Around the Lake of the Ozarks area, there's some nice topography and roads that ride like roller-coasters and there's always the Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir Visitor Center operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Interesting architecture there.

I have learned something about satellite television though. The hotel room, I'm in has 15 channels (2 of them HBO of course) and most of them are currently displaying "searching for satellite signal" messages because the southern sky is full of severe thunderstorm. My internet connection seems to have died too so I won't be posting this until later.

08-22-2005

So anyway... It seems that the reason for Missouri to be getting bumpier is that I have entered a region called the Ozarks, apparently named after some sort of fictional mountain range. The roads have much more of that roller-coaster feeling around here, and the landscape is much prettier. The whole area reminds me of the Mississippi river valley in southern Minnesota near Red Wing and Rochester. Lots of hills to go up and down.

Remember that thing about there not being all that many country music stations? Forget it. The area I'm in now is nothing but country, christian, christian/country, and one classical station. I love my iPod!!! Thank you, friends.

I saw the damndest billboard today. It had a cross in the upper left corner and a cloud-like shape with a white-lined rectangle on top of it to the right. I thought it was God's Hockey or something. Then I saw the copy: "Jesus: Long Cheakbones, No Beard, Bangs". I actually said out-loud "what the fuck?" and made two u-turns so I could take a picture. I guess someone is trying to suggest that Jesus is female? Hmm.

As you drive east out of Perryville Missouri toward Illinois, you'll head down a long hill into the river valley and onto what once were the flood plains. There you'll see a large assembly of corrugated steel buildings on either side of the road, and along the railroad tracks there. On one of the doors is a small sign that reads "Plant Entrance, Employees Only". That was the only marking I saw on any of the buildings. I can only assume that if you work there, you work at The Plant, and you probably know what to do there. As you continue east from The Plant, you'll come to a place where the Mississippi is crossed by a simple, two-lane iron bridge and the roar of cicadas threatens to drown out the sound of your engine. Then you'll drive around in circles looking for your hotel because the directions don't make sense at this time of night.

08-23-2005

Not much of note today. As I left my hotel this morning, I splurged on a pack of chocolate-frosted mini-doughnuts and a really big Sprite. I was a little surprised to see a state lottery vending machine in the gas station there. I guess I'm not in Minnesota anymore.

I've been seeing a few oil wells here and there across the countryside, some of them have been in people's front yard. That must really suck for them. I mean, not having to work for your money and all. When I crossed the Indiana border earlier this evening, I stopped at the first rest stop to pick up a map and refill my water bottle. Now I know what they mean when they say "sweet crude". That well should have been drilled a few feet farther from the oil fields. Damn that was nasty.

Yuck!

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