Day One

Packed Trunk

We made it to Kansas City! It was a long drive with the usual kid (& wife) moments, but overall it went well. Bethany and I woke up around 6:15 and the boys were already up. I finished packing the car and trust me there is absolutely no room left in the trunk. We hoped to take the minivan because it gives us more room plus we were leaving it in a parking garage in downtown Kansas City for a week. Unfortunately, Bethany has a hard time riding in the minivan. It is just not comfortable on her back. This forced us into the close confines of the Mercedes.

Rain at Ohio Welcome Center

We set off at 7:30 am, which was our target time. That rarely happens. The trip was uneventful past Wheeling and then we hit the rain. It rained steady all the way to Columbus, sometimes very heavily. Around Columbus the rain stopped and we had nice weather the rest of the way. We stopped outside of Dayton for lunch and got word that the boys soccer games were cancelled. So Eli won't miss any games and Jonah only misses one.

Nap time

Once we got past Indianapolis, the trip got quite monotonous for a while. Other than seeing a lot billboards before Terre Haute about a place called Boot City. They advertised all kind of stuff for sale from boots to dresses. The billboard that caught my eye advertised the Boot City Opry. The place sounded like a combination of JR Outlets and South Of The Border. I wish I could have stopped to see it. We were on tight schedule though.


When we broke from I-70 to bypass St. Louis, I panicked a little bit. My distance from St. Louis to Kansas City was around 220 miles. By the way, I don't use GPS. I hate it. I have a keen sense of direction and I always make sure I do my homework before I go somewhere. Jonah's last soccer game was a good example. He was playing Foothills outside of Greensburg in Hempfield Township. Since I did my homework, I got there with no problems. Everyone who used their GPS ended up somewhere in the middle of Greensburg. But I digress. Anyways, the first milage sign with Kansas City had like 250 miles between St. Louis & Kansas City. I said we need to eat a quick dinner, because we didn't have as much time as I thought.

Shopping Cart Tree, St. Louis, MO

We stopped north of St. Louis at a Subway. It did not look like the nicest of neighborhoods. I think the shopping cart hanging from the tree was a good sign of that. We hit the road again and the first milage sign indeed say Kansas City 220 miles. We were fine on time. Getting away from St. Louis was not fun. We hit our only construction delay of the trip. There is just something about St. Louis I don't like. They have the worst airport and I have never had the best vibe from the city. Once we got away from St. Louis, we made good time across Missouri. Right before Columbia, the sun was starting to set and since we were driving west, it was absolutely blinding. Bethany tried to get a picture. It came out okay, but it shows all of the dead bugs on the windshield. They look like shooting stars actually.

Shooting Star Bugs

Kansas City

Historic Union Station

We made it to Kansas City and passed by the sports complex. There was a Royals game going on and it looked really cool. I've always liked Kansas City. I was there 3 times for business and enjoyed it each time. The city gives off a cool vibe unlike St. Louis. Unfortunately we have no time for some good Kansas City BBQ. Union Station sits a little south of downtown along a cool stretch that reminds me a little of the South Side. The building has been restored and is stunning. Next up is the train.