Wednesday began nicely. We got up, checked out, and got back on the road. Having paid only $25 for a guestroom in the dorm, we knew we would need to get breakfast elsewhere. I particularly wanted coffee, so as I drove, Jessica attempted to find me some. We were also looking for a bank, so when I noticed that we were reaching the outskirts of town, I turned off at a light so we would have time to figure out where we wanted to go. We saw a bank across the street and went over so that Jessica could withdraw money and then we proceeded to investigate the other building in the lot. We discovered a neat fancy fast food place called (?), where I got an egg and cheese bagel, a caramel coffee drink, and a fruit cup and Jessica got a veggie sandwich, a hot tea, and a fruit cup. It was all very delicious and we were excited to have found such a tasty breakfast.
After getting breakfast, we quickly left Nebraska and made a fast run through the corner of Iowa, and drove into Missouri. Missouri was such a beautiful change from Tuesday's drive through Wyoming. There were lots of trees and lots of lovely green. Missouri also had mile markers every 0.2 miles, which we found highly amusing. So, we drove down the West side of Missouri from Iowa to Kansas City, where we turned and headed East. Along the way, we wanted to see something interesting so when we saw a sign for a Civil War battlefield, we got off the highway. After driving for a few minutes in one direction with no sign of a historical sight, we gave up and went back to the highway. Probably the fact that the name didn't trigger any of our mutually acquired knowledge is why we found it so easy to give up on. Anyway, we drove on and later stopped at a place called Nostalgiaville USA, which we had seen many a billboard for and were obviously drawn in. There's no way I could pass up a place with such a great name and such fascinating billboards. We took an extended break there and perused their fantastic selection of nostalgic items. In the end, I bought a Gone With the Wind magnet, a Dr. Pepper magnet, a Grease poster, and a Casablanca poster. I also bought a VW Bug advertisement poster for Jess. And although she was a bit wary when she first saw the place, Jessica was just as amused as I was. Great fun!
After leaving Nostalgiaville, we continued East towards St. Louis where we planned to stop and see the Arch. Jessica was driving as we arrived at St. Louis and I was able to capture our first view of the arch from the highway. We followed George's directions and ended up on the street that runs parallel with the Arch. We circled it and after deciding that we didn't really want to pay to park, we attempted to get back to the highway. After a missed turn, George decided to die and leave us stranded in downtown St. Louis with out directions. After driving past Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, where tons of red-clad fans were swarming in for the game, we drove in a big square through downtown until we saw a sign for the freeway we wanted. For Jessica's first time driving in a big city, she did very well. After getting out of St. Louis, we stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel, which is an experience I do not foresee repeating. I ordered chicken and dumplings and Jessica ordered the vegetable plate. Both of us were disappointingly surprised by the flavor of pork in every one of our dishes. After attempting to eat what we could, we were happy to set out again.
On the road again, we decided to drive to Tennessee before stopping for the night. After finding a hotel in Clarksville using Priceline.com, I began our drive out of Missouri. We drove through Illinois and discovered that if ever we are together that way again, we'll be needing to stop in Metropolis. It is just on the Illinois side of the Kentucky border and we were sad to be passing by at night. Then, we drove into Kentucky and I proceeded to drive the darkest highway I've ever encountered. I was amazed by the lack of roadside lamps. Once we arrived at Clarksville, Jessica and George led me to a most abysmal motel. It was far off the beaten track and was a dingy, dirty place. After ringing the bell to get our key and remote (yes, remote for the tv) at the office, we proceeded to a supposedly non-smoking room full of dirt and cigarette burns. Being slightly afraid for our health, safety, and safety of my belongings, we brought my most valuable possessions and blankets for sleeping on into the room. We barricaded the door with a chair and our bags, and slept in the cleaner of the two beds on top of one of my blankets and below the other. It was a short and fitful night followed by a quick exit in the morning. We had arrived around midnight and left before 7. We were dreadfully happy to get away!
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