August 17th 2009: Transition
So it begins, my big adventure into the world unknown. I've always had a thirst of wanderlust and exploring new locations and journeying into uncharted territories. I've still got a bit of a big dreamer mentality in with, but this time around as I face a new juncture in my life I carry a bit of realism and unfortunately at times, thanks to Nashville and the so-called Real World syndrome kicking in, cynicism with me as well.
I must say that for all the stress involved in moving and the chaotic trying to figure out what to do post-graduation - I'm glad to say I feel my mom and I made the right choice. Today the movers can and carted all of our furniture into the storage unit we rented. This is after nearly a week of hauling boxes over there manually in our Oldsmobile. The apartment is now empty and we can get the heck out of Dodge (or Nashvegas as they say).
After the movers finished packing everything in storage, my mom and I grabbed a quick farewell bite at SatCo - the best queso joint in town. We then spent the next five hours cleaning the apartment spic and span and packing up our car.
Packing the car was somewhat of a nightmare. It's hard enough to move with your destination known and your housing situation planned out, but without knowing what the future holds? We really have no clue. We are winging it - eventually heading to Seattle, taking time to travel and car-camp across America along the way. As much as we want to pack light, it's hard to decide what items are necessary and non-essential. On the one hand we don't need certain items we would usually bring along a la a coffee maker, etc...however so it's a Catch-22 because when we eventually find an apartment we don't want to be replacing items we already have. I'm afraid when it's all said and done we'll have brought too much or not enough at all. The main things I brought of necessity were my journal, toothpaste, clothing and of course my C.D.S. and guitar. I really regret not bringing my piano keyboard. I love to play and it's going to be torture without it, but my mom and I both had to make concessions and that was mine.
We finally got out of Nashville by six-thirty. On the way out of town we stopped by Springfield TN to have a farewell dinner with my best friend Laura. We are both college basketball obsessors and music lovers. I'll miss being able to see her on a regular basis. For my graduation and early birthday gift, Laura gave me a $25 gift card, which will no doubt prove helpful on the trip. We only have $200 for a weeks worth of driving, until the next money comes in so either way we'll have to do some unique budgeting - moving is more expensive than you'd think!
After saying goodbye to Laura, we merged onto I-24, heading in a Northwestern direction. Despite a full day of moving my mom and I were wired and decided to drive a few hours before stopping. We grabbed a coffee in Paducah at the I Hop before crossing over the Illinois line and finally stopping for the night about an hour outside of St. Louis at the Rend Lake rest stop.
Sleeping in the car is not for the faint of heart, especially if you have neck and knee problems like me, but it's do-able with a little maneuvering. The problem was our car was packed to the brim and the seats couldn't go down. I fell asleep right away, but for my mom it wasn't so easy. No complaints though - we were just happy to be out of Nashville.
August 18th:
We awoke at daylight with the clock reading 6:01. We had a busy day ahead of us and as tempting as it was to sleep in we opted to get on the road. The air was damp and extremely humid. I grabbed a change of clothes and some toothpaste and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
We headed west on I-64 towards St. Louis, stopping briefly for a coffee and a sweet tea (thank God Mickey D's has ST everywhere!) at McDonald's just east of the city.
Upon entering the vicinity of St. Louis the Arch lifted out of the ground, making a strong impression. I've been through St. Louis several times before - once on a cross-country trip by myself when I was nineteen to work at YNP, and also for the happy opportunity of cheering on my North Carolina Tar Heels at the 2005 Final Four. As a place to visit St. Louis is a lot of fun, especially for families. I wil say as with any city the traffic can be a bit tedious and it does have some crime, but for tourits this isn't a huge issue and it's well worth a visit.
My mom and I opted to bypass downtown and head to Forest Park. The Park is just west of the city and is one of the largest parks in the world. It is a true gem and a must stop for any visitor to St. Louis. It dates back to the 1904 Worlds Fair and is filled with immaculately maintained gardens, trails, open greenery alongside with a variety of free museums and attractions. The Art Museum boasts a terrific collection including a few Monet's, and the History museum is great for kids and adults a like.
Today my mom and I decided to tackle the St. Louis Zoo. Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm a Zoophile - I go to zoos whenever I get the chance - I love animals! In my opinion the St. Louis Zoo is one of the best in the country! It is geared towards families and it is FREE! The architecture and design reminds me of the grand parks of the early 1900s with rich architecture and sweeping landscaping. The zoo is large and requires a lot of walking, however there are plenty of pit stops in between exhibits to give parents and kids a rest - such as cool Zoo eateries and gift shops. They also have a train, which is a fun way to get place to place.
We started off our tour with an insect exhibit - now I'm not really into bugs, but this was very interesting! I was especially interested in the Bees. The exhibit really shed light on the problems facing the bee population and how important bees are to our ability to live - yes in a simplified way Seinfeld's "Bee Movie" had it right. They have a bee garden where they work to monitor natural bee pollination - it's something that is a major problem - possibly due to insecticides and global warming effects. We need to play our part to help the environment - which often times more than not needs to be healthy for us to live healthy lives.
Next up withe went onto the Rivers Edge where we got up close with the largest land mammal - the Elephant. I think they are such amazing creatures - very smart (contrary to myth of Dumbness) and compassionate - another animal, which in the wild is struggling to survive. The zoo really shows you why we need to save these animals. Also in the Rivers Edge - The Hippo - the most feared of the African animals - seriously! Hippos may look blubbery and big, but they are more feared than Crocodiles. Still they are cute in the water - very interesting about their skin and how they can be 90% below water and still breath.
My favorite animal, the Cheetah was next - I think they are such amazing and beautiful animals. They actually have a long history with man and were pets by the Ancient Egyptians, among others - they can be tamed in six months, but deserve to be in the wild or protected in a quality zoo environment. Cheetah's are the fastest land animal at seventy miles per hour sprints. Cheetahs are another endangered speeches - who have a faulty genome dating back thousands of years...hopefully biological science can help figure out a way to save the Cheetah population by figuring out a way to eliminate the faulty gene or to expand the gene pool in some way....
The Aviary is one of the coolest places in the zoo - I saw a variety of birds I'd never even seen or heard of before. The indoor environment was built perfectly for plenty of flying space for the birds and natural light to be allowed in.
My favorite part of the day was the Big Cats - I'm a cat lover what can I say? The St. Louis Zoo has tons of cats including Tiger cubs (all fast asleep in a Tiger Nap :). The Lion was asleep as well - I read that Lions sleep 20 hours per day! The jaguar and clouted leopards were beautiful as was the Puma.
It was around two and the torrid humidity and sticky air was becoming too much to bear for even a well adjusted southerner like me. I'm used to the heat, but this was unbearable only 84 degrees but 98% humidity. That being said we decided to finish up our tour of the zoo. We had planned to head over to the art museum, but after getting lost in the walk back to the museum (and our car) - we went the long - mile and a half way around accidentally) we decided to head over to St. Charles for the afternoon and grab some lunch.
St. Charles is a historic town on the banks of the Mighty Missouri River, just west of St. Louis. It is one of the oldest towns west of the Mississippi as it was a trading post for fur trader and Missouri's first capitol. It has a lot of it's history still in tact and a quaint charm as you stroll down the cobblestone streets and meander in shops and dine in neat restaurants.
St. Charles is also spot where the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery first got in their keelboat and headed west to explore the Louisiana Territory.
I'm obsessed with L&C and have made and effort to visit places they explored when I've had the chance. The opportunity to step foot on the same ground and stand at the banks of the Missouri where they took off is AWESOME.
A neat museum focusing on Lewis and Clark, their time in St. Charles and their overall two year trip there and back again is located on the waterfront and a must stop for L&C fans and anyone first learning about the Corps of Discovery. We plan to follow their trail for most of our way west.
After touring the facility we ate dinner at the Trailhead Restaurant - a neat brewery in an historic building near St. Charles Waterfront. We split at burger with BBQ sauce - amazing BBQ sauce - with a vinegar and tomato mix. I'll take this opportunity to admit I love BBQ and BBQ sauce - it's an addiction.
We had originally planned to spend the night at a St. Louis rest area, but opted instead to head west and drive a few more hours. As we drove west on I-70 the sun set was blinding, the sun so bright even sun glasses would not quell it. At least I knew that with the sun in my eyes nearing night we were headed in the right direction: WEST.
With a music mix of Pat Green, Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen playing on a portable CD player (our Oldsmobile doesn't have a Radio or C.D. player)...we rolled down the road, eventually stopping at a rest area near Council Bluffs. I was too tired to drive anymore by midnight, and when I almost hit a deer I knew it was time to stop! Luckily I fell asleep right away, dreaming of new adventures in the unknown status of what tomorrow might bring...
That's today's entry...I'll continue to post journal entries from my diary archives soon!
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