States: 35 Days: 201 Miles: 24,748
On reviewing what I did after Michigan in order to write this bog, the first thing on the itinerary was ‘Drive to Cleveland via Hell’. I went through Hell, purely for the ability to say things like ‘I went through Hell in Michigan’ but was also rewarded with streets named after 90s heroes Mulder and Scully, so it was doubly worth it. If you’re ever in Michigan – go to Hell.
Ohio was disappointing in the grand scheme of things. Not meaning to be rude to Ohio, as I’m sure there are some great things to do there, however; as I am trying to avoid ‘generic’ things like zoos, art galleries, and museums etc. it left me with little to do in the state. I managed a quick tour of Cleveland and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and a stop off in German Village in south Columbus. Hocking Hills State Park offered a respite from the bustling cities and was where I celebrated my half-way point of the trip: 95 plan points out of 197, 27 out of 50 states, and 175 out of 365 days. In that time, I have gone from the Pacific to the Atlantic and from the Mexico border to the Canadian (and across!). Thinking back to my Hawaii blog when I had achieved one state, seven days, and just over 8,719 miles, I was dismayed at how far I had left to go (i.e. all of it!). Now I’m over halfway through and it feels like no time has passed at all.
Indiana was almost as uninspiring as Ohio, although I liked it more. Indianapolis felt much calmer and more laid back than any other capital I’ve been to so far. There was of course, the Indy500, however; after much deliberation I decided I really wasn’t that interested and thought I’d save my tourist cash for something else. My (free) highlights of Indiana were the Periodic Table Display at DePauw University, where each element was illustrated by some real-world examples of the uses of that element, and the village of Santa Claus, where everything was Christmas themed. It was an odd sensation in bright, sunlit, 30-degree heat, but great fodder for the camera.
Kentucky proved to be really interesting, with a number of highlights, including the graves of Colonel Sanders and Mohammed Ali, the Louisville Slugger museum, where I bought my first actual souvenir of an official Hillerich & Bradsby baseball, Fort Knox (from a distance!), and more Whisky Distilleries than you can shake a stick at (which is an activity that gets more and more difficult the more distilleries you visit…). I also managed to tick another ‘100 place’ off my list by visiting an original Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill.
It was around this time that the tornadoes were hitting the central states – hundreds in a few days – so I was quite nervous to be following them across the country. It seemed, though, that they were always just a day ahead of me and the worst weather alerts I received were flood warnings. Googling the tornadoes just now, I’ve seen that they are now behind me, showing up in Illinois (where I was yesterday!) so I’ve again managed to plan spectacularly and miss all the worst weather by a matter of days (or hours!).
Saint Louis proved to be great fun, especially as it gave me yet another opportunity to try another form of barbeque (one which I really enjoyed, I must say – so much so that I went back the next day). The Gateway Arch really is a sight to be seen, especially when fronted by the Old Courthouse and backed with a stunning fluffy-cloud blue sky (my superb weather-planning skills paying off again). Walking through the sculpture garden on a lovely sunny day was also a very pleasant experience, even if the sculptures did seem to be along a… suggestive theme. Little man in a boat, a bean, and two large rabbits. Is it just me?
I also managed to be in the city at the time of a protest march; Missouri’s one and only abortion clinic’s licence was expiring on the Friday of the week that I was there, and there was debate as to whether it would renew (not technically making abortion illegal in the state, but effectively removing the ability for it to be legally performed there… slippery). So there was a protest march from the Arch to the Governor’s office, of which I managed to catch the final stage. Coming from the UK, this topic was never really one I paid much attention to, until I stared working for the UK’s Department for International Development. I won’t go into a detailed dissertation here, although I’m sure I could, but two things continue to be strange to me on this topic. Firstly, the ‘Developed World’ (sorry Hans Rosling), seems very keen to promote the rights of women and girls, specifically maternal health, among developing nations (I’m thinking of the Millennium Development Goals). Yet in arguably one of the worlds most developed countries, there still seems to be fierce disagreement over what these rights should be. Secondly, I do understand that there are a variety of opinions on this topic that all have a valid thread, however, what continues to baffle me is why this is a political conversation. Familial, absolutely. Medical, most likely. Religious, perhaps. But political? I don’t get it. Anyway. One for another time.
After Saint Louis I drove through Ha Ha Tonka State Park, mostly because it was called Ha Ha Tonka, but also because (as it turns out) it was quite a beautiful State Park. I managed to get in another town-name pun when I drove through Tightwad, population 69. I didn’t even have to try for humour, as there was a convenient sign for ‘Tightwad Bank’. Which I suppose is what you want from a bank (?!). On arrival in Kansas City, I was disappointed to realise that most of it was actually still in Missouri, so I hadn’t hit state 31 quite as soon as I thought. However, after a very emotional visit to the National WWI Museum and a very beautiful visit to the Kansas City Library (where the façade of the building is covered in faux book spines), I finally grounded in Kansas proper with yet more barbeque!
Thanks to the documentary by Louis Theroux, I was well aware of the Westboro Baptist Church, which was not in itself a destination on my list, however; in researching things to do in Kansas, I learned that the house across the street from the church had painted itself in rainbow colours and had become a destination for acceptance and tolerance, literally in the face of the church’s preaching of hate. Over the years the “house across the street” had turned itself onto a charity called Equality House, which stands for LGBTQ rights advocacy, orphanages and safe havens in developing countries, and rainforest conservation efforts in the Amazon. All good stuff. They also painted the house next door to the house across the street in transgender colours and have a community garden of vegetables out front. Even if the church wasn’t across the road, I would have been glad to visit and donate, but the fact that these two completely opposing philosophies existed within a few metres of each other made the destination all the more special to see and experience in real life.
I got the hell into Dodge City (and out again), which was the usual kitsch Old West Town (a la Tombstone), but also had a few interesting sights in the vicinity, as well as the obligatory noonday [actor] shootout. Via the geographical centre of the 48 states (in Lebanon, Kansas), I found myself in Omaha. Most of my Nebraska sights will be seen at a later date, after the Dakotas, but Omaha was my first significant stop in the state. If it weren’t 35 degrees, I might have enjoyed it more, but I was decidedly overheating on my walk around town, so the sights of Omaha were somewhat coloured by my considerable discomfort!
Arriving in Iowa (or Heaven), I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the state. Not a huge amount to do, but lots of sights to see across the area. My favourite thing about Iowa, however, was the proliferation of real cheese! I know that it is possible to get good cheese in the States, but it’s difficult to get it easily in the local (cheap) places I’ve been going for groceries. So many times when ordering food here, I’ve been presented with the question; ‘Do you want American Cheese or Yellow Cheese?’. On those occasions it has taken every ounce of self-control I have to not inform the server that in fact, neither of those options are cheese. Instead, I silently scream it in my head whilst smiling and mumbling something about ‘American Cheese please’. So I was blissfully happy to find a cheese and wine shop in Des Moines and proceeded to camp out there for several hours.
Continuing my tradition of watching the relevant film wherever I am in the country, I diligently watched Bridges of Madison County before jetting off to see the bridges in Madison county and get some spectacular photos in the process. Other highlights of the state included posing in front of the American Gothic painting house and visiting the Field of Dreams (well… they did build it after all).
However, one of my most eagerly anticipated stops was at the end of my middle-America stint, in fact all the way back to the shores of Lake Michigan. Anyone that has spent any significant time with me, especially in my childhood, will know that The Blues Brothers is in my top 5 favourite films. I started watching it and quoting it before I could understand what I was watching or saying, and I can to this day recite almost all of the film from start to finish with savant-level timing and accuracy. So other than visiting the Willis Tower, the infamous Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate (aka The Bean), Buckingham Fountain and S**t Fountain (yes, really), the majority of my time in Chicago was spent touring a dozen Blues Brothers locations whilst continually reciting scenes in my head. No need to watch the film for a recap this time. My only other activity in Illinois was to go hiking in Starved Rock State Park, which turned out to be a mistake, as the rocks are apparently not the only things that are starved. On my way back down the trail, I walked past a dog who took an instant dislike to my leg and decided to attack! A very apologetic owner and confirmation that no skin was broken sent me on my way, but as the dog was exactly knee-height, it is making driving a pain. Literally.
Oh well, onwards and upwards. Again – literally, to Wisconsin…