Hello to all you bloggers out there from hot and steamy Kansas City, Missouri!
It seems like it has been a long time since I have checked in but I am happy to see that Jared has been keeping you all up to date on the trials and tribulations of river life. I am going to give you a brief synopsis of the past day and then end with some thoughts about the trip.
Meeting up with Kara yesterday was really awesome; even in my vagrant (looking and smelling) state I was greeted with a hug. We loaded the boat and gear into Kara and Chris's (cousin and cousin-in-law) Pathfinder and headed back to their house in Overland, MO. After a much appreciated and needed shower Kara and I headed out to a local Mexican joint where we shared some laughs and ate some great food. When Chris got home later we talked a bit and then I headed off to bed (in an actual bed).
Today Chris and Kara let me borrow their Pathfinder in the morning so that I could go out and resupply my food stores before my push to St. Louis. I also hesitated and almost broke down and got a haircut. I actually stood outside of the store deliberating if I really wanted to cut my hair for some time before deciding to keep the mane alive.
Chris and Kara then took me out to lunch at Jack Stack's, a local KC barbecue joint. The food was great and I was treated to some real delicious Kansas City "que". Kansas City has a long history of fine barbecue and more information can be found here http://www.kcbs.us/.
After lunch Kara and I went sightseeing in Downtown Kansas City. We visited the "Plaza District" which was really cool section of town that totally surprised me. The architecture was stunning and there were a ton of fountains all over the place. Kara informed me that Kansas City is actually known for its particularly high density of water fountains. More information can be found here http://www.garden-fountains.com/articles/city-of-fountains.html
Having become a little hot walking around we decided to go to the Arabia Museum. The Arabia Museum is a museum dedicated to the steamboat Arabia, that sunk and was then re-excavated in the 1980's just north of Kansas City. Here is a link to the museum's website, http://www.1856.com/. This is a very well-laid out and well-run facility and very interesting too. I would highly recommend stopping in if you are ever around the Kansas City area. The preserved pickles and "unknown medicines" were particularly amazing to me.
As with any day, the day seems like it is winding down all too fast. For me, I have a hard time believing that my last rest day was in Pierre, SD. The river really is moving fast, and I moving right along with it through the heartland of the country. Before long I will be in St. Louis and entering the final leg of my trip.
What has been most remarkable about this trip hasn't been the sunsets, sunrises or scenery, nor the suffering, success or silence of a long day of paddling, but it has been the humans I have encountered on the trip down. On a trip that is based on isolation and solitude, it has been the congratulations and support of friends, family and total strangers which has allowed me to be as successful as I have been so far. Without all your help, this trip would not be what it has become, which is truly an adventure for not only me but many of you following along as well. I sincerely appreciate each act of generosity, sometimes it might seem pretty small but even a well intentioned boat honk can keep me going when the sun beats on The Mary Agnes.
Well folks, thank you once again for following along and thanks to Jared for doing such a great job with the blogs. I look forward to blogging with you all again here when I get to St. Louis and have a "rest break".
WWWWWAAAAHHHHOOOOOO!
Paddling On,
Joe
It seems like it has been a long time since I have checked in but I am happy to see that Jared has been keeping you all up to date on the trials and tribulations of river life. I am going to give you a brief synopsis of the past day and then end with some thoughts about the trip.
Meeting up with Kara yesterday was really awesome; even in my vagrant (looking and smelling) state I was greeted with a hug. We loaded the boat and gear into Kara and Chris's (cousin and cousin-in-law) Pathfinder and headed back to their house in Overland, MO. After a much appreciated and needed shower Kara and I headed out to a local Mexican joint where we shared some laughs and ate some great food. When Chris got home later we talked a bit and then I headed off to bed (in an actual bed).
Today Chris and Kara let me borrow their Pathfinder in the morning so that I could go out and resupply my food stores before my push to St. Louis. I also hesitated and almost broke down and got a haircut. I actually stood outside of the store deliberating if I really wanted to cut my hair for some time before deciding to keep the mane alive.
Chris and Kara then took me out to lunch at Jack Stack's, a local KC barbecue joint. The food was great and I was treated to some real delicious Kansas City "que". Kansas City has a long history of fine barbecue and more information can be found here http://www.kcbs.us/.
After lunch Kara and I went sightseeing in Downtown Kansas City. We visited the "Plaza District" which was really cool section of town that totally surprised me. The architecture was stunning and there were a ton of fountains all over the place. Kara informed me that Kansas City is actually known for its particularly high density of water fountains. More information can be found here http://www.garden-fountains.com/articles/city-of-fountains.html
Having become a little hot walking around we decided to go to the Arabia Museum. The Arabia Museum is a museum dedicated to the steamboat Arabia, that sunk and was then re-excavated in the 1980's just north of Kansas City. Here is a link to the museum's website, http://www.1856.com/. This is a very well-laid out and well-run facility and very interesting too. I would highly recommend stopping in if you are ever around the Kansas City area. The preserved pickles and "unknown medicines" were particularly amazing to me.
As with any day, the day seems like it is winding down all too fast. For me, I have a hard time believing that my last rest day was in Pierre, SD. The river really is moving fast, and I moving right along with it through the heartland of the country. Before long I will be in St. Louis and entering the final leg of my trip.
What has been most remarkable about this trip hasn't been the sunsets, sunrises or scenery, nor the suffering, success or silence of a long day of paddling, but it has been the humans I have encountered on the trip down. On a trip that is based on isolation and solitude, it has been the congratulations and support of friends, family and total strangers which has allowed me to be as successful as I have been so far. Without all your help, this trip would not be what it has become, which is truly an adventure for not only me but many of you following along as well. I sincerely appreciate each act of generosity, sometimes it might seem pretty small but even a well intentioned boat honk can keep me going when the sun beats on The Mary Agnes.
Well folks, thank you once again for following along and thanks to Jared for doing such a great job with the blogs. I look forward to blogging with you all again here when I get to St. Louis and have a "rest break".
WWWWWAAAAHHHHOOOOOO!
Paddling On,
Joe
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1 comment:
Jack Stack's is very good. A college friend of mine says it's the best bbq in KC. Good luck and paddle on, Joe.
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