Oh so busy

We haven't really stopped since we have been home - until today.

Yesterday we finsihed up a major job Nigel had merchandising Christmas magazines. It was easier with two of us - one to drive and one to do. He is a real workaholic and so it has been full on for the last four days - that and coping with jet lag, laundry etc. So today - today we have allowed ourselves a day to come back down to eartha  little and actually relax and enjoy being home before work again next week and then collapsing ready for Christmas - which I am NOT ready for.

The odd thing about being away until mid december, and being away in Disney until mid December, is that we are pretty Christmased out. We have seen and enjoyed so many Christmas things already that to come home and realise Christmas isn't here yet has been a bit of a shock. 

I have done some scrapping though, even though I cannot share it yet.

What I can share are more of my catch up pages for the 2017 album which is almost done. I am up to date the point we went away. 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• jobs well done and a certain amount of satisfaction
• time to relax
• the knowledge that Christmas will happen and that the most important aspect is focussing on WHY we are celebrating and not on all the trimmings. HE is the reason for the season and as long as HE is at the heart fo all we do it doesn't matter if things are not quite like normal.

 

On to Day 4 of the trip report - and this is a biggie so it will span 2 days I think.

 

 

Thursday 23rd November 2017

Thanksgiving

Nashville TN to St Louis

Start time 7.00

Start miles 15225

End miles 15575

End time 4.00

Total miles travelled 350

The Gateway to the West

We were excited to spend Thanksgiving in the States ... As it happened we spent it on five of them! Well you know us, we never do things by half.

We were at breakfast as they opened at 6.30, having already loaded the car. The Clarion had proven to be a great base ... Good food, clean and perfectly placed for us. We left feeling we had really seen Nashville, thanks in no small part to Richie. He had been a superb tour guide. It was the first time ever in America that we had to de-ice the car before setting off. Now that we had not expected, but it was kind of cool – pardon the pun.

We headed out of Tenessee, still seeing lots of distilleries for Tennessee’s own liquid gold, and during the course of the day we passed through new states, fascinated at the way the landscape seemed to change with each one. Tennessee seemed more forested, Kentucky more open fields.

 

 

 

 

The roads were this empty pretty much the whole way. In fact we saw very little traffic the whole trip.

 

 

There were plenty of places to stop for refreshment breaks ... Which also then led to stops for restroom breaks. We bought Starbucks from Clarksville which was kind of cool ... The last train must have passed just before us as we saw no hide nor hare of it. We had been worried about travelling on Thanksgiving and being unable to get gas. We needed not to have worried ... Everywhere seemed open, at least on the morning and the roads were blissfully empty. It seemed like it was a good day to travel.

 

We enjoyed seeing the many bridges too. I have a real obsession with these huge steel structures that are both industrial and beautiful. The rivers, the Mississippi in particular, are not just places to enjoy the water. They are main arterial routes through the country and are busy and industrialised and the bridges echo that. Some are quite steep in order to let the shipping through easily.

 

 

 

A break in Kentucky for gas led Nigel to a glimpse of the south we had kind of envisaged with more unusual,people ... The lady in the gas station with one eye and one tooth was kind of a standout.

 

Indiana was pretty ... But Lord I can't go back there! Although I would kind of like to, in order  to get a better shot of the state sign as it was right on a  junction where there were road works. Silly I know but I so wanted to capture every state sign. These were today's signs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once into Illinois, a state we had always said we had visited but actually hadn't, we entered the fourth state of the day. We stopped at a beautiful rest area at Skeeter Mountain. How can Americans have rest areas in the middle of nowhere that are beautifully landscaped, well serviced and impeccably clean when we cannot even provide clean odourless toilets at Fleet Services. The Americans must, quite rightly, think we are a truly scummy nation. I have only once been to a restroom in the US that was not clean ... And that was at the Hard Rock in Seattle!

 

We also detoured to Rend Lake in Illinois and sat and ate our packed lunch by the water. We had taken a packed lunch as we were sure everywhere would be closed for Thanksgiving. Although this wasn’t the case it was nice to stop and sit by the water for a picnic. There were shades of Lake pier at home only it was, like everything over here, bigger and better. We watched the man with the camouflaged boat, fascinated that hunting is such a huge and socially acceptable pastime here and I even got my Illinois driving licence stamp. Perhaps now is a good time to write about the tour bus. We had again opted for a seven seater van... For the two of us!last year's Kia Sedona had been fine but was a bit ropey. It had taken us a while to get rid of the smell, the seats were stained and it wasn't a pretty vehicle. This year we had a silver grey Dodge Grand Caravan and it was both big and beautiful. With the back row of seats down we could stow all of our luggage and have space and the blacked out windows afforded security. There were pockets and plugs aplenty and I could have all my essential tour equipment to hand. Oh yes ... We love the tour bus. And she was very easy to drive.

 

 

 

 

 

The weather was remarkable and, after the shock of the morning, not even cold. Thanksgiving meant little traffic ... Unlike England on any holiday ... And also afforded us great sight seeing opportunities.  

We were on high alert as we neared St Louis to 'bingo' the arch, which I won, spotting it about ten miles away. We followed our noses and found the perfect viewing area ... A purpose built high viewing deck affording superb photos. On a normal day you may have had to wait for spaces but we were one of only two cars in the lot, with the other car leaving as we arrived, and we had the viewing deck to ourselves until we were ready to leave when two guys arrived to fly their drone, booting it up next to the sign that said no drone flying allowed. They may not have been able to obey rules but they did take a photo for us. . I think we had both been a little worried that the arch much disappoint. It had been on Nigel's bucket list for so many years. IT certainly did NOT disappoint. It was truly stunning and marked the meeting of the waters and the gateway to the west.

 

 

us at the top of the overlook viewing platform

 

 

Overlooking the mighty - and industrial - Mississippi

 

 

I put the arrow in so you can see the teeny tiny people which gives you a much better idea of the sheer size of the thing

 

 

At an astounding 630-feet tall, the magnificent Gateway Arch remains the tallest man-made national monument in the United States. Its unique shape and stainless steel facade remarkably represent the history made in the city of St. Louis. An enclosed tram inside the Arch takes you to the top, where you will experience breathtaking views of modern St. Louis – up to 30 miles in each direction on a clear day. Along with the surrounding Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Gateway Arch opens up a world of history about how St. Louis served as the Gateway to the West for early settlers.

 

Now I include these two pictures as they amuise me greatly. At this point there was noone else around and, well we wanted a picture together at the arch - so out came the selfie stick. Nigel had first go and you could almost hear me saying - no not like that, you can see the stick. Here let me do it.

 

Oh so much better.... NOT  ... but at least I got the WHOLE arch in with the stick as well.

 

 

 

We headed into town which was not to easy to,navigate with one way roads and construction, although the roads were empty and the city was deserted. Thanks to Thanksgiving. Nigel found the park and I leapt out. The view with the cathedral in front was stunning. I snapped away and then ran back to Nigel insisting he parked up ... Plenty of free parking as it was Thanksgiving, so he could see it too. Finally satiated as it was another Niagra moment, we headed to Union Station, our home for the night.

 

 

And Nigel's journal ... I much prefer his writing 

 

Thursday 23rd November 2017.  Steps  4078

GIVING THANKS AT THE GATEWAY TO THE WEST

Another cold morning as we load up and set off for an early start after breakfast. After our rehearsal yesterday I am much better at getting my orientation and this mornings visit to the buffet is slick.

We hit the road with confidence having learned our environs well and, before long, we are pointing in the right direction on the interstate that will speed us through new territories today. However our first stop is for the first Starbucks visit of the holiday and a chance to call in at Clarksville as we are so close to the town that we only know from the monkee’s song.

It affords a generous harvest of new Starbucks cards as well as our drinks although Karen omits to say unsweetened in her order so endures a rather sickly version of her green tea lemonade.

We continue on our quest and before long we are leaving Tennessee and arriving in Kentucky.

Immediately the landscape looks different as a more agricultural flavour takes over and we see a good number of farms and barns. Somehow I expect to see a Surrey with a fringe on top but fear I may be thinking of a different state altogether.

Kentucky passes quite quickly and we anticipate our next state Indiana. We have devised our route to pass deliberately through Evansville to ensure we clip the corner of the state and can add it to our count.

It's time to fill up with gas now as we are concerned that this could be scarce on thanksgiving day especially after noon. We pull in just outside town and are relieved to find the gas station is not only open but is attended as upon getting onto the forecourt I have a moment of dread that it will be cards only and no means to pay in kiosk. With a spring in my step I enter the kiosk but I can't see the attendant. I quickly realise that she has been position  in hind a pillar and with her back to the door. As I reach the desk I am confronted by this enthusiastic and helpful lady who appears to have the unfortunate handicap of just one eye! This proves unfounded as there are, in fact, two eyes present but her squint is so severe her left one is barely open or even visible!

As she greets me with a smile I realise this is not the worst of it. Her mouth contains but one tooth which emerges from her gum like a tiny tombstone. I feel humbled by her resolve though and she continues to assist as if completely unconscious of her appearance. Thank the lord on thanksgiving for the person who employs her to face the public and for her strength of character.

When I return to the car Karen is sympathetic and hopes that she is going to be with a loving family later who will perhaps serve a very tender turkey dinner.

Indiana will be our quickest drive though today affording us enough time to conclude that

Locals must be of demure proportions as the houses seem so small! To grab a picture depicting this state is a challenge but Karen comes to the rescue with a shot of an overhead gantry sign.

As our journey continues we enter Illinois now and are just one state away from our destination, St Louis. The drive is a long one so we decide to break it up with a slight detour to Rend Lake where we can eat our sandwiches in a style reminiscent of home. It's a great vista and we enjoy a relaxing time just chilling by the water for a few minutes.

I encouraged Karen to take the wheel and she drove the length of the car park to gain her Illinois driving licence and then we swapped over to make our final approach to St Louis and our final state of the day, Missouri.

We had bet on how far out we might see the Gateway arch and I was confident that depending on the terrain anything between 10 and 5 miles might be close. It turns out the Karen was paying closer attention as she shouted first!  At ten miles out the first glimpse of the skyline including the arch was gleaned. It was a spectacular sight and we were thrilled. As we got closer the arch grew in stature and soon we were actually on the waterfront parallel but on the opposing side of the river. It took some avoiding NOT to cross one of the bridges but we managed it and even, despite all the voices in our heads compelling us to turn back, found the special look-out gantry that afforded such great views directly from the opposite bank. With no one else in sight we climbed the slope to the top and enjoyed an exclusive viewing of the arch, perfectly lit against clear blue skies. After our ‘private’ viewing we were joined by two guys who kindly agreed to take a shot of us both. It turned out to be a favourite with us and the arch in great sunshine.

As it had been difficult to negotiate getting to the waterfront without crossing the river we figured we would have no trouble finding the bridge to cross the Mississippi into Missouri. It proved correct and we were whisked over the river with ease. Negotiating the other side was a different matter entirely, though, and we had several aborted attempts to reach the base of the arch.

Fortunately St Louis was deserted for thanksgiving so we were able to take a few liberties that would have been likely to have got us killed on any other day!

Dropping Karen off in Market St for a photo op at the rear of the arch, I did another lap of the city blocks with some caution now with no one riding shotgun to guide me through the dangers.

Making it back Karen insisted I park up and enjoy the view for myself. It was so worth it and I grabbed some picture perfect shots.

Comments

[Where is Dubai]

Vavv. Thats Amazing. Thanks

[Barb inAK]

Love the post about Missouri (MO). Steve and I were born and raised in MO, but on the western side of the state--me, in a little farming community called Smithville, just north of Kansas City, and Steve in St. Joseph, the "home of the Pony Express." :-)

I love the photo of the Kentucky tobacco barn. It reminded me so much of my youth, as my family raised a 1/2-acre of tobacco in MO. We even went to Kentucky one spring as a family to buy tobacco plants. It took us 1.5 days to get to KY and we got home in 1 day--no stopping, eating in the car, mom and dad switching off on the driving. Daddy didn't want the plants to dry out and die on the way home. My little sister and I sat with our feet up in the back seat (no seat belts in those days), and the whole floor of the back seat filled with little 5" plants right up to the edge of the seat.
They made it safely, got planted in our field, and the seeds from the mature plants were harvested for the next year's crop. What an adventure!
Our tobacco crop earnings were used to pay off the farm and pay for my sister's and my college education back in those days. A lot of hard work, but the family who works together, stays together--and we learned a lot about responsibility and pride in our work.