8/26 - 8/27 - Denver, CO to St. Louis, MO - 850 miles on the fast track

This morning I woke up reluctantly, knowing that this would be the day when the fun part of the trip ends and the suffering part begins. I had been on the road for ten days, but I was nowhere close to my final destination. In fact, Denver marks only about one third of my total planned travel distance. I knew there was still a long way in front of me, and I had to finish it in a short time. The sky was gloomy as I walked out of the hotel, matching with my mood perfectly.

I left Denver on a gloomy day amid the rain.

I had two days to travel from Denver to St. Louis, and I hoped to reach St. Louis before 6PM so I can catch the Cardinals game there. That meant I only had one and a half day to drive the whole 850 miles. So I had to shift gear to the driving mode.

I didn't really have a plan for the day. I just drove. I would like to go as deep east into Kansas as
possible, so I had less distance to cover on the next day. Several potential stopping points for the day were Salina, Topeka, or even as far as Kansas City. I chose not to make a call before I set off and waited to see what I can do.

The east-bound drive from Denver was mostly a descent from the mile high city into the Midwestern plain. It was a dull day, I have to admit. Most of the time I sit behind the wheel, moving through the unpopulated I-70. I took several breaks at the rest areas as the only
change-of-sight for the day.

After crossing the state border, it was again a different scene. On both sides of the highway sit endless green. It made me feel refreshed. I turned on the radio, found a country music station, and swiftly drove through the country side with the right background music and high spirit.

The weather became better as I crossed the state border.

and I blazed through the endless green fields with countless cattle in Kansas with the accompany of some nice country music.

I still remember, in the late afternoon, I had to really convince myself to hang in for some more time whenever I saw an exit. Physically I was not so tired, but mentally it became increasingly unbearable to be confined in the limited space. Whity is not a roomy car, and I had make it worse by cramming a lot of stuff in the seats. Finally, when the night fell, it symbolized the last straw put on my back and I decided to finish the day at Topeka, KS.

I remembered when I checked into the Motel 6, my left foot and right foot didn't feel the same when I walked. My head ached due to the loud wind blowing into the car through the day. That annoying sound still echoed in my ears. It had been a long day but I had made good progress. Although there was nothing much worth noting, but we all need this kind of days in which we get the jobs done.

The Unexpected


The next morning I woke up feeling tired but hopeful. With the 540 miles I suffered yesterday, the work left for today was easier, and I was very hopeful to catch the baseball game in St. Louis by the evening. However, when I loaded my luggage onto Whity the car and got ready for checkout, the hope was shattered. I saw the front wheel on the driver side completely flat. What a surprise! It was all good until last night, I could swear it!

Luckily I was also somewhat prepared for a flat tire. I pulled out the air pump from my trunk and paddled hard to inflate the flat tire. I labored to get the car to a drivable situation, but when I was done I could hear the hissing sound from the tire. It would not take me long on the road. Is this a speechless complain from Whity that I worked it too hard yesterday? Anyway, I got to find a place to fix this. So I asked for a close-by tire shop at the counter when I checked myself out, and headed slowly with Whity over there.

Another disappointment stroke when I reached the tire shop. This was a Sunday and they were not open. I almost forgot that we are bounded by a weekly system after being on the road and out of regular schedule for such a long time, but it exists and stands still as ever, at the time I hoped it never exists the most. Now I was strangled in a place I have never been to with a car that I couldn't drive for maybe more than 20 miles.

But I was so lucky that my new cell phone provided a way to access the Internet on the road. I pulled out my computer and connected to the Google map, trying to find out any further hope around. I tried several nearby small tire shops without luck, and finally arrived at a Walmart. I was so glad to see someone open, although there was a long line waiting for service. They looked at my tire and was able to do a patch job on it. The root of the problem was a screw that got into the tire somehow. Finally, when the tire was eventually fixed and I was once again good to go, I already lost two hours resolving the issue. It was not desirable at all, but luckily things were still under control. I just had to make it up on the way.

As soon as I entered I-70 again I hit another unexpected obstacle: the toll station. Living on the west coast for three years, I was not adapted to the toll road system. I didn't like the concept, but I guessed I have to pay. This is the first time I paid a road toll in US. What I didn't know by then was that I am bound to pay a lot of toll after I settle in Florida.

The first toll station I have ever seen in US.

Further East

I took I-70 East after the tire patch job. It was mostly a clear view of endless plain, and suddenly a major city emerged on the horizon. It was Kansas City at the crossroad of the Midwest. After traversing long across the countryside, the sudden rise of a city gave a quite surprise for change of the scene. I followed the signs very carefully to make sure I didn't lose more time getting lost in the highway exchanges.

Kansas City appeared from no where on the horizon.

But, there was still a small detour I must take at the city. I paid a visit to the Kauffman Stadium, the home field for the Kansas City Royals. The weather was less than perfect on that day. When I visited the Kauffman Stadium, the sky was gloomy, just a match with the situation the Royals has been in recent year. I took a couple pictures here, but I felt little reason I should stay any longer, so I moved on to get to my destination of the day.

Kauffman Stadium, the home for Kansas City Royals.

Crossing the state of Missouri was much easier than crossing the state of Kansas distance-wise. It was not a very long drive, and in the late afternoon I was approaching St. Louis. Luckily, I booked a hotel in downtown St. Louis on Priceline, just next to the Gateway Arch. This impressive landmark of St. Louis marks the starting point of the great expedition of Lewis and Clark. As I had also come a long way to reach here, it inspired a lot of thoughts from me that I put in this article (LINK).

The Gateway Arch, landmark for St. Louis.

I hurried to check in the hotel and got ready to the baseball game tonight. The stadium is in walking distance from the hotel, and I set off immediately after I settled my stuff in the room.

They gave me a room with a nice view towards the gateway arch.