Alaska Bound:

PART 2:

Day Two:



We left Tennessee on a gray morning and headed onto Kentucky and then Illinois. The terrain became flatter and you could see for miles with the sights only occasionally being interrupted by a farmhouse or building. Kentucky and Illinois held their individual forms of beauty. As we continued our trek Northwest, however, a trend became apparent…flooding. There were rivers and small lakes where they obviously did not belong. This was made apparent by trees or structures that jutted out appearing to be islands on this recent water-ways. Many of the rivers we swollen past their banks and miles of fields and farmlands were under water.  I truly hope they dried out quickly as it appeared that farming was taking a hit this year and it was a sad sight to behold.

Flooded Banks

We saw the great St. Louis Arch miles before we actually crossed into Missouri. We detoured off the interstate to play tourist and parked right off a cobble street near the waterfront. It was misting rain and cold, but passing this land-mark was not an option. Here again, the waters where swollen past their banks and the skies where a very distinct shade of gray. We wondered around the Arch, trying to get good shots and learned very quickly that photography here was tricky due to the enormous size of the Arch itself. After walking through the plush grass that carpets the arch and exploring the immediate vicinity, we decided to load back up in the car and head further down the road to eliminate some of the miles necessary to make it on to more fun destinations.  

Swollen Banks by the St. Louis Arch

Under the Arch

The St. Louis Arch

After leaving St. Louis, the roads again became pretty rural. The vast remainder of Missouri was miles of farmland punctuated by hilly flatness, where every structure and tree stood proud and obvious in placement with little to no protection from the elements. We made it to somewhere around St. Joseph, Missouri, that second day and found a hotel room to rest our weary head. Much to our surprise, and my delight, we were also given a complementary wine-cooler at check in which helped me relax after hours in the car with two children, a dog, & a sleep-deprived husband. Too tired to go for dinner, we snacked off my “road fuel” snacks and found our way to dream land very quickly.