With Memphis being such an enlightening experience, and having been in Tennessee so long, it was difficult to finally take the leap and drive across the Mississippi. But the afternoon was fading, and I chose to invigorate for my next adventure.
Right after taking pictures in the park, I hopped in the car and took off blazing towards Arkansas. This was my official introduction to the Midwest, which I was quite excited about. I’ve often romanticized driving through the plains, hills, fields, and farms of the Midwest, passing the original American way of living off the land in slow motion. The scenery of the farmlands of the Midwest is inspiring to me, and feels natural— bringing me closer to the earth. The air is more pure; I feel more alive. To some, driving through cornfields and long stretches of undeveloped plains may be monotonous, but to me, it feels like I’m truly experiencing life, taking part in the active passing of time.
Arkansas was full of the barns and silos I was expecting, and made for a nice drive as the sun began its descent. I was not there long and didn’t stop to take any defining photographs, because sooner than I realized, I had driven into Missouri. Route 70 West is a spectacular road for the traveler trying to do soul searching, because so much of it is surrounded by the beauties of rural America, and much of it passes directly through or parallel to small towns.
Missouri was an interesting state to drive through. More billboards with religious messages plastered the highway. Sunset over long-reaching farmland on the horizon was breathtaking. I loved seeing the sway of the cornfields and the different hues of grass. It was amazing to me that at 8 p.m., farmers were still in their tractors tilling the land. Now, that’s hard work.
I settled for the night outside of St. Louis and reflected on the magnificent afternoon drive. In the morning I drove into the heart of St. Louis and headed directly towards the Arch. Did you know that it is actually in a national park? I did not. I didn’t expect it to be surrounded by green grass, trees, and a pond.
How they came up with the concept for this structure, and how they then put it together is beyond me. It’s truly a testament to the imagination.
One thing that annoyed me about the people of St. Louis—I don’t think this could have possibly applied to only tourists—is that they love to wear orange. Orange shirts, orange hats, hell, orange pants. If this sounds trite, well, I mainly took notice because these people kept popping up in my pictures, distracting completely from the subjects. Also, it’s bad enough that it’s an eyesore, but when presented en masse, it becomes downright scary. Like I missed the open call for cult members.
After taking as many Arch photos as I possibly could, I drove back into the plains, enjoying every minute of the next several hours. My next stop was Jefferson City, because it was one of many city names I had heard thrown around and knew nothing about.
I drove to the town square, and explored the capitol building and St. Peter’s Catholic Church across the street. This made me raise an eyebrow; I didn’t think Catholicism was that big in this part of the country. The inside of the capitol looked like it had been inspired by the interiors of Roman architecture. Sculptures and frescoes adorned the halls. Jefferson City’s settlement history laid within these walls, and from what I was told, there was always something to do in this town. So what did I do? Go to the local coin Laundromat and wash my clothes. In this Midwestern capital. If that’s not Americana, I don’t know what is.
I finished my evening by taking a detour to the Lake of the Ozarks, which I recognized from books I read when I was younger. The mountain lake was gorgeous at sunset. Yet another example of how people outside of beaches try to create beach-style towns anywhere they can for local vacationers.
A long drive through Kansas awaited me next.
That last pic is awesome
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