A JOURNEY TO THE SEA (1) - 2014

 

Well, it’s been quite some time since we have contributed to “Our Wanderings” blog and we thought it was time to hit the road again.  For some years, we have been thinking of a cross-country trip and this seemed like the perfect time.  So, on Thursday, October 30, we headed out in our little blue Ford Fiesta to see the world.  Destination?  Los Angeles in time to spend Thanksgiving with Mary Ann’s daughter, Sarah, and her clan.  The itinerary?  Follow the sun till we reach a big body of water and then figure out whether to go right or left.

We knew that getting there meant traveling through what someone called the “filler states,” which, I know, includes Ohio.  But maybe you have never been to one of them and would enjoy seeing the sights!  Maybe you actually live in one of them and resent the label and would enjoy being reminded to the wonders of your home state.  So, here you are then – a photo tour of the filler states:

INDIANA

ILLINOIS

 

MISSOURI

KANSAS

 

COLORADO

I know, you are all groaning and objecting vigorously to insult.  The truth is, those states are far more interesting than I let on.  You just have to keep your eyes open and see the wonders as you make your way to places with mountains, canyons, gorges, and deserts.  Take Casey, Missouri, for example.

If you are ever on Interstate 70 westward bound, you should not miss Casey.  I’m not sure who he was, but I imagine he sat down one day and took a good hard look at his surroundings and said to himself:  “This business of dissing my state has got to stop and I’m just the guy to do something about it.  I think I’ll take some of the least notable items I can conjure up and make them big – REALLY BIG!  Bigger than anyone has ever made them before!  Then, I’ll put a few signs around town leading bored tourists to come into Casey and see these things for themselves.”

So, he did.  He started with wind chimes.  You know those tinkling things your neighbor has on the porch that drive you nuts on a breezy day?  Why not make them REALLY ANNOYING! 

 



Now Casey has a very nice golf course.  We talked to a farmer/golfer who worked at the course and he was a fine example of a friendly Missourian.  Golfers have a habit of never giving the lowly golf tee its due, so the innovator from Casey decided to fix that oversight.  You got it:  The world’s biggest golf tee!

We didn’t see them, but the farmer/golfer told us that in the center of town is a yarn shop that has on display the world’s longest knitting needles!  I will have to live the rest of my life regretting that we did not see them when we had a chance.  But I will never have to feel the sorrow of not seeing the very sight on which the world’s largest rocking chair is being built! 

After Casey, nothing can ever stir you in quite the same way!  But, we did spend a while in Topeka, Kansas seeing the place where Don pastored the Friends Church.  The hours on the western plains of Kansas were spent trying to keep the little blue buggy from being swept away by the wind and dodging the tumbleweed that seemed in a terrible hurry to go north for some reason.  We missed most of them, but sadly must confess that there are a couple of road-kill carcasses that are evidence of tragic miscalculations in their choice of a moment to make the mad dash across the highway.