Driving Day

Adventure #1 has begun. I finally got in my car and left home. No more talking about traveling and working on farms, I'm going. Today spending about 9 hours in a car by myself I had the opportunity to make some great observations about the land around me. My first decision to bypass the state of Iowa and the depressing field after field of corn was a very wise decision. Instead I traveled across the north part of the state of Missouri into Illinois and up to Chicago. A good day for driving, leaving KC with sunny crisp morning driving into rain and then cloudy the rest of the day. A good trip overall. I've been keeping track of moments of joy I've been experiencing on the trip. Enjoy!

Joy moments:

• QT to start the day off with a pumpkin spice cappucino mixed with dark roast coffee. Made complete in my K-State coffee mug.
• Cool, crisp morning
• Native grasses and sunflower filled ditches
• Glistening dewy fields
• Baby calf breath in the crisp air
• Resurfaced roads- completed as promised
• Better than Motel 6 - the Riggs Residence Wednesday night
• Bunking it with Winnie Tuesday night
• Dinner with the nutrition ladies
• $2.18 gas in Liberty, MO
• Growing Together, Hamilton, MO
• Huge cottonwoods along the Grand River
• Clean Casey's Restrooms with an extra trashcan by the door
• Crop Fields in obvious flood planes with large dikes built up all around the fields
• Marceline, MO hometown Walt Disney
• Disney music CD in honor of Walt
• Circle of Life memories
• Mussel Fork Conservation Area
• Jacksonville, IL downtown square - Three Legged Dog Portabella Panini
• Employee at Three Legged Dog walking through the place mentioning a car in the parking lot with lights on....that would be mine....again
• Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL - Yeah for Jamie!
• Funk Grove - Pure Maple Sirup - closed for the season (that's really how it's spelled)
• Unmowed medians
• Towanda, IL - Yeah for thinking of Alecia!
• Illinos State University Farm, Lexington, IL
• Dove Dark Chocolate
• Wind Farm between Odell and Dwight, IL
• Safely making it into the city of Chicago, all the way past downtown, to my great friend Dane's place
• Chicago pizza with Dane