Kansas, Kansas, and more Kansas + A/C Trouble!!!

Review of Today (5/22/09)

States:
1) Missouri
2) Kansas
3) Colorado

Distance Today: 640 Miles 

Total Distance: 1,760 Miles

Time Zone: Mountain Time

Once again good start to the day. Had breakfast at Denny's and headed towards the Kansas boarder. Once in Kansas we spent most of the day crossing the state--what a wasteland. There is literally nothing in this state for miles and miles. The landscape is grassy, treeless, with rolling hills from time to time. More Jesus signs can be sited throughout the state--what a surprise ;-).

After eating lunch at Sonics in Kansas we noticed the air conditioner was not working. We tried turning the car on and off and other troubleshoot advice. To no avail the air conditioner was busted and spewing out hot air. All I could think in the moment is the horror of crossing the desert without the A/C. We ended up finally finding a mechanic in a very run-down town in Colorado. We found the mechanic by asking a women at a gas station. My brother commented that the women at the gas station might be born out of incest. The mechanic happened to be quite knowledgeable and able to fix our A/C. It was some kind of electrical problem with the circuit.

Currently we are in Denver, CO with the Rockys off to the distance. Tomorrow we head through the mountains, finish Colorado and end up in Utah. We will be staying on the boarder between Utah and Arizona. That is it for now. Hopefully tomorrow will be a smoother day, however all and all today was not so bad!

Life West of the Mississippi

Review of Today (5/21/09)

States:
1) Ohio
2) Indiana
3) Illinois
4) Missouri

Total Distance 5/20--650 miles
Total Distance as of Today--1, 220 miles
Time Zone: Central Time

Favorite billboard today: "Lewis and Clark recommend Missouri."

Once again today started without a hitch! We left the hotel in Columbus, Ohio by 6:30am. We made excellent time driving through Indiana and Illinois. Not too much to report about these states. Imagine miles and miles of farms and relatively flat land--that is it! We also had the pleasure of seeing another symbol of the bible belt--the largest cross on the side of an interstate highway I have ever seen!!!

Once arriving in Missouri we headed towards St. Louis for a leisurely lunch stop. While there we toured the famous arch and dined right off the Mississippi River. We were officially on the west side of the river--the gateway to the west. We ate at a pretty interesting place. The best I can describe this eatery is a privately owned hooters. It was quite the entertaining place to eat lunch--great price and great view as well. Rachel Ray would certainly commend our selection, however might not appreciate the waitresses in short shorts and tight shirts. We spent about two hours in St. Louis (parking was only $5) and pushed further west towards Kansas City.

The ride to Kansas City was more of the same once leaving the St. Louis area. Miles and miles of farmland can be noted in all directions. The land is flat, however does have notes of hills in some locales. The interstate is pleasant to drive on, very well paved roads and faster than average speed limits. During this stretch we once again heard rhetoric (Jesus in nature) on the radio. This time instead of bashing gays, the host was attempting to discredit evolution. He warned parents not to let their children be brainwashed by science that he claims has no validity. The most interesting aspect of listening to this ridiculous radio show is the people that call in. It is so evident how ignorant and uneducated they are. They ask a question about the bible and the host rambles on attempting to pull intellectual sounding words out of his ass. At the end of this rambling the person that called in merely appeases the host and graciously thanks him for the answer. Nowhere is there any doubt, skepticism, or evidence of critical thinking.

We finally arrived in Kansas City after about 3 1/2 hours of driving from St. Louis. We are currently staying on the Missouri side of Kansas City and will be crossing the state boarder to Kansas tomorrow. We are about 10 miles from the dividing line. We will be in land of Dorothy (in the words of my mother), tornadoes, and of course lots of cornfields.

It is time to get to bed--we are waking up at 5am tomorrow. Luckily our hotel houses a Starbucks Coffee that will fuel me up for the day. I have been very satisfied with all the hotels we have stayed at--thank you Expedia! That is it for now--remember check out our full collection of pictures located in my facebook account. For more updates check back Travelin' The Country soon!

Day 1 Success--Welcome to Ohio

Quick Review of today:

Today's State (5/20/09)

1) New York
2) New Jersey
3) Pennsylvania
5) West Virginia
6) Ohio

Overnight stop: Columbus, Ohio--570 miles from NYC

Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time

Today started without a hitch! Luckily my brother took a shower the evening before; he has a history of 1-hour showers. We were out of the house by 6am and on our way. We flew through Jersey and spent most of the day traveling through Pennsylvania. Finally we cut across the northern tip of West Virginia and arrived in Ohio. We spent about 9 hours in the car today; not a bad drive at all and hardly any traffic.

Ohio appears to be the typical "bible belt" state. From western Pennsylvania and into Ohio the Jesus signs were abundant. It is great to know that two sinners are passing through. Between being NYC Jews and me a gay man I do feel a bit threatened here. We stopped at a gas station shortly after arriving in Ohio. There I saw "Bubba and the hicks" congregating outside. The gas station smelled like they were frying everything in site. When I went to the bathroom I could not help but think I would be identified as a gay Jew and lynched outside (not actually, though the thought went through my mind). I was further reminded of a lyric from one of my favorite Broadway shows The Last Five Years (by the genius Jason Robert Brown) where Cathy is singing about her perilous acting carrier and having to perform gigs in Ohio. She states, "Then I'll get on my knees, and pray I can state in my next bio: I'm never gonna go back to Ohio!" In the moment I could almost relate to her temperament. To make thing worse, after we pulled out of the hick gas station we heard anti-gay rhetoric on the radio. The host of the show was arguing that gay men have no right to serve in the military openly gay. He was also arguing that gay men should not be appointed to the Supreme Court because "their moral underpinnings are blunted."

However, after exploring the state and entering Columbus there are some redeeming qualities that could be acknowledged. Columbus has a much more urban appeal and modernized populous. The concierge at the hotel directed us to a wonderful shopping center that even for a New Yorker was impressive. We ate at PF Chang’s and walked around this all inclusive shopping center that featured nearly every restaurant and store every sited at malls. It was certainly a highlight of today...I think I even spotted a few gay Ohioans there!

Well it is about time to get to bed. All in all great first day. Tomorrow we push towards Kansas City our second overnight stop. Additional pictures of the trip will be posted on my facebook account...more to come soon!

Night before the cross

Tomorrow's States (5/20/09):
1) New York
2) New Jersey
3) Pennsylvania
4) West Virginia
5) Ohio

Final Destination: Stockton, CA

TODAY'S TIME ZONE: Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Total Distance today: 560 miles (approximetely)

Why cross country?
- A great brother bonding experience!
- Hella fun (yup I said hella)
- Need to have a car in California where I go to graduate school
- Have never been to nearly all the interior states of the country
- Curiosity...

Here I sit before the big cross country adventure. Joining me is my brother Alex (19yrs old); he is currently in college attending SUNY Albany. Next semester he will commence his Junior year. As for me, I attend University of the Pacific and currently there for my Masters in Psychology. Ok ok, enough of the introductions--time to get to the trip!

Tomorrow we will start off at about 6am if all goes to plan with shower commotion. After energizing on some coffee we will set out towards the Verezzano Bridge. After crossing and arriving in Staten Island we will push towards Jersey, eventually making it to Pennsylvania. After hours and hours through the first of the large states we will cut across West Virginia and arrive in Ohio. The great state of Ohio will be our first overnight stop. We will get a hotel in Columbus, OH--home of OSU (where my mother went to college).

I plan to update all trip fun/mishaps/entertainig stories/crazy hick stories here at Travelin' The Country throughout the entirity of the cross-country endeavor. Further, pictures and state crossings will surely appear as well. Both Alex and I are ready to explore this large country. It surely has to be an adventure with two jews, one gay guy (me), and two brothers making it across this eclectic country. WATCH OUT THE JESUS LOVING INTERIOR HERE WE COME!! Stay tuned for up-to-date details and pictures!!!!!!