Well, so much for Mammoth Cave. I will chalk it up to one of those “Been there…..done that” experience…..and leave it behind. It probably won’t end up on any of my future “must see” destinations. In fact, unless I have a totally unexpected travel vision in my dreams some night…..probably all caves and caverns have been expunged from any of my future travel plans.

We turned our sites on Paducah, Kentucky, as our evening camping site. Belatedly, I came to the realization that the campground is not actually located in Paducah. It is located somewhere near Paducah. We never did see the town of Paducah…..but surely it was close enough that KOA used it as the location of their campground. Although we did not get to see Paducah….there was a lake located somewhere nearby. I have tried to locate the lake on a map…..but apparently it is famous only to the local population. Or maybe it is a “phantom” lake. Both Fayez and I can affirm that the lake is there…..or at least, there is a large body of water that passes for a lake.

Actually, as I look back at the map, I am starting to suspect that maybe the “lake” we went to was actually the Illinois River…..or maybe even the Tennessee River…..or maybe there was actually a lake in the area…..and I simply do not know where we camped. Don’t raise your eyebrows! That is entirely possible. Anything is possible when you depend on a GPS….and not on a real map. Using a real, paper map gives a perspective that one can get only when looking at the location on a real map.

Anyway…..wherever we were…..it seemed to be rather highly developed. There was a hydro-electric plant….an apparent fish hatchery…..picnic facilities…..and sweeping, well-kept lawns…..and what appeared to be a major highway bridge passing over above us. We were there only a short period of time…..but long enough to figure out that there was not much to do there. And, at that point in time, we were not looking for a picnic spot….or a place to lie in the sun…. In fact, the only reason we were there was because somebody in the campground office….or a store….told us how beautiful it was. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder……of course. The only thing that did hold our attention, at least for a couple minutes, was the school of little fish…..apparently part of a larger fish farm or fish hatchery.

The campground itself was another cookie cutter KOA campground. And, I do not say that in a bad or disparaging way. I like KOA campgrounds. But, on the other hand, they are built according to a KOA master plan….. and, well….the are KOA campgrounds. This particular campground was apparently owned by an elderly couple…..and probably their kids…..although we really didn’t see them. It was a very informal place. Every time I went to the office….which also served as a general store…..both the elderly man and his elderly wife were outside working in the flower garden in front of the building. And, although they were working directly in front of the building….if not the front door…..they locked the building every time they left it. That meant that every time I wanted to go to the store, they had to unlock the building. There always seemed to be some confusion as to who had the key…..or even where the key was located. Just like a typical old married couple, they would argue as to who had the key…..until one of them would ultimately find it and unlock the door. Yeah…..it was a nuisance….and it would have been annoying…..if it wasn’t so comical to see them “fighting” like they may have been in a comic strip.

 

 

 

 

The stop in Paducah…..or wherever we were…..was pleasant enough. Another delicious meal cooked on an open fire…..another night of sitting by the fire, talking, discussing and laughing….. By this time in our travel experiences, we have more or less perfected our routine of unpacking….getting supper….and loading stuff back into the car the next morning….and taking off for another destination. And, this brief sojourn was no different. The next morning…..Sunday, August 2, to be exact….was no different.

We headed out for St. Louis…..a relatively short drive….around three hours. I had very much wanted to drive through Carbondale, Illinois, where Southern Illinois University is located. I had told a friend of mine that we would stop and take a look at the campus…..the university where he graduated. But….due to yet another mix  up that can definitely be attributed to the GPS unit…..we found ourselves on an entirely different course. We could have turned around and gone back….but we didn’t. Things like this tend to upset me, at least slightly. If I tell somebody I am going to do something…..I have been taught that it is not something to be taken lightly. I have given my word. It is a verbal contract. I am obligated to do it….as a matter of honesty and honor.

But, we didn’t turn back…..even though we had plenty of time. We continued our journey to St. Louis…..the next destination on our trip. We had reserved a room in a hotel in downtown St. Louis…..almost directly across the highway from the famous
Arch. The Crowne Plaza Riverfront at the Arch! We were going to be staying with the “beautiful people”. I booked the room online…..using the same web site as the ill-fated motel in South Souix Falls, by the way. The room was advertised as a $300.00 a night room! And, we were getting it for around $100.00…..or maybe a little less. I was excited about staying there. Wow! A luxury room….downtown St. Louis…..across from the Arch….a couple blocks from the St. Louis Mall….. We felt like big dogs!

Well…..through the magic….and power…..of advertising…..things were not exactly what they appeared to be. True….we were right downtown; we were across the street from the Mississippi River…well sort of; we were across the street from the Arch; It was only a couple block to the St. Louis Mall….. But…..it definitely was not the luxury room that I had been anticipating. It was a nice room, to be sure. But…..luxury? Hardly. I have stayed in nicer rooms in Hutchinson. But….I suppose it is all….Location, location, location…..

True to our normal routine when we stayed at a hotel, Fayez left immediately to go work out. This time, however, there was actually a gym in the hotel, so he didn’t have to drive. And…..true to my normal routine….I lay down on my bed and took a nap.

Fayez and I made the decision not to go to the Arch until the next morning….the last Monday of our vacation. I had known before we left on the trip that the grounds….the park….surrounding the Arch was undergoing a major reconstruction. In fact, it appeared that the entire Archway Park was being rebuilt…..an area of maybe two or three blocks. At any rate, we could easily see from our vantage point that it was closed…..and not likely to be open any time soon.

Fayez wanted to eat in a French restaurant, so he looked on the Internet to find what restaurants were available. Of course, the names of the restaurants meant nothing to us because we did not live in St. Louis…..and we had never heard of them. We decided more or less at random on a French restaurant….probably being influenced by its name….or maybe because of its location. Eating in a French restaurant was not a top priority of mine…..so I didn’t really care where we ate. The choice of a restaurant was left to Fayez.

Fayez chose….purely by accident…..a really nice restaurant in an affluent section of the city……near some of the hospitals and medical clinics and doctor’s offices. It was a warm summer evening, so we asked if we could be seated at one of the sidewalk tables. The surroundings were quite pleasant. We were obviously eating among some very affluent people…..the beautiful people, I suppose you could call them. The tables took up most of the sidewalk….and I felt sorry for the pedestrians who had to walk in front of the restaurant in order to get to their destination…..and they had to literally weave their way through the tables.   Personally, if I had been one of the pedestrians, I would have walked in the street to bypass walking among a bunch of people eating supper.

The surroundings….and the ambiance…..may have been attractive…..but the prices were far from being attractive…..unless you like large numbers. If you like large numbers….expensive food…..then things were very attractive. I don’t remember what I ordered….or what Fayez ordered…… I think when I saw the prices, I think my brain was so shocked that I have deleted it from my memory. But…..I do remember that it was more than $90.00. Not exactly a Big Mac and fries. Yeah….the food was good…. But, I am not sure it was $90.00 good! Food is pretty much food wherever you go. But I can imagine that since it was “French” food…..the price was inflated considerably. Oh well….the French have to be good at something, I suppose……or at least, think they are.

After eating our expensive supper, we drove back to the hotel and parked the car. Then walked the two or three blocks to the St. Louis Mall……a long stretch of green space extending several blocks from the old Court House toward the west…..

Just like in Detroit, there was a free outdoor concert in progress. We sat and watched and listened…..but only briefly. There was a good sized audience sitting on chairs listening…..and most….if not all…..of these people were black. It was good, free entertainment…..mostly blues music…..and the people seemed to enjoy and appreciate it. That is simply not my kind of music, though. And, I doubt if Fayez cared one way of the other. We decided to move on.

A few yards from the outdoor concert, there was a break dance contest in progress….. I think it was a contest. But, on the other hand, it is entirely possible that is was merely an evening of fun for the teenagers who were participating. Again, all of the participants were black…..and they were more or less rotating in and out of the dance circle…..after showing off their best moves, I suppose. If it was indeed a contest….it was a friendly contest……and the rivalry was mutually supportive. All the young men seemed to be having fun….urging each other on with enthusiastic encouragement.

Fayez and I seemed to be in a definite Caucasian minority. As the sun sank lower in the West….and not seeing any other white people….we decided that it might be prudent to start back to our hotel. It was not that we felt unsafe….or threatened….in any way. But, those how know me, already know that caution is one of my “strong points”! Actually, the break dancing was undoubtedly the highlight of the day.  It was fascinating to sit and watch the black boys perform their acrobatic and nimble and athletic moves. I was actually envious….thinking, “Wow….I wish I could do that.”

So, with the break dancing exhibition still going strong, we moved on to a nearby restaurant to eat supper before returning to our so-call “5-Star” hotel for the rest of the evening. We stopped at the hotel bar before going to our room. But….the drinks were expensive….and we were the only people there…..so it did not turn out to be a very exciting experience. We took the elevator to our room……to rest up for the major attraction of the trip: an opportunity to ride to the top of the famous St. Louis Arch.

The ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch was much more of an ordeal than it was an adventure, however.. Let me tell you right now: If you are traveling more than 50 miles only to see the Arch……forget it…..stay at home….don’t waste your time or energy….go mow your lawn….or clean your house….or something fun like that.

Fayez stood in line to buy our tickets in the Old Courthouse Building with its flag bedecked ceiling. I don’t even remember how much they were….but too much! Then we walked two or three blocks to a busy street where we stood for 5 minutes waiting for the traffic light to change. After successfully crossing the street…..things rapidly went downhill. As I said, the entire area around the Arch is being renovated. It is literally torn up….. What I suppose was at one time a beautiful park….and probably will again be someday in the future…..is an obstacle course of barricades, mounds of dirt and construction litter.

 

 

 

 

After weaving our way through the construction maze….and trying to avoid the typically unconscious, inconsiderate tourists…..we presented our tickets and then proceeded to stand in interminably long lines on several different levels. Up stairs….down stairs….up ramps….down ramps…..switch sides….this side….then that side…… For me, standing for long periods of time….standing anywhere…..is not good….and kills my back. And….this morning was one of the worst.

The only break in this exercise of discomfort and boredom was a brief photo opportunity. As the weary visitors slowly made their way toward the elevators at a less than snail’s pace, each individual or group paused for a quick picture taken against a “green wall”……and later to be superimposed on various scenes of St. Louis.

Oh how Fayez and I looked forward to stepping into a spacious elevator which would whisk us to the top of the Arch…..and the viewing platform. Finally, the elevators came into view. But…. Alas! There was no spacious elevator. The “elevator” consisted of a long series of small moving cubicles…..no larger than a human sardine can. We were packed into the small cells…..and we moved again with snail-like slowness through the dark interior of the Arch as it traversed it its curved pathway to the top.

What a relief it would be to reach the top of the Arch…..to step out onto the viewing platform and look at the city of St. Louis….and take some pictures. But….when the elevator stopped….presumably to pick up more weary…but expectant….tourists who had taken our place in the long line below……we discovered that there is no viewing platform. In fact, there was no platform at all. If we wanted to take pictures…..and I most certainly did….we had to take the pictures out of tiny airplane-type windows from the inside of the Arch. There was no panoramic view…..no pictures taken against the St. Louis skyline….no pictures of Fayez looking down upon the Mississippi River. I took my turn taking a few pictures from the tiny windows…..stepped back inside the tiny “sardine can”…..and we just as slowly made our way to back to the bottom of the Arch.

At least, getting out of the Arch was much quicker than getting in. But this time, I was barely able to walk! Good, kind, thoughtful Fayez told me to wait for him while he went to retrieve the car. I waited in the parking lot of a Roman Catholic Church which was adjacent to the Arch. Apparently the church had problems with visitors to the Arch using their church parking lot to park their cars. A woman was stationed at the entrance of the parking lot…..turning away cars as they attempted to drive in. Some tourists were not happy about her directions…..but the parking lot was private property…..not part of the Arch facilities. Probably the church could have made a great deal of money if they had charged people to park there at times when no church services were taking place.

As I stood there, waiting for Fayez to return with our car, I asked the woman if he could drive into the parking lot….turn around….pick me up…..and then leave. She was nice enough to say it would not be a problem. It took longer than I had expected for Fayez to return. Finally, I spotted him….and I motioned him to go ahead and pull into the church parking lot so he could safely stop and let me in. I asked Fayez what had taken him so long to come back and pick me up. He said that when he had gotten back to the car, there was a parking ticket on the windshield. I knew we had been parked too long….and I wasn’t particularly surprised.

“How much was the ticket?” I asked.

I don’t recall exactly how much he said he was……over $100.00, I think. “That’s quite a bit for a simple parking ticket,” I thought…..especially since we were only about 30 minutes late. “Oh well…… parking tickets must be expensive in St. Louis.”

“We had better pay it soon,” I told him. Wow…..two tickets. The rental car company would not like this, if they found out. I have driven for thirty years without a traffic violation….and not we have gotten TWO in less than two weeks.

“Yeah, we had better stop and pay it on our way to Springfield,” Fayez said. Fayez had paid the speeding ticket he got in South Dakota. I think he felt that it was his responsibility, since he was driving. But…..this was sort of a shared mistake….and I thought we should pay it out of our shared funds.

We left St. Louis early in the afternoon and headed toward Springfield. Along the way, I reminded Fayez a couple times that we should stop soon and pay the fine. After all, the car had been rented in my name….and it would be I who would suffer the consequences from the rental agency. I am not sure what happens to a person when he returns a car with traffic violations…..multiple traffic violations. But, I suspect they do not give you an award….or a discount on your next rental car.

As the afternoon began to wear down, I started to become more concerned…..and I began to insist rather forcefully that we should stop and pay the fine, Fayez finally admitted that there was no traffic ticket….. He had played the part masterfully….. I was thoroughly convinced that we indeed gotten a ticket. After all, we had been parked for longer than we had paid for. I was torn between being relieved…..but I also had the urge to inflict bodily harm on Fayez as a reward for his Academy Award performance in impressive acting….and almost perfect deception.

But…..honestly…..in the back of my mind I thought that $100.00 (and maybe he told me ever more than that!) was a LOT of money for simply over-parking. With that matter solved….we continued our journey to Springfield.

Other than the parking ticket incident, the trip to Springfield was uneventful….forgettable gettable. Upon our arrival in Springfield, we stayed at the same KOA we had stayed at a couple years ago in December when Fayez and I went to Arkansas where he took his language proficiency test. On that particular trip…..the one in December….we were one of a very few campers in the campground that night. In fact, the next day, the campground was closing for the winter months. Our camping cabin was directing across from the general store and showers….a very convenient walk to take a shower on the chilly, crisp morning. We were the only campers sitting outside at night in front of an open fire preparing our evening meal. The other few campers were sitting inside their 45 feet RV’s…..undoubtedly watching TV….and laughing at the two poor suckers sitting outside in the cold December air in front of a fire.

On this trip, however, our camping cabin was located somewhat further away….and we had an abundant number of fellow campers to keep us company. However, the cabins are far enough from each other that there is rarely an issue of privacy. On this night, Fayez prepared the final outdoor banquet over a roaring fire. We sat for a time for a final evening of talk and laughter and fun together before our vacation was to come to come an end.

Early in the morning, we took a final shower in the KOA shower….ate our breakfast of raisin bran and coffee…..packed our stuff into the car for the last time…..and took off for Farmington, Arkansas, to visit my cousin.

My cousin, who is ninety years old, had moved from her previous home in Springdale, AR, to an apartment in nearby Farmington. I had never been there before, but with the help of our GPA (Yes, it was actually rather useful this time.), we easily found the address….which was located in an attractive apartment complex. My cousin was waiting for us…..and as usual, was happy to see us and welcomed us warmly. When I say “us”…..This was the first time Fayez had met her….but she was equally happy to see him, too.

My cousin’s daughter…..my second cousin….was also there. I had never met her before, so not only did I have an opportunity to reunite with my cousin, but I was also able to meet a new relative…..and add a new name and a new face…..and a new Facebook friend….to my family “album”. They had a delicious lunch prepared for us. Always a thoughtful and considerate person, my cousin had prepared a low fat, low salt, low sugar meal. She never seems to forget about my diet….and always take great care to prepare food that she thinks will be healthy.

We sat at the table and talked and reminisced and traded stories of the past and present. As I said, my cousin is 90 years old…..but she is as sharp as a tack! She remembers everything. I think she thoroughly enjoyed telling Fayez the stories of her past life…..and it is an interesting life. Her husband (who is really my cousin) worked in the oil industry…..back when the oil industry was important in the USA. She has been places and done things…..as one would say. Well…..now that I think about it, I think she liked Fayez better than she liked me!! But….that is OK….Fayez is a very likeable person!

 

 

 

There is nothing feeble or “old” about her. She still drives her car….and if I can judge on the last time I drove with her….there is nothing “old” about the way she drives, either. She weaved her way in and out of the busy Springdale traffic with the ease and grace of a teenager. In fact, I think she would have made most teenagers nervous!

We could only stay for a short visit. We took some pictures….said goodbye….and headed up toward Kansas City where we would spend the night.

About halfway to Kansas City, it began to rain….. And it rained steadily until we reached Kansas City…..not a good omen for the evening….or for the next day. By the time we had reached Kansas City, the rain had more or less stopped….or had diminished to a light drizzle. That gave us some hope for the evening. Fayez wanted to spend the night in a hotel on the Plaza, so I reserved a room in the “Extended Stay America” hotel and suites. The hotel proved to be more than adequate. It is situated a couple blocks from the Plaza…..within walking distance, if we had chosen to do so. The “suite” had a small kitchen area…..two beds….a couple comfortable chairs….and a bathroom. The hotel wasn’t luxurious…..but met….or exceeded….our needs for the night.

Upon arriving, we closed the drapes and took a nap…..gearing up for what we hoped would be an exciting night on the Kansas City Plaza. Fayez and I had been to the Plaza on two previous occasions…..both times on summer afternoons. The Plaza was alive with strollers…shoppers….people relaxing in the sidewalk cafes and coffee shops. Both of the times we visited the Plaza, Fayez enjoyed himself…..and enjoyed the atmosphere and the ambiance of the quaint Spanish-style architecture, with its fountains and statues.

Both of us were looking forward to the same experience….and perhaps even more so….that night. The Plaza at night was a disappointment. Maybe it was the rain and the damp weather…..but were few people strolling the streets…..the sidewalk cafes and bars were closed…. The sidewalks were mostly bare. It was not what we had expected….and hoped for….but we made the best of it.

 

 

 

We ate dinner in an upscale Italian restaurant….called the Brio Tuscan Grill. Who knows how good it was? When you eat at an expensive restaurant…..you are expected to say that everything was great. And, make no mistake about it…..everything on the Plaza is expensive. This is not a place where you sit down in a McDonalds or Burger King and eat a Big Mac or a Whopper. All of the restaurants on the Plaza are “exclusive”……the best of Kansas City dining. And, they are also quite expensive. We paid around $75.00 for our meal….so of course, I am going to say it was “good”. Actually….and in all honesty…..it was just another Italian restaurant…..with a fancy name…..and dim lighting…… uniformed waiters and waitresses….. All of the things that one expects when eating on the Plaza. We paid the $70.00 for the “experience”….not for the food. I am sure that Fayez and I could have prepared a much more delicious Italian meal. We could have turned down the lights in our house…..played some soft music in the background….. The food would probably have been better…..but we would be eating on paper plates….and our little folding tables had no fancy napkins…..

After we finished eating, we wandered the empty sidewalks taking pictures of the Plaza at night. Walking on the Plaza at night was a stark contrast to a warm, sunny afternoon. We seldom met other people….and when we did, they were walking purposefully toward a destination….and not leisurely enjoying the warm, damp air of a summer evening. We did encounter a few strollers like us…..just meandering around, with no apparent goal….laughing, taking pictures….being “tourists” like Fayez and me.

After an hour or so, we decided we had had enough fun for one night….and decided to head back to Extended Stay America for a good night sleep before waking on Wednesday morning to the last day of fun and relaxation of our vacation.

We woke up Wednesday morning to a steady light rain. And….as luck would have it….the rain followed us on our drive south to Pleasanton, Kansas, where we would visit our friend, Sam, on his farm before returning to the Ranch. The time we spent in Pleasanton was “pleasant” insofar as we were happy to see Sam. But, in terms of the weather…well, it was not so pleasant. The rain continued to fall throughout our time there….making is necessary to spend our time in Sam’s machine shed. However, he did provide us with a nutritious and delicious lunch before we bid farewell…..and drove the final miles of our trip to our Home on the Range.

We arrive home happy….but tired. And, as usual, Fayez was eager to return to Wichita to do whatever it is he does there. We quickly unloaded the car….and just as quickly headed for Topeka to return the rental car. Our vacation had come to an end.

 

 

 

 

As just a final footnote….let me say that reserving our rental can online was a wise decision. The red tape was already taken care of….the rental fee was paid in full…..there were no confusing forms to fill out…. The clerk simply found my reservation online….handed me the keys….and I was on my way. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was distracted by talking to a couple of his friends while doing all this.

My fears and reservations about returning the car were unfounded, too. The same clerk took them keys…..make a perfunctory walk around the car…..and I was on my way. Again….it didn’t hurt that he was involved in a discussion with a couple Indian nationals who were returning their car after being involved in an accident. I walked out of the rental agency happy….and relieved. Fayez took me to my brother’s house to pick up my car……and I returned to the Ranch….alone.