The big thaw
“It’s a moment that I’m after, a fleeting moment, but not a frozen moment.”
We’re almost ready to shed the parkas. Not yet, but soon.
We’ve always found it to be very pretty during a snowstorm. Especially if you’re on the warmer side of the window. The side with a warm coffee. Or a hot chocolate. Or a bourbon.
It’s even pretty after the snowstorm. After the plows. After the shoveling. After the sun warms the pavement to begin the melting. When the icicles begin to form on the eaves. That’s where we found ourselves today.
It was Lisa’s turn to drive.
We knew our ultimate destination for the day would be Kansas City, Missouri. Or Kansas City, Kansas. We’re still not sure what the difference is. But I think there’s a big ass river between the two of them. We just needed to chip away at another couple of hundred miles on the journey. This was still our warm-up drive.
Lisa’s a pro at this. She’s really in her element. She was born to be a trucker. While I never left the “old people lane” when behind the wheel, Lisa had no problem in the center or passing lanes. She and her 10-4 good buddies gave each other the necessary room and a nod and a wink.
Given the uncertain conditions, we planned on about a 4 hour journey from Des Moine, Iowa to Kansas City. On the day after New Years, on a Saturday morning, in the middle of … nowhere … we didn’t encounter much traffic.
We saw a nice sunrise …
… and our shadow …
… but not a ton of scenery.
Yet when we least expected it, we saw an opportunity present itself. A sign for the Bridges of Madison County. Lisa’s eyes lit up. I had no clue. So, off the beaten path we went. For our obligatory selfie …
… and a chance to shoot the Imes Covered Bridge. Lisa likes it in full color. I’m thinking that I’m going to create a sepia version when I get some time.
Back on the road, we were debating whether to finish the leftover chicken from the Forest City HyVee or to broaden our horizons. We were tempted by the Toot-Toot Family Restaurant in Bethany, Missouri, but were skeptical after reading the Yelp reviews.
We continued on down Interstate 35 until we pulled off into the town of Pattonsburg, Missouri. Population 347. That’s one less than they had recorded for the 2010 census. Our choices for an early lunch were the Old Memories Cafe or snow. We chose the cafe.
The waitress recommended the hand-breaded pork tenderloin. I’m not sure how it would be breaded, otherwise.
I never found the bottom half of the bun. I think the top was just a garnish. It was delicious. The waitress called me a sissy when I asked for a doggy bag.
It really is a beautiful town. Even the people are beautiful. Although they all seem to look alike.
But I did get an opportunity to shoot a barn. And a train. Both apparently moved to this higher ground after The Great Flood of 1993.
After a chaotic drive through the spaghetti interstates of downtown Kansas City, we safely made it to our destination, where we’ll spend the night.
Tomorrow, we’ll get up early for our drive to Little Rock, Arkansas.
