In the meantime, we are now reflecting on how fast that month passed while we were on the road. It's almost like it was a dream, but we have a lot of good memories of people we met and will never forget, and places we went that we will probably never see again.
Whether you choose to go by car, train, or airplane, we highly recommend getting out and seeing new things, new places, and meeting new people. Those are experiences that are worth having and they cannot happen without getting outside of one's daily routine and comfort zone.
We met a man in our St. Louis hotel who asked us about our purpose for being in St. Louis. We told him that we were on a month-long road trip and trying to see the country. He was probably a little older than us and said that he had been to all 50 states except for North Dakota and he was headed to North Dakota with his wife and son when he left St. Louis. He echoed our feelings with his next words: "It's time to get the bucket list checked off."
We wholeheartedly agreed with him as we confirmed that we were trying to do the same thing and that there wasn't much time left since we had passed middle age. Only God knows how many years are left for each of us.
Our road trips remind us that the world is bigger than what we can see out our front door, comfort zones are really prisons and excuses that stop people from living life fully, and there are people out there whose lives each of us can touch and who, in turn, touch our lives.
It won't be long before the travel bug starts biting us again, but we are so grateful for the memories and the experiences we had.
The last couple of days of our journey home took us through Kansas and Colorado. Kansas is FLAT; especially the west side of Kansas. It is so flat that if there was an ant hill in the distance, you would be able to see it. Some people prefer wide open spaces where you can see forever. Neither of us are those people; we prefer mountains. It is our dream to own a cabin in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. Maybe someday.
After we left St. Louis and headed four hours towards Kansas City, we noticed a big change in the way people interact with others. Our experience through the south and up and down the east coast was that people talk to each other. In the hallways at our hotels, on elevators, and in stores, people would greet us and engage in conversation. There were many times that men and women would stop to help us with our luggage. It seemed like, everywhere we went, we left behind a new friend -- until we got to Kansas City. In the four hour drive from St. Louis to Kansas City, something changed. We noticed immediately at our hotel in Kansas City that people didn't talk and barely acknowledged other people. It was enough of a difference to make us notice. Yet, that's what we're used to on the west coast; just minding our own business and not engaging much with others. So, THANK YOU to all the people we met who made such a difference to us by being personable, kind, engaging, and helpful.
One last story from St. Louis. While we were at Busch Stadium to watch the Cubs/Cardinals game, we stopped at a vendor to get a snack (it was a healthy snack -- for those of you who follow our YouTube channel where we discuss health and nutrition. We ate healthy the entire trip and both came home weighing less than when we left. You can be on a month-long road trip and not gain weight.) Sandy paid for her snack first and when Edie went to pay for her snack, the same snack Sandy had just purchased, the cashier tried to charge Edie $5.00 more than Sandy. We questioned that, of course, and Edie jokingly asked, "Is it because I'm the ugly sister that I have to pay more?" The cashier corrected the amount but it started a conversation about true beauty. The cashier said she was 53 years old and that young girls had no idea what is truly beautiful. We discussed how true beauty came from living life and carrying the battle scars from life's challenges. There is so much beauty that comes from finding peace and battling and prevailing over life's challenges and experiences.
We left the cashier and found our seats, but halfway through the game, Edie went back to the vendor to buy some cold bottled water (it was hot and humid). The previous cashier was no longer at the same register so Edie assumed she was gone. After retrieving the cold water, Edie went to a different cash register and there was the previous cashier. She remarked that she had changed positions. Edie said, "I missed you." The cashier stated, "I missed you, too." Edie then said, "I feel like we're family now," to which the cashier replied "we are family."
That brings us to the final two days of pictures through Kansas and Colorado. For us, the best part of any of our road trips is the drive on I-70 over the Rocky Mountains. These pictures don't even come close to showing the true beauty of the area, but it's the best we can offer. Put that drive on your bucket list and make it a point to see the Rocky Mountains.
Kansas:
Colorado:
Rocky Mountain high:
Utah:
