Day 3 - St. Louis, Springfield IL, and Lansing

So actually writing about each day is the hardest part of the trip. I finally arrive in our destination, and have to stop and write immediately, or I never will. Teach for America would applaud: it's self-reflective, they'd say. Eff that. I'm tired. Dear audience at home, look at all I do for you.

Today, Robin and I woke up at the Econolodge in Granite City, IL. It's about 10 miles outside of St. Louis. On our way in, we stopped at the Wal-Mart. Hoppin' place. I spent a few bucks on a contact case (left mine at my parents' house), rechargeable batteries for my piece of shit camera, and a memory card to take and store even more photos with my piece of shit camera. (Best way for me to love you forever*? Buy me a NICE digital camera. * some restrictions may apply)

Once we re-crossed the Mississip' back into St. Louis, we stopped for gas. $3.92 a gallon cost me $72 to fill up Robin's effing enormous tank ("effin' " - it's for the kids!) There, we encountered a man driving a stretch Hummer. If I cared more about the environment, I would have shot him. Good for him I like humans more than whales. He let us look inside his vehicle, which is one of a fleet he owns with his limo service. It was predictably gaudy, but what a great business idea. Because the gas pumped so freakin' slow, next we met a man claiming to be broke and out of gas on summer vacay with his family. His wife looked pissed that he was begging for cash, so I gave him three bucks; you can't fake that kind of anger and embarrassment.

Then we went to the Gateway Arch. Unless you're going to the top, skip it. You can take the same photos at McDonald's, except it's easy to find the food there. The one cool part, though, was the Manifest Destiny museum underneath. The layout was cool - concentric circles, one for each decade, with different ideological spokes jutting out from the Jefferson center: each spoke represented one of the historical participants who helped shape the West. You'd have to see it to really get it. It had its logistical flaws, but the concept was equitable and exciting.

Next we went ALL the way uptown to the Loop (on accident. We didn't know what the Loop was or meant. We weren't trying to be bourgeois, I swear!). We just wanted some local lunch, and could only locate Blueberry Hill on the map. So we went and had some delicious burgers. Apparently Blueberry Hill has the city's best burgers, and we didn't know. Plus, the Loop was beautiful. In a city that looks like the bastard love child of Baltimore and DC, it was more Glover Park than Druid Hill, if you follow my drift.

Then, we drove about 90 miles to Springfield, IL. The first book I remember reading when I was a kid was a bio of Abraham Lincoln. The first thing I ever wanted to be when I grew up was Abraham Lincoln (interesting how kids have no initial conept of death, but instead of infinite posibility and existence). I HAD to see Lincoln's house in Springfield. I didn't learn anything new, but to be there was stunning. The whole two block radius around the house has also been preserved to maintain the urban landscape surrounding the Lincoln home. I liked it, plus it helped to place Lincoln's life and politics within the context of not only his time, but his town. Plus, the park ranger, Mike McPeek, who saved us from walking to the visitor center to get tickets, was super cute.

On the way out of town, we stopped at Lincoln's grave in Oak Ridge Cemetery. It was undergoing some renovations, so we couldn't climb the steps. Next we stopped at a quickie mart to grab soem water, and a sketchball man comes in and gets about to inches from my face to leer, "You sure sexy in your dress." I sounded a bit like Stephanie Tanner, but "Excuse me?!" came out of my mouth right as I stormed out of the store. I did not turn around to assess the situation.

On the road to Lansing, I got a phone call from one of my TFA mentees. She was nervous about Institute, but she's already worried more about her kids than the organization. I told her she was on the right path mentally, but to remember that TFA is giving her tools to help her kids even more. She's a trooper. She'll be great, even if she is teaching kindergarten (yuck!).

Did you know that Michigan = Great lakes. Great times. That's what the billboard told me. Who knew? Plenty of lightning as we drive through northeastern IL, Indiana and Michigan, but little rain, and it sure was pretty. Not to mention that today was the summer solstice (aka the longest daylight of the whole year), so with the time change, the sun finally completely set in western MI around 10:45pm. Crazy. Town.

Tonight, Robin and I are staying at her brother Jerry and his wife Katie's apartment in Lansing. They're great people, and came down to visit for a while in New Orleans around New Year's time. I've got some great footage of Jerry inquiring about Steve.





Interesting town names: Nirvana, Hell and Climax, MI
Times crossing the MS River: 5
States visited total: 8 (LA, MS, TN, AR, MO, IL, IN and MI)
States visited today: 4 (IL, MO, IN and MI)
New states visited total: 3 (AR, MO and MI)
New states visited today: 2 (MO and MI)