Day 1 of the Cross Country Roadtrip

Let the adventure begin!  Traveling without Bailey is almost like a vacation in and of itself (JUST kidding...sort of) so we started out in a chipper mood.  The weather was great, sun shining.  One thing I've always noticed about road trips, and this one was no exception, the first leg of the trip seems to be the easiest.  Good radio stations, good conversation, sights we hadn't seen before after we got through Louisville.

Southern Indiana is pretty... but that's about it.  I spent most of my time looking for Amish buggies.  I didn't see any.  Southern Illinois, more of the same.  More farms.  We did find some exciting rest areas..as exciting as rest areas can get, obviously.

This was a protected wetland in Illinois.  Actually quite pretty!  

Slow going through Illinois though, WTF gives with a 65 mph highway speed limit??  We did eventually make it to Missouri.  This was all part of the country that I have never experienced before, so I enjoyed watching the scenery.  And more rest stops...

We made it into St. Louis is pretty good time.  Enough time to get checked in, relax and go to the Anheuser Busch brewery which was important.  Priorities, people!  It was a great experience, I'm glad we went.  The brewery itself was not what I expected.  3 historic register buildings on the property, everything was in basically original condition.  And beer!  Lets not forget why we did the tour to begin with.

And can I just say, its disturbing when you realize horses are living better than you are.  Stained glass and chandeliers in stables?  Its not a bad gig, if you can get it.  We got to see the Clydesdales at Opening Day this year, but it was amazing to see them in person.  6"3" at the shoulder.  I wanted to ride one.  Mikey wouldn't let me.  Buzzkill.  But don't worry, we did get to have our free beer tasting at the end.  Considering all of the business we have given this company for many years, it was only right.

We also ventured down the Landing area, which is really nice.  I'd like to spend more time there under different circumstances.  We were tired, hot, run down and it was annoying that we had to watch a Cardinals/Rays game and whisper about the score of the Reds game.  All in all, it was a pretty tame night, considering we were alone in a different city.  Getting old sucks.

Observations made on Day 1 of the big adventure:

• While in St. Louis, Bud and Bud Light are considered premium beers and you have to pay more for them.  We'll have Miller Light, thank you very much.
• Coming up with new games to play with road signs makes the time go by quickly.  We suggest Interstate Jeopardy.
• Having a phone with an unlimited data plan is a fantastic thing.
• Choosing a hotel with a free Happy Hour?  Score!

Bring on the rest of Missouri!!