Day 3

Tuesday. 7am. Colin just woke me up with a foot tickle. I am not amused.

We spent the night at a hotel in Columbia, Missouri. Missouri is pretty boring to drive through. After leaving Shane's house in Indianapolis where we got a solid night's sleep, we stopped at the Arch in St. Louis, the famed "Gateway to the West," and road to the top in what looked like a small enclosed Ferris wheel gondola (not for claustrophobics). That made for a pretty neat view, but then we were back on the road for another couple of hours of expansive grasslands and strange billboards ("God is watching," "Honky Tonk exit 168," and a turnip advertisement--I am not making this up). We checked into our hotel in Columbia around 7pm and took nice, long hot showers, noting that they might be our last for a while. Columbia is a small city and much of the action is centered around the University of Missouri (known locally as "Mizzou"), so we figured we would be able to find somewhere good to eat. We were right. An online review led us to choose Flat Branch Pub & Brewing because it seemed that not only was it a local favorite for the food and spirits, but most of the menu was locally sourced. We arrived hungry and made the mistake of ordering an appetizer along with our meals because the menu choices were all too appealing. This was a mistake only because we were so full after the appetizer and beer that we could've left right then, but our entrees were already on the way. We started with the "chokes 'n' cheese," a cheesy artichoke dip served hot in a bread bowl with fresh veggies to dip. Then came our burgers. I had been craving a burger all day so I barely glanced at the other menu items before I made my choice, and once Colin saw that it was antibiotic-free, hormone-free, vegetarian-fed beef, he wanted one, too. Somehow, we both finished our burgers (which was what we aimed for, not wanting to bring leftovers back to the hotel because we wouldn't be hungry enough again to eat them before we had to leave), which were absolutely delicious despite being slightly overcooked. Even more surprisingly, we still had enough room for dessert--I could barely even look at the dessert menu by this point, but Colin was drooling over the ice cream made right at the university--and our $3 "scoop" of ice cream turned out to be a giant heaping cup, which we managed to finish without too much discomfort. Our server was very friendly and attentive, and the only thing negative I could say about the entire experience was the group of young doctors who sat at the table behind us the whole time talking very loudly and profanely about job scarcity in academia and other professional grievances. It was a beautiful night so we were sitting out on the patio, and annoying patrons aside (and at no fault to the restaurant), the atmosphere was quite nice. All in all it was a five-star experience and I'd recommend it to anyone who might ever find themselves in Columbia, Missouri.

Heading back to our hotel, we were surprised to see so many bars still bustling with activity, their outdoor seating packed full of young people and music flooding into the streets. I assume this was due to the heavy university presence in the area, but it was still unexpected for a Monday night in mid-June in what I consider to be a very small city.

Our bellies full and very satisfied, we slept well, thus bringing us to the 7am foot tickle. We're going to ravage the continental breakfast and get on the road to see two state parks before heading to Kansas and on our way to Denver.