BEERtrekkin ~ Paducah, KY to Independence, MO

As I rise and shine to the immediate emergency of COFFEE as the pot starts to percolate and brew and the eyes start to crack free of their crusty shell, a sneak peek at the outside reveals white. Lots of white.

NEWS FLASH!!
It is currently -19* Celsius (OHMYGAWD!) in Minneapolis, my destination of choice for the weekend. Say it with me now:
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Brr!

Yesterday was a rather eventful uneventful drive. The morning started with a few hours’ drive through wet slushy snow where I gladly let the sis take control. It’s been years since I lived in Eugene, Oregon and even while I was there snow was not an issue. Eventually though, the sky cleared and it was a brilliant white as the sun shone upon us. In fact, the skies seemed to open up right in time for St. Louis. As I was passing through, this beer geek pondered the irony of driving by the Busch Stadium, a plethora of Budweiser billboards, and on our way out, the Spirit of St. Louis Airstrip. One can say all they want about the Busch family dynasty and Budweiser (goodness knows I have some choice words on a regular occasion thanks to my unique locale) but there is more than the bluff and bluster behind this American version of what amounts to a Royal Family, or at the very least, Gentility.

But I digress.

...right on into the fact that from the interstate St. Louis looked like a really cool old city to visit with much more downtown than both Jenn and I were expecting. Cool church steeples. Old grain silos. Amphitheaters. Museums. And so much more I am sure I was oblivious to or have forgotten by now.

On the outskirts of St. Louis (called Chesterfield) is where we stopped for some lunch, leg stretch, and Lily playtime. A Chic-Fil-A was handily handy and I have to say that it was the best Chic-Fil-A I have ever been in. Ever. In fact, the person-to-person service of a kind lady was some of the best service I have had in restaurants/food service establishments in my 33 years. Before we left, she gifted Lily with a little stuffed Chic-Fil-A moo-cow to snuggle and play with. Yay. On the way out I stopped in a beer bar with the hope that it was a brewpub and…hope crushed. Not a brewpub by any means and after scoping out the inside and the menu, not really much of anything. Meh.

I’d also like to comment on a trend I have found amusingly disturbing: strip clubs and adult stores.
The trend? The sheer number of them we have driven across.
Now, I realize this is Middle America which in and of itself isn’t derogatory or insulting, it’s just a geographical location. But the prevalence of towns in the middle of nowhere, literally, with the closest hustle and bustle an easy hour’s drive away, it does beg to question just what there is to do with the monstrous amount of personal free time.
I’m just saying…

Lily and Skyler have been major troopers with really only a couple fussy moments, yesterday late afternoon/early evening being one. A scary wake up called for a pull-over in a small un-named town where the Post Office we stopped at was smaller than my apartment. Literally. No, really. And in the short amount of time we spent there idling in the parking lot, a cute lil doggie with a curly tail and fluffy fur hung around the car antagonizing Skyler much to his barky amusement. Eventually we had to head on our way with Independence, Missouri on the near horizon.

Before I wrap up my BEERtrek for the day, I want to say Thank You and I Love You to my lady. You’re on my mind and in my heart 24-7 and I couldn’t be any luckier and loved for it. See you soon *kisses*

This is Kristyn Lier, the Beer Ambassador of The Free World signing off until next time (i.e. tomorrow morning). Beers!



(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)