Plus, a psychopath highway shooter and a tropical storm that rearranged our itinerary.

Wherever to begin? The Midwest is like a foreign country to me. I grew up in Michigan, and that is where the vast majority of my family and friends have remained. DH’s extended family is clustered in Missouri and Iowa; his parents moved to the Southwest when he was a babe. Aside from family visits to Arizona and work trips to Seattle, Palo Alto and Boulder, I have never toured anywhere west of the Mississippi River.

Then our DS and his new bride, the ever-lovely DIL moved to West Lafayette IN from the Bay Area. DIL was offered a faculty position at Purdue; and DH worked out a sweet 99% remote work contract with his employer. Every 6 weeks or so he comes to the D.C. HQ and stays with us for a couple of days. I will write that the speed with which he digresses into having Mom make him breakfast defies all laws of Physics. I wouldn’t have it any other way, of course.

Back to the story. Full confession: I hate road trips. I would so much rather put myself into an aluminum composite tube hurtling the Earth at 35,000ft to reach my destination than drive for hours on end, day after day, and wondering if the restrooms at whatever rest area would be clean. Necessarily then, DH raised his graying eyebrows when I suggested, “Hey! Why don’t we road trip to see the children, and then carry on to visit with family and friends in Missouri and Iowa?”

The plan was hatched. In retrospect I know we missed a bunch of stuff, but we had to mesh the holiday with our dog/house sitter’s calendar and that of the family we were visiting. I researched and then researched some more and drafted an 11-day itinerary.

Then our friends in Knoxville messaged to ask, “When are y’all going to be in the area again?” The itinerary was thus redrafted. What’s an extra 600km, right?

Our departure dawned beautifully. DDog ran to DDogSitter with his tail wagging, because he knew he was going to be spoiled for however long we would be gone. My wagon was pointed west by 0630. We passed the beautiful Blue Ridge, then over the Alleghenies and through the Laurel Highlands we motored. At the proper cornfield in Indiana (with apologies to all Buckeye readers, Ohio was unremarkable) we turned NW and arrived, 11 hours later, in good order at DS’s house.



Astute readers might wonder where we stopped for lunch. Two words. White. Castle. Is it even a Midwest roadtrip without a stop at the first fast food chain in America?




Hugs all around when we pulled into the drive in West Lafayette; dinner and lots of laughter; and then it was lights out.

Love your style. Looking forward to more.

PS: Buckeyes forgive, but don't forget

Looking forward to more!

Rather than a chronology of our holiday, I’ll write topically instead. Y’all don’t need to know what gossip the Aunts may or may not have let slip after that tipple of sherry following dinner. #WhatHappensInTheMidwest…

So let’s chat first about the epicurean side of this holiday first, though about the homemade meals there shall be little discussion because everything was fabulous, of course. DS and DIL have an Ooni, and one night we turned out thin, crispy delicious pies in a matter of minutes for an al fresco dinner. Aunt N’s homemade lasagna and for dessert, the fudgy-ist brownies ever known to mankind are the fondest of memories; and Aunt M’s Rhubarb Pie (yes, Rhubarb, that garden thingy struggling to identify as “Fruit” or “Vegetable”); plus our TN friends’ Lemon Meringue Pie, with mile-high meringue all hold places in “the best” Midwest/Southern sweet eats on this journey.

Overall Best Meal. Nom Nom, Lafayette IN. Darling Children suggested a Mexican place after a morning of touring, and my goodness…

I. Have. Never. Had. A. More. Delicious. Taco.

Charred octopus topped with pickled slaw, neatly piled atop a blue corn tortilla, with pipian rojo. Hands down, this was “the best” non-BBQ/non-homemade meal of our entire road trip. And we live in the D.C. area, which touts itself as having a crap ton of Michelin-starred restaurants and eateries with all sorts of acclaim, yet none of them have ever considered the simple elegance of a charred octopus taco. Or a perfect Margarita, for that matter.




The Barbeque War. Here’s where the discussion might become a bit testy. Is Virginia BBQ a thing? We don’t know, but we do love our local meats deliciously smoked and festooned with savory, tangy and smoky sauces. We also loved, loved TN barbeque during our short sojourn in East Tennessee (2019-2021). Perhaps, though, we are biased.

This written, we sampled St. Louis, Kansas City, and Tennessee BBQ and I have to write…the Tennessee BBQ knocked it out of the park for us again. Pappy’s in St. Louis came in a very, very close second (their Fire and Ice Pickles stole my ️), with Kansas City BBQ a solid bronze. In short, there was no bad BBQ.

The “Because, why not?’ lunch. There was an A&W lunch stop on one of the driving days; a roadside ad for their root beer spoke to us. And you know what? Once every 35 years or so, an A&W Chili Dog with a frosty mug of that famous “pop” or “soda,” depending on your dialect, is not so bad.

Thoughtful Recommendation. In Independence MO, the lunch destination was a restaurant inside a former long-time pharmacy, Katz Drugs. DH’s grandfather worked for Katz Drugs at least 25 years and saved the service pins and the ring he was given. Those items recently came into DH’s possession; and after a little research and a conversation with the Jackson County Historical Society (who were thrilled to learn of the set), we gifted the pieces to the society for display. Our timetable did not allow for a tour of the collections, but having a most delightful lunch in the former pharmacy was a thoughtful recommendation from Uncle R.

(On an unrelated side, after lunch I wandered into a nearby “Sweden Shop” to see what might be of interest…and found Irish bath products that DD loved when she was a student at Trinity College Dublin. I bought several to send her; and the shopkeeper told me that the products sell out quickly! So, Irish products in a Swedish store, in Independence MO. Makes perfect sense to me.)

Wild Coincidences. There is a restaurant in Kansas City, Grünauer, that is owned by Austrian siblings…of the family restaurant, Gasthaus Grünauer in Vienna, Austria. AND, DH and I have eaten at the Vienna restaurant at least once! After our morning tour we sat for lunch. The Schnitzel was perhaps a tiny bit thick (but still delicious); and the potato salad and cucumbers were spot-on. The Grüner Veltliner was from the Wachau, an excellent choice; my Topfenstrudel made me smile, as did our Melange prepared with Meinl coffee. DH’s Aunt and Uncle had traveled to Vienna in years past and were excited to share this Austrian restaurant with us. Once again, a thoughtful recommendation from Uncle R.



Best, “I might be an Influencer” breakfast. Finally, in the little town of Chillicothe MO, I think I achieved Influencer Fame. Chillicothe is the home of sliced bread, if you did not know, and also has a diner that just may now have a breakfast dish named for me.



See, I wanted the Avocado Toast, but I also wanted a modified “The Karen.” I asked if I could have The Karen without tomato, ham and hashbrowns (I’d still be eating all that food!) and with avocado. The owner/waiter had a good time gently mocking me for modifying The Karen; asked my name, and said she would name the new sandwich, “The (My First Name).” Hilarity ensued when locals came in; the owner would call out, “It’s gonna be a few minutes. I’ve got to modify The Karen for that lady in the corner.” The sandwich was quite good, by the way.




Up next, The Sightseeing

"So, Irish products in a Swedish store, in Independence MO. Makes perfect sense to me.".... And makes for A wonderful TR!

We are both Wolverines, so...

Glad you're enjoying the report!

As a frequent road tripper to the Midwest I really enjoyed your report. In April, we drove right through Lafayette, IN. My adult son was with us and won't be happy after I tell him about that octopus taco haha. Kansas City is where we often stay overnight. Our go to is usually BBQ but your pics from Grünauer are making me crave Viennese potato salad. We've also been through Chillicothe MO so will need to make it a breakfast stop next time. An A&W root beer float always hits the spot when we're road tripping! Thanks for the fun report.

The Sightseeing, Part I. The goal of this holiday was mostly to visit with family and friends; any sightseeing was bonus, especially so because the Nelson-Atkins was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and the Hallmark Visitor’s Center (DH’s Mom and Uncle had worked at Hallmarks) changed up its September schedule to also close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Does no one visit Missouri on weekdays in September? Still, we did our best to add a sight or two wherever we could and still maintain our schedule.

Ohio
The childhood home of Eddie Rickenbacher, outside of Columbus OH. I’ve driven past numerous homes of famous and notable persons if a major detour is not necessary; this was one more to add to the collection. Because why not?



Indiana
With DS and DIL we toured the Prophetstown State Park outside of West Lafayette IN. The park is a living history museum that also commemorates a native village established by the Shawnee Indians, specifically Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa (Shawnee for “Prophet”). The park is Indiana’s newest and they’ve recently received a grant to recreate the Native American village; in the meantime, one can observe 1920s era farming life, complete with free range poultry and mostly free-range livestock (there are fences, obviously) of breeds from the time period.

I was mostly intrigued with the two farmhouses, one of them being a Sears home, and even more so interested in the old kitchens; when we returned home I blew an affectionate kiss to my dishwasher and refrigerator. In its day, this modest Sears home kit cost $1,569. Adjusting to 2024 prices, the cost would be roughly $32,000. No doubt there are experts out there who can explain why, a century later and with global commerce, we can’t offer $32,000 home kits.

If Indiana had an official postcard contest, this would get my vote.

Casey, Illinois
The ‘M’ in Midwest should stand for ‘Massive.’ As in, the World’s Largest (Fill-in-the-Blank) that are sprinkled all about. The little town of Casey said, "Hold my beer," declaring itself the Capital of Big Things. Naturally we had to stop.

World’s Largest Knitting Needles? Check.


World’s Largest Wind Chime? Check.


World’s Largest Rocking Chair? Check.


You get the idea. And it's clever marketing; after driving around the town snapping the Big Things, why not drop into a café for that Southern Classic, the fried bologna sandwich, hold the cheese. Though my Midwest cred is solid, I have lived in the “South” for the past 30 years, give or take the overseas years.

Our Thule now sports the secret club sign. IYKYK.


St. Louis, Missouri-ish
I’ll bet you’re expecting a glorious snap of an American icon listed as a National Historic Landmark.

True fact. There is a lesser-known NHL that deserves attention just outside of St. Louis…The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle! (Or, perhaps all of my snaps of Gateway Arch were taken generally into the sun, so they’re pretty crappy.) We did tour the GANP museum, though and learned quite alot about "Westward, ho!" movement.

This segment of the holiday was ambitious, with the drive time and all that we wanted to see and do, so St. Louis was a bit shortchanged. I had penciled in the St. Louis Walk of Fame in the hopes of leaving a figurative stick of butter on Irma Rombauer's star (another IYKYK), but tummies were rumbling and we had to present for dinner at the Aunt and Uncle’s home that was still 3+ hours away. Next time, I suppose.

The Sightseeing, Part II featuring Kansas City and perhaps an Iowa county's famous bridge (and more!) is forthcoming.

Glad you're enjoying the report! I would definitely bookmark Nom Nom in Lafayette for a future visit, as well as Grünauer and JT's Diner in Chillicothe.

Thanks fourtotravel for this trip report. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the various barbecues and your appreciation of the Tennessee variety. And yes, I believe Virginia barbecue is a thing. I might be wrong but my impression is barbecue is less considered a local specialty in northern Virginia (DC suburbs) although there are restaurants, but is more of a tradition and source of proud time-honoured recipes in the southern part of the state. There was a barbecue place near Williamsburg that was much beloved!

Funny I knew there was a Chillicothe in Ohio but hadn’t heard of one in Missouri. You make me want to do another Midwest-exploring trip! So much to discover!

The Sightseeing Part II

Kansas City and Independence, Missouri
After touring former family homes in Independence with Aunt and Uncle, we visited the National Frontier Trails Museum, part of NPS. Compact, informative, and a definite complement to what we had learned at Gateway Arch.

Now, I’ve eaten street food in Islamabad; I’ve toured the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone; and in perhaps my most daring feat, as a Girl Scout troop leader I agreed to a weekend of “vintage camping” with our young charges (spoiler: old canvas tents absorb rain), but after reading diary notes from the brave people who pushed West and fought over collecting the dried Buffalo dung, I’m pretty certain I would have died from dysentery if the cholera hadn’t taken me out first.


The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum was next. Living in Virginia, we have toured the original presidential “library;” that is, the collection Thomas Jefferson sold to establish our Library of Congress. Beyond that, not so much. Our takeaway was that based on our N=1, presidential libraries are pretty interesting places.

For instance, it seems little known that Harry may have been the original debunker of Fake News.


In this not-at-all-staged photo of the First Couple, Mrs. T. is doing a little light reading…about “Typhoid Mary.” I too curl up in the evenings with books about superspreaders of infectious diseases. So relatable.


Totes love that someone lifted Stalin’s ciggies at Potsdam, too.


The following day, after one of the aforementioned delicious homemade meals, and perhaps a little family gossip, the National WWI Museum and Memorial was suggested. We were looking forward to touring; having experienced oh-so-much WWI history living in the Imperial Capital, having the American perspective would help to fill in chapters of the story. And it did. The museum displayed a global timeline of the war that included goings on internal and external to the conflict. Interesting reading.

September 1914. The Reichstag denounces the Armenian massacre. Then about 20 years later they were suddenly “for” massacres. #HistoryRepeatsItself
July 1915. J.R.R. Tolkien takes part in the Battle of Somme. Inspiration comes from many places, I suppose.
Spring 1916. Marie Curie helps equip ambulances with X-ray equipment so wounded servicemen could receive immediate care. But yet she could not vote.

December 1917. Having stepped in to help achieve world peace, or something, the U.S. Congress turns to a more heavy-hitting matter, the prohibition of alcohol. At least they waited until after the Armistice to amend the Constitution?

Speaking of Armistice, might a strange sort of Rasputin-like prophecy have been playing out on the Archduke’s vehicle’s license tag? The tag loosely reads 11-11-18, Armistice Day.


Hamilton, Missouri

Hamilton is known as “Quilt Town U.S.A.” If you know me, you’ll no doubt be doubling over with laughter wondering why I, who thinks successfully sewing a button onto a blouse is the height of fashion design, would even grace a town dedicated to the true artistry of quilting. Because a gal can shop for fabric to (have someone else) sew a beautiful window treatment for our main level powder room, that is why!

And a bonus childhood home, that of James Cash Penney, JC Penney. One more for my collection!


At some point along this drive DH remarked, “Have you noticed that Missouri has two major cities, and they each look like they are trying to leave the state?”

Winterset, Iowa

Does this photo even need description?


The directions to the bridge were fairly straightforward.


In Winterset we also toured the Iowa Quilt Museum, whose current exhibit theme was “Threads of Life: Portraits and Pets.” I won’t bore y’all with the many snaps I took of these gorgeous quilts, each one its own incredible work of art, but there was one in particular that recalled the imaginative portraits of the Italian Renaissance artist Arcimboldo that I want to share. I studied on this one and found a deer, a hedgehog, a sloth (I think), a rabbit, and so many butterflies (the artist’s favorite).




While in Kansas City we heard news of the I-75 shooter in Laurel County KY, through where we had planned to transit on the return from Cedar Rapids (our next destination) and then a bonus night in West Lafayette with DS and DIL ahead of the drive to Knoxville.

“Hmm, we thought. Do we really want to travel through a potential manhunt zone, when at the time sections of the motorway were closed?” Then we looked at the weather and noted a wall of rain from a tropical depression that would be right on top of us on our planned drive northeast from Knoxville to D.C. along I-81 on the day home. If you’ve ever driven that route you know that it can be a little bit like the northern extension of the Bristol Motor Speedway.

The itinerary was rearranged at the last minute. We cut a night in Cedar Rapids, alas, and rerouted to Paducah KY instead of West Lafayette, because it was about halfway-ish and from there we could travel southeast into Knoxville and avoid I-75. This would also bring us home a day ahead of the rain (which never happened ). We had the Effigy Mounds National Monument planned during our stay in Cedar Rapids, so I was especially bummed that this would be scrapped. Thankfully our Knoxville friends could accommodate us a day early, so at least there would be good BBQ.

Up next, The Sightseeing Part III. Interesting and depressing.

I did investigate Virginia BBQ. "Southern Grit" magazine writes that Virginia BBQ is "hashed" (shredded) and served on sandwiches. Others write that our BBQ is vinegar-based (can't say that we've eaten that much in Northern Virginia). Southern Living places Williamsburg as having "the best" BBQ. Garden & Gun lists the place in Williamsburg along with a D.C. joint. So basically Virginia BBQ is as varied as its people.

Apologies for the delay in finishing the report, for those who are following along. Our DD presented for her Astrophysics prelims yesterday and although we were certain she would ace them, there is never certainty in the universe (see what I did there?) so Mom had to be anxious all day.

Spoiler. She aced her prelims. Next stop, NASA Astronaut. Now I could exhale and continue the report.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
We connected with friends, whom we made while we were all overseas (they in Japan; we in Austria. Long story.) to tour the National Czech and Slovak Museum, which was a delight. Like the WWI Museum in Kansas City, this was a nice complement to our time overseas, learning about the Eastern European immigrants who made the Midwest their home. Part of the museum included a guided tour of an 1800s home to five generations of a family that settled in the area. The last family member who owned who lived there until 1981 never installed indoor plumbing. Think about that.



Our next visit was the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, home to the largest collection of local son Grant Wood’s art (and a good number of other gems). This visit was for me a museum highlight of our Midwest tour. I was duly impressed with the Wood pieces on display, of course. And I was surprised by the Norman Rockwell, Election Day painting! Cedar Rapids residents were paid $100 each to pose for the preliminary sketch. Several of the paintings in this museum had also previously hung in the Cedar Rapids schools. Imagine that!



For as much as I enjoyed the Wood pieces I thought Wood’s BFF Marvin Cone stole the show. Why? Because, in my humble, STEM-brained opinion, he had the good sense to title his paintings accurately! This work? “A Wiggly Thing.” YES! That is exactly what I would have titled the piece.



Lunch was at Little Bohemia, near to the Czech Village. I won’t write that my Goulash was like that I have eaten throughout Central Europe, but nor will I write that it tasted like it came from a grocery store tin can. It was somewhere in between, and not that memorable, alas. A shame, really, for the museum and the area could benefit from bolstering its Central European heritage. Our final stop on this much-abbreviated tour of Cedar Rapids was the Cedar Ridge Distillery (and Winery) with our friends. DH is more partial to Bourbon than to beer or wine (though, our DS is a microbrew hobbyist and had an excellent Porter on tap when were in IN—perfect with those thin-crust pizzas).

My, my, what generous pours. I can happily note that the Double Oak Reserve, with its pepper and dark fruit flavor, is chilling in our wine refrigerator ahead of that first fire pit evening on the terrace.



A more perfect Iowa sticker for the Thule could not have been created.




Hannibal, Missouri offered an overlook of the Mississippi River that was beautiful. Paducah, Kentucky, our last-minute overnight, seemed charming (especially the Levee Murals), but by the following morning we were focused on reaching Knoxville, with one very important stop along the way…

BUC-EE’S!
Stopping at Buc-ee's is like stepping into a Texan-sized fever dream fueled by kolaches and beaver nuggets. DH filled my wagon with petrol and left me unchaperoned on my maiden voyage into this travel center mecca.

“Hello! Welcome to Buc-ee’s!” coming at you in stereo from the clerks at the entrance can be startling. Just saying.

I could easily see how stopping to grab a snack could turn into pushing a cart filled with 24 kinds of jerky, a life-sized inflatable armadillo, and a BBQ pit big enough to smoke a brisket for an army.

The Women's Restroom is the size of a small country, and honestly, it might have been cleaner than mine at home. AND IT HAS ATTENDANTS.

We left Buc-ee’s with a full tank; enough merch to fill half a cart, and perhaps a stuffed beaver plush I didn’t know I needed.

Knoxville, Tennessee
The evening in Knoxville with friends was BBQ and Bourbon-filled, with hefty slices of Lemon Meringue Pie, and entirely delightful.

The following day we returned home to a clean house; a spoiled DDog; and little bouquets of all the Dahlias and Zinnias from my garden that had bloomed. Our Sitter is worth every penny we pay her. And then some.

Thank you for reading.

fourfortravel, I am a fan of your trip reports and enjoyed this a lot. Loved the details and the photos. Thank you for taking the time to do it.

Wonderful, fourfortravel!

gomiki and TDudette, so glad you liked the report. "The Midwest" is not an oft-featured subject on this forum and so I wanted to highlight all the fun we had!

Thanks for the report. I suppose you keep your house sitter a secret so she is always available when you want her. Where is the picture of the Dalia’s and zinnias?

Indeed, our Sitter information is only shared with the closest of friends and neighbors that we like. She does book well ahead; we're already on her calendar for an April 2025 adventure.

I only snapped the little shot glass (our Sitter got creative) of Dahlias sitting on the accent table in the kitchen; I liked the contrast.

Lovely!👍