Kansas City Kansas

Kansas City Kansas…wait, Missouri? Well, it’s in both so depending on which side of the city your in makes a difference…can’t keep stopping to put on or takeoff the helmet so tonight I won’t ride. Have had a great time already and thanks to my Nephew Brain, got a great rate on this room in the Hilton downtown. Check it out, a body pillow and everything so you don’t feel lonely. Stopped in on my way into town looking for the visitors center and he told me I could get a room for $100 tonight because it’s a slow night and he’d take me around to places, he’s the valet and doorman…told him maybe I’d be back. Well, after finding the visitors center and them not being very much help, went shopping for some more of the traveling Space Saver bags, remember the ones I have are starting to fail me and that goes along with a decision I made on my way here…more on that later. Anyway, after my shopping, which was in the burbs, only place that had a Bed, Bath and Beyond, checked out the rates there and it was $75 for the night and they said if you can stay downtown for $100, go for it. Fortunately I was able to find the place again and found Bryon to talk to him and make sure I could still get the $100 rate, but he said he could get it cheaper for me since he’s family, my nephew…like I told him, do I look old enough to be your uncle? oh well, to get this room for $50, I’m not going to argue.

So now I’m set and made good time getting here since it was the fast slab all the way. Got going a little earlier too although I lose and hour yesterday, but needed to check out a few Harley shops to see if they could fix my speaker problem. Made it to Lincoln and that was the only Harley shop I had to stop at, because although they didn’t have the speakers I needed, he checked out the rest of the shops on the way to Kansas City and none of them in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri or Kansas had them…did you get that, four states and all of them were crossed on the trip here. That’s another reason not very many pictures, cuz once you’ve lived in the Midwest all your life, most of it looks the same that the scenery didn’t compare to what else I’ve seen along the way…but I guess for those who track my trip and aren’t from the Midwest could use to see it…ok, here ya go, some pictures of the prairies, corn fields and rivers, but man was is it hot today, and once again, no rain. It seems the record heat has been following me since New Mexico, but I can handle the heat over rain any day.

Ok, made a big decision on my way here and it was a tough one, but I think it’s the right thing to do…I’ve decided not to come home…no, not never, just not now. I figured instead of spending up to 10 hours if not more riding from here home and then another 10 thru Chicago, spend only 2 days at home, try to get packed again, see if I could get my 20k mile maintenance as a traveler, which probably wouldn’t work back home and find something to do on the 4th, it’d be easier just heading to New Hampshire. Since I’ve been invited out there for the 4th and it gives me a chance to get together with friends from home that’ll help with the loneliness a little. Maybe I haven’t gotten into that before, but it does get lonely on the road for as long as I have been by myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met a lot of great people and made friends that I will have for a long time, but it’s easy to miss a place you can call home and everyone around you from friends to loved ones, so that wouldn’t be cured coming home for two days and I’d still be left wondering…that reminds me of the song, I think it’s called ‘Home’, but something about being surrounded by a million people, but still feeling alone that I just want to come home.

Enough on that and back to Kansas City, but since I’ve decided to head east from here, have to get some laundry done so Bryon dropped me off at the local laundry mat and can you believe it, a high speed internet connection, which is more than I can say for this posh hotel. They do have wireless high speed internet, but it’s thru a provider that instead of being free, it’d cost $10 for 24 hours…hell, I’ve stayed in cheaper hotels that included free internet…maybe not high speed such as Econo Lodge, but free nonetheless. Oh well, guess you can’t have everything with posh. That gave me time to get caught up a little on downloading my blogs and going thru email and Bryon showed up to take me out for bbq, the reason I came here and specifically Gates bbq. Well, that place was just down the road and guess who I got to meet, the man himself, yep, Ollie Gates and I’ve got the picture to prove it. Had a great time talking with him and telling him about my tales from the road and that I wanted to come to Kansas just to visit his bbq shop so he said you have to checkoutt the original which was started by his granddad…oh, yea, and his granddad started that on the railroad lines thru Minneapolis…what a small world. Anyway, Bryon got me there and it’s not the nicest part of town, but I felt safe since they had cops patrolling the parking lot and not a problem inside, a lot of friendly people and check out that meal. Figured I have to try the ribs and beef and look what else I got, a star on my receipt which meant I got $5 back…man, am I lucky or what. Had a great meal and again, my nephew Bryon showed up to take me back to the hotel and it gave us a chance to visit, which brings me to today’s lesson - how everyone we meet in life is for a reason. Sometimes we may not know what that reason is, but our paths were meant to cross. In Bryon’s case he said he’s not sure how much time he has because of something he was diagnosed with years ago, but just talking with me and listening to my stories it gave him a feeling of inspiration that he hasn’t felt for a long time. Not that he wants to necessarily travel the country, but meeting someone who is, did something for him…ok, not getting sappy, but it’s true, everyone comes into our life for a reason…some of them, yep, we’re still figuring out why, but there’s a reason. Head east young man…that’s me. Kansas City Pictures.