From Sea to Shining Sea

Traveling cross-country on a budget isn’t a hard thing to do, but if you plan to stop in Columbus, Ohio, think twice before going to the Knights Inn. When I arrived, the place looked a little rundown but not horrible, and was only 45.00 for the night. The lobby looked decent so I assumed that the rest of the hotel wouldn't be that bad. 

The problems started the second I walked into the room. It wasn’t that clean, but the bathroom looked like it hadn’t been cleaned since the place opened. Now, I have lived and worked at a camp, and I’m used to roughing it, but this was ridiculous. The floor was brown and the toilet wasn’t flushed since the previous visitor had stayed. I didn't even bother to look at the tub, because much of the dirt on the floor seemed to center around the tub. The pillows had holes in them as well as the blankets and there was stuffing popping out of the it.

Since it was later in the day, and the other hotels in my price range were booked, I decided to stay. This was my biggest mistake. I decided to go across the street to a CVS. On the corner there was someone looking for drugs. I quickly made it back to my room. I did notice that one room had a lot of people coming and going from it. Later I saw the person who was looking for drugs, from when I went to CVS, leaving the room. I can’t say for sure what was happening, but I have a very strong suspicion.

I had a hard time sleeping because I was so scared. Around 4am someone knocked on my door. When I looked out my peephole, I saw a man standing there. He was off to the side as if he was trying to stay out of my sight. I stood there until he decided to leave and go knock on the next door. I heard him continuing down the row of doors. I have no idea what he wanted and I really don’t care to find out. The only nice thing about the room was that there was a large mini-fridge in the room. The only thing that looked clean.

The people who worked at the front desk seemed nice, but when I tried to complain they seemed not to understand me. I'm not sure if they didn't understand me or suddenly didn't speak English. In short, if you are in the Columbus, Ohio, do not stay at the Knights Inn.

Kent State was not at all what I expected. First to say that the campus is huge is an understatement. Remember which entrance that you came in because if will save you a lot of time and energy when you try to leave. Getting around campus isn’t that hard. There are signs everywhere and maps located throughout the campus.

I unfortunately didn’t get to see their textiles collection. I was very disappointed by this because the textile department is one of the outstanding features of the school. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about this department. Mainly what I went to see was the May 4th memorial. I think it was a nice tribute, but what happened at Kent State is an event that I grew up learning about in school. I think I built up in my head something more than what I was going to see. What shocked me the most was that the memorial was in a parking lot. There is a small stone that names the people shot and the date. It’s easily missed if you aren’t looking for it. Where each of the people was shot the area was blocked off and their names are written.

What hit me the most was the fact that this was in a parking lot and that people walked by these memorials without a second glance. I even parked my car in a space next to one, but I guess that is what happens when you see something all the time. I was told that there was a memorial held each May. If I had the trip to do over again I think I would go when this memorial was taking place. Not far from the school (less then a mile away) are grocery stores and restaurants. I was on a very strict budget so I got lunch at the grocery store. I got two very nice pieces of chicken for $3. They also had ginger soda, which was only a dollar. It was very nice. It had a light refreshing taste. I have never seen it before, but I wish it were more widely available.

The Bass Pro Shop in Springfield is like Disneyland. It contains everything that you never knew that you wanted to see. Although there are a chain of these stores that can be found throughout the country the Alpha store is in Springfield, MO and is the Mecca to Bass fishers everywhere. In front of the main entrance there is a chandelier made of antlers.

When you walk into the store the Starbucks is to the right and the servers are amazing. They are funny and enjoy spending a few minutes to talk to you and point out the sights for you to see. Yes, the sights. There is a turtle pond where you can watch turtles lounge on driftwood. Next to it is a giant tank full of fish that are bigger than most cats. The fish even have names and you can read their bios that are posted on the side of the tanks. There are stuffed creatures everywhere with people lining up to get their pictures taken with them. The servers suggested that I check out the bathroom.

The ladies room has outhouse like doors on the stall and the ceiling has bird’s nest, twigs, and fake birds all over. The lightening is dim so don’t try to reapply your makeup here, but the trade off is that this is the cleanest retail bathroom that I have ever seen.

The biggest attraction is the waterfall. There is a whole scene set up around it with live birds walking around and a giant stuffed moose. The waterfall forms a "river" that runs through part of the store. Stairs lead up over the river to the second floor. From the second level a suspension bridge stretches over the water with a man hanging off of it as if he fell through.

In front of the waterfall there is a tank with different snakes and an exhibit with spiders. If you ever wanted to see and read about a black widow this is the place to be. On the second level there is more shopping as well as a restaurant and a McDonalds. There are several other small shops within this store including a huge stand where you can watch people blow glass and across for it is a fudge stand. Everywhere you turn there is something for the whole family and a new photo op including giant bears standing on their back feet. If you arrive at the right time you may even get to see a fishing demo at one of the tanks. Besides all of the things to see there is a lot of great shopping here as well. Anything that you could ever want for fishing can be found here. Although this isn't the typical tourist hot spot this is well worth the time to spend a rainy day, a few extra hours, or a great way to take someone who loves to fish.

One of the attractions along "must see" attractions along Route 66 is the Devil's Rope Museum. The concept to me is a little strange, but it was free so I thought that there was nothing to loose. For those who don't know devil's rope refers to barbed wire. While walking though the museum I kept thinking I would love to know who said, "Hey, I know what the world is missing; a museum that is dedicated to barb wire." To give you an idea of how dedicated these people are they have some how filled 12,000 sq feet with barbed wire and fencing tools making it the worlds largest collection. Now who maintains this? Well, collectors from the US, Canada, and Australia. I learned something new. People collect barbwire, who knew?

The museum is full of different types of barbed wire and tools related to it. The museum goes though the history of barbwire and the impact that it had on society. Being a person who loves history I enjoyed the section on the Fence Cutters War. Overall the barbed wire section part of the museum was less then thrilling for me.

The best part (the reason that I went) was the section dedicated to Route 66. The museum is home to the Texas Route 66 Association and are willing to answer any questions that may come up on your journey down the highway.
They have old signs that were once seen along the highway, but have since been discarded. There are also advertising souvenirs, a huge snake (yes a huge snake, I can’t make this stuff up people) form the Regal Reptile Ranch, and the Texas Route 66 Hall of Fame., which were one famous sites along the Mother Road. One of my favorite exhibits was a replica of a '50s style museum that might have been seen on a past journey. New features are added all the time as Route 66 memorabilia is found and acquired.

The museum is open Tuesday though Saturday between 10am to 4pm. To learn more about barb wire aka Devil’s Rope visit there website at:
www.barbwiremuseum.com.

Off of I-40 in the western part of New Mexico is the El Malpais National Park also known as the badlands. I decided to drive off the main highway and detour to the ranger station at the park. Though most of the drive one side of the road was covered in rough, black rock that I later found out was lava. The ranger station was only 13 miles from the highway, but I quickly realized that this was one place that a single tourist didn't want to be. The day I drove though it was hitting over 100 degrees and I passed only one car on my trip to and from the ranger station. In the distance I could also see lightening hitting the ground. I'm not sure if the land was so flat that it looked closer then it was or if it was really as close as I thought I wasn't taking the chance.

When you get to the ranger station you can get not only a lot of great information about the park, but information on camping. Be careful if you are looking to camp here for lightening is a real danger to campers in the park. There are whole pamphlets dedicated to it and how to survive it located at the Ranger Station. I decided to pass on that offer and make it to a hotel 6. I found out that the lava flows have caves in them that tourists can do a self guided tour though.

Even a thirty-minute drive though the park is wonderful. The rock formations are beautiful and the lava flows are amazing to see, especially if you never saw one before. The lave flows that I saw were dated at about 115,000 years old. Although there are some in the park that only date back about 2,000 years. If you want more information about the Badlands visit there website: www.nps.gov/elma/planyourvisit/hours.htm. Here you can get more info for you visit on operation hours. I do suggest that if you are looking to camp or hike here don’t go in the summer. I was there is in July and it was so hot that I thought that I was going to die of heat.

A little off of Route 66 is Will Rogers Memorial; however this section of Route 66 was renamed the Will Rodgers Highway. I’m not a fan but I decided that I would stop because nothing beats free entertainment. Whatever you wanted to know about Will, or Willey as I fondly came to call him, is here. Apparently he never met a man that he didn’t like, but I think it is because Willey was a likeable person. There is a huge statue of him in the museum where he looks so nice that I wanted be its friend. The man had kind eyes what can I say.

The museum is filled with everything that you can think of from pictures and movies to movie memorabilia and telegrams. There is even a movie theater where you can go and watch his movies. The memorial was built on the land that Will was going to build a house on and retire to, but after his death his family donated the land as well as a huge part of his personal items to create the memorial. This collection is so vast that it boast 15,000 photographs and thousands of manuscripts, letters, and personal papers.

The place is huge so leave about an hour to see it. More if you know who he is, and much more if you are a fan.
The people who work there are great, except for the rude, old, blonde in the gift shop. I could easily live the rest of my life without seeing her. However the guides that are in each room wore cowboy hats and I believe are true fans of Willey and will any question that you have about him.

This is a great place to visit. Even if you aren’t a fan of Willey you get to see a huge chunk of American culture and I personally was impressed by how much of it was influence by such a honest and well-meaning man. This is one place that you can leave and say to yourself that this was one remarkable man and the world needs more people like him.

As I continued my journey I made an unplanned stop in Greenup, Illinois. I saw there a water tower that said "Give Greenup a Try," so I did. Greenup was a sleepy little town in the middle of nowhere, that among various of other thing, considered themselves the "Village of Porches and covered bridges." Although I saw no covered porches I did see many porches so I don’t feel that I was completely lied to.

The day that I arrived it was 104 degrees in the shade so I made my tour quick. No one was around for that same reason. The town was cute with a turn of the century/Victorian feel. Banners hung everywhere announcing the return of one the units that was deployed to Iraq. I had an overwhelming since that this was what an "All American town was and should be." Music blared though the streets from the buildings, although I wasn’t sure what the music was it somehow fit the atmosphere of Greenup. Almost every shop was closed for lunch although it was only 11am. However, the stoeres that were opened were full of antiques.

If you further explore Greenup there is plenty to see and do such as tour the Cameo Depot, visit the Lincoln Trail, the covered bridges, or one o the many gardens (oriental, herb, and prairie).

Around town there are footsteps that you can follow to take a tour. It starts and ends at town hall. There were also signs around town with golf carts on them. You know the signs that signify that there maybe children playing in the area or pedestrians crossing; this was the same thing but only with a golf cart. Believe it or not the overhanging porches on the buildings have made the business district in Greenup one of the places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Although I wasn’t there long I loved this place. It was so strange that anyone in Indiana should give Greenup a try.

If you stop there is free parking on the streets. Most ample parking is near the small park.

For several miles on my drive down highway 70 I kept seeing signs advertising Terre Haute, so when the exit came up I decided to stop and see. I was sorely disappointed about how I don’t believe that it lived up to the hype. Although the city lacked the entertainment value that I was seeking, it does have a rather interesting history. First it is considered the crossroads of America because it is located between major highways, 70 and US 41. Although boring, Terra Haute is full of history. It also received the nickname of Sin City because of the gambling and well-developed red-light district that existed until the '60s. Al Capone was also considered to have been a patron of the Terre Haute House.

There are several museums in the area such as the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Holocaust Museum and Education Center, the Children's Science and Technology Museum, and the Clabber Girl Corporation Country Store & Museum. I visited the Native American Museum. It’s located off of the main street in Terra Haute on the corner of Poplar Drive in a residential neighborhood. The museum is housed in an old Victorian that isn’t hard to miss with the totem poles outside. It's free, and parking on the street isn't hard to find. It features items from the Indians that inhabited the lands before explorers arrived. There are also heirlooms from the first settlers in the area. The museum is decent, but not something that merits a trip to Terra Haute.

After leaving the museum I drove around for a while and found the house of Eugene Debs, who was a labor leader and presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. Even if you aren’t into history I would suggest a visit to this house to any architecture buff. The house is beautiful. Pictures can be viewed on their website. www.eugenevdebs.com The house is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1pm to 4:30pm. If you can’t make it at this time you can arrange a tour. It is located next door to Indiana State College. This was only of interest to me because in my US History class we had a running joke about how Debs would keep popping up unexpectedly during history. Unfortunately the day that I was there the house was closed for tours.

My suggestion if you plan to visit Terra Haute is to check out their website www.terrehaute.com. They have a calendar of events as well as a attraction list. Check out the dates and times that museums are open, because I was surprised at some of the hours.