Time Warping....

Preamble: Since we left SOMD last Tuesday, the 21st, today(12/27) is the first day that I have had reliable (laptop) access to the internet . Yes, the Droid does let me do limited browsing and e-mails, but more complicated tasks are so frustrating as to be unusable… That means I have been without general internet capability for almost a week. So here’s an interesting conundrum: is that a blessing or a curse??

Currently ensconsed in the Courtyard in La Crosse, today is the first time I have been able to get out a bottom feeder. And, cursed with my logical engineering mind, I feel the need to sort of do things chronologically. So, if the gentle readers will allow a time warp, we’ll start with the beginning of our journey, which began the 21st


Travelling in winter, besides the angst associated with weather woes, is quite pretty; especially when there is a little skiff of snow on the ground.









We did our usual route of I64 through Virginia, West Virginia, and into Kentucky where we stayed overnight in Lexington. After travelling 591 miles in 10 hours we weren’t in the mood for fine dining, plus of course you have to snack in the car as you go so we didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. Of course the well equipped traveler carries the stuff for nice cocktails.



For main course we had just a cup o’soup from the “market” in the Fairfield. We also discovered (after we got the micro bowl back to the room) that there was no microwave, only an ice box. A trip to lobby led to the discovery that our room rate “didn’t include a microwave”. What the heck is up with that? We’re (thanks to MFO’s cross country journey last year) Gold members, but apparently that don’t hack it. So we were invited to use the microwave in the “dining area” used for breakfast. Kind of stupid.

Anyway, next morning we resumed the journey finally being able to see some of the “horse country” around Lexington,





along with other local culture:




then Louisville,



Then





Then





And finally



So leg one completed with 945 miles, but a fairly easy journey arriving on Wednesday afternoon. The house we were staying in while in STL is sort of "west county" but inside I270. We’re reminded how nice civilized things can be as there is a new Schnuck’s store nearby, which some apparently call the “Palace on Ballas”, and it is indeed spiffy. Kaldi’s coffee shop, ongoing wine tastings, cheese counters, cooking demos, quite the place. And get this, the even have people roaming the aisles asking “do you need to find anything?”, which of course we did. Nice place.

Dinner that evening was supplied by that establishment, some pretty good ham and split pea soup, and some spaghetti and meatballs that were passable. I think due to the long day and adjusting to new time zones, we may have not exactly been

DFD

We were however the next day when we dined well… stay tuned