3 began with Kristin’s exclamation: “Now I know what morning dew is!” I forgot that everything’s not all wet in the morning in the desert.
This was the day I told Kristin I had a surprise for her. There was a bit more driving than I’d anticipated, but it was still fun. We went to Alton, IL and saw:
The Robert Wadlow statue (tallest man in the world at 8’11”)
The spot where Lincoln and Douglas had the last of their famous debates 
The Confederate Cemetery (kind of creepy because there were no headstones; I think they just threw the bodies in a mass grave) Then we headed back into Missouri via 55 so Kristin could get a good view of the Arch. We also drove by St. Louis’s version of the Occupy Wall Street protest. I was excited to see it spreading- I thought it was just in New York, D.C., and Chicago!
We had brunch at Rooster, where the waiter told Kristin they were soulmates. They had amazing crepes, including gluten-free vegan crepes for Kristin. Our last stop of the trip was Bellefontaine Cemetery, to see the grave of William Clark (of Lewis & Clark).
I chose this because Kristin and I often imagine we are Lewis and Clark when we’re exploring canyons out west. I’m in awe of what that expedition did. It was cool to see his grave and a monument to his contributions to our country, although I was not excited by this scripture used to support Manifest Destiny.
As an “added” bonus, we saw the grave of the inventor of the adding machine! Haha. (Sorry about that.) And, we discovered that William Burroughs (author of Naked Lunch, heroin addict, and BFF of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg) was the adding guy’s descendant and was buried there as well!
Sadly, this was all we had time for. I took Kristin to the airport and we said a difficult goodbye. But it was made easier with the knowledge that we have oh so many adventures to look forward to. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
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