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Day 14Monday, September 18, 2000. I just can't help myself. Even though I have an appointment to meet with Kansas City Zoo staff Tuesday morning, I still pointed my car toward the zoo this morning. I'd just visit the chimps and then go off and find other things to do, I told myself. Well, I hung around for quite some time watching the North Carolina chimps (who are visiting here while their zoo exhibit is reconstructed) and chatted with local volunteers. It's a long, long walk to the chimpanzee exhibit, so I stopped from time to time and snapped pictures of other KC Zoo residents. Finally left the zoo HOT and tired after 2PM. I headed toward the city and actually managed to find the Crown Center, a shopping mall that hangs off the Hallmark headquarters. I stopped in the Crayola store and had an early dinner in the Crayola cafe, where every table has a pot of crayons for your entertainment. Also visited the Hallmark museum. |
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Day 15Tuesday, September 19, 2000. Got to the Kansas City Zoo before 8:30 AM and met DiAnn R, the Animal Supervisor who works with the chimpanzees. The keepers delayed letting the gang out until we arrived at the front of the exhibit, so we got to watch everyone amble out and find the food that had been put out for them. Joshua looks very impressive; handsome like his dad. It's a treat to see so many age groups: adults, youngsters and babies. The youngest was born in May. I interviewed DiAnn, and then she had to get back to work. I hung out at the exhibit even though almost everyone had disappeared into the woods. I'm glad I did, because later on Josh came back, and then everyone showed up and just lounged around in front of the window. Lots of opportunities to take pictures of the babies and different groupings. Gradually everyone disappeared again. I finally tore myself away around noon. I stopped for lunch in the cafe before departing the zoo and joined a large group of KC Zoo docents (volunteers) who were taking a break. Very friendly bunch. The weather is supposed to cool off tomorrow. I'm sure it will, because I discovered this afternoon that I have been driving around with the heat turned on. No wonder the car wouldn't cool down! |
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Day 16Wednesday, September 20, 2000. It was considerably cooler in Kansas City when I left, and it was raining. Aside from the downpour in Colorado, that's the only rain I've seen so far on this trip. I pointed the car toward Springfield and arrived just before noon at the little Dickerson Park Zoo. Keeper David I, who used to work at the Oregon Zoo, took me on a tour of the entire zoo. What a treat. Not only did I get to see many of the animals being quite active thanks to the cooler weather, but I heard all the inside stories. For instance, the baby elephant on exhibit is the first successful birth from artificial insemination. From the zoo I went to the Springfield Nature Center just south of town. Very nice. I followed one of the paved nature trails and saw a deer sitting just 20 feet off the path. Lots of birds and squirrels and chipmunks, too. |
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Day 17Thursday, September 21, 2000. The sun was out again today, but the heat did not return. Good driving weather. It was a short drive to Mansfield, Missouri, to visit Rocky Ridge, the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The farm in Missouri, where she wrote the Little House books, is one of several sites around the country where fans flock to learn more about this favorite author from their childhood. The rest of the day I continued the drive eastward through the beautiful countryside of southern Missouri. The views were great, but I never found a place to stop where I could capture it on film (or digitally). I'm spending the night in Poplar Bluff. Tomorrow I will take a zig-zag route to Nashville to visit a friend for the weekend. I'm not sure what happens on Sunday. I got word this week that I will not be able to visit one of the places on my itinerary as scheduled. Time to improvise. |
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Day 18Friday, September 22, 2000. Drove in four states today: Missouri; a smelly, not very attractive corner of Illinois; Kentucky and Tennessee. While the scenery changes gradually as you move across the country, there are subtle but distinct differences along the roads and highways when you pass from one state to another. For instance, the maximum speed may go from 75 to 70. What I noticed in Missouri were the names of the state routes. While most states number their state routes with 3- or 4-digit numbers, Missouri uses 1- or 2-letter designations. So you'll see a sign indicating you are approaching Junction C or Junction TT. Tennessee's lack of signage has been frustrating. I drove for miles passing through one small town after another, never seeing a single sign telling me the name of the town, or how far I was from Nashville, or even if I was heading toward Nashville. When I arrived in a rather busy area I figured I must be in Clarksville, but it wasn't until I was halfway through that I finally found anything identifying the place. To get to Nashville, I took the scenic route through the Land Between the Lakes. I learned that this National Recreation Area was created by the government from an area long known as Between the Rivers. The rivers were dammed to create two lakes and a large area for camping and hunting and other outdoor activities. Herds of bison and elk live there. Small road signs pointing the way to cemeteries are the only evidence motorists see that the area was once home to human populations. Spending the weekend with my friends Susan and Ron. |
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Days 19 and 20Saturday and Sunday, September 23 and 24, 2000. Just lounging around and gabbing about old times with old friends. It's been raining quite a bit. Thunder and lightning, too. I've been a little anxious about the uncertainty in my itinerary, but I have decided to head to Knoxville on Monday and then to Georgia on Tuesday. |
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