May 13 - Lafayette to Kearney, NE - Tim was nice to let us borrow his Infiniti for our road trip. We promised to take good care of it while we were gone. He borrowed Sam's car because Sam was still at school. So Ann and I packed our things and took off around 10:00. Our route took us up I76 and then across I80 until we reached Kearney. The drive saw the brown of Colorado turn into the green of Nebraska. Our lunch stop was at a Subway about halfway through the drive.

We reached The Country Inn and Suites in Kearney late in the afternoon. After cleaning up, we went to the Manager's Reception which was its Happy Hour. This included a glass of wine in a plastic cup and a few snacks in a small buffet island. One of the hotel workers poured the wine to make sure that we didn't over indulge. After we left, Ann decided that her stomach couldn't handle dinner, so I went solo to the Thunderhead Brewing Company. Kearney is a college town so I figured that a brew pub would be a good choice for food. I ate most of a really good and really loaded vegetarian pizza. I drank all of an imperial stout which tasted like Jack Daniels.

May 14 - Kearney to Kansas City - We drove through four states today - Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Our major stop was at the Crane Trust and Visitor Center just east of Kearney. "At the Crane Trust, our mission is to protect and maintain the physical, hydrological and biological integrity of the Big Bend area of the Platte River so that it continues to function as a life support system for whooping cranes, sandhill cranes and other migratory bird species". It was the wrong season for us to see any cranes, but we saw a few bison, geese and many small birds.

There was a lot of flooding along the way from the Missouri River. At several places the water was lapping the shoulder of the road. A lot of farm lands were covered with water and all we could see of local roads were their sign posts. Where we crossed the river, traffic was stopped so that it could proceed orderly on a single lane. Our lunch was at a MacDonalds on high ground in Rockport, MO.

When we reached Kansas City we checked in at the Hyatt Place Kansas City/Overland Park/Convention Center. This would be our home for the next three nights.

The main reason to be in Kansas City was to visit Dave and Jeannine Fast. Dave was my classmate at Pomona College and my roommate for two years. They lived very close to our hotel. We drove over to their beautifully decorated house and had cocktails on their patio. The temperature was warm as was the company. They are situated on a cul de sac with lots of tall trees, plants and green areas.

For dinner, the Fasts took us to O'Neill's Restaurant & Bar their local go-to restaurant. The food was very good.

Our after-dinner treat was a drive through the hilly neighborhoods near their house. We were amazed with the large green trees and the large houses. It is a gorgeous place to live.

May 15 - Kansas City - the breakfast at the hotel was really good. There was lots of fresh fruit - stawberries, blueberries and melon. For members, there were plenty of warm dishes. I am not sure how we became members. It might have been a result in a previous stay at a Hyatt.

Ann and I went over to the Fasts and then drove a short distance to Independence to visit the Harry S Truman Library and Museum. The Bensons and Matutes met us there. They had stayed at an airport hotel last night and picked up a rental car this morning. There were lots of great things to see on our self-guided tour. Afterwards, we rode over to Clinton's Soda Fountain for lunch. The building on Independence Square dates back to the 1800s. Decades ago, young Harry Truman worked at a pharmacy and soda fountain at this very location. Unfortunately for us, Harry couldn't be there and the young girl behind the counter didn't know how to make sandwiches, so we walked up the street to El Pico, a Mexican restaurant, for our meal.

After a rest at the hotel, all of us went over to the Fasts for drinks and conversation before Jeannine prepared dinner for us. She served pork tenderloin, asparagus, biscuits and coconut cake. Yummy.

Drinks on the Patio

The Dinner Table

The Dinner Table

May 16 - Kansas City - Another good breakfast. This time I had corn beef hash. Afterwards, we drove to the Fasts and motored to the The National WWI Museum and Memorial. I do not remember why I did not take photos in the museum, but the clicking on the website will show you some visuals. To describe the focus, I found this page interesting. We enjoyed the visit.

One objective I had during our KC visit was to have some Kansas City barbeque. Dave and Jeannine took us to Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue for lunch. We had a short wait out on the hot patio, but it was worth it. We ordered and sampled lots of traditional dishes. A great meal!

Ann and Ellen remarked that they had ancestors that lived near Kansas City in Eudora. Dave volunteered to them and me to see what we could discover. Walking down the very short main street, we found the small store-front local museum. The attendent was able to bring us several old document where we found records of the family. Ann and Ellen were very pleased that they succeeded in their ancestry search.

Dinner was at the Fasts again. This time Jeannine prepared strip steaks, beans, rice, salad and cake. A nice meal with very nice people. It was sad to leave.

WWI Museum

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue

Ellen, Dave and Ann in Eudora