Well, no planes today, but there were trains and automobiles (and a bus).

The alarm went off and we were up before dawn to be sure we made it downtown in time to catch the train to Kansas City. We made it to the combined Greyhound/Amtrak station with plenty of time to spare and had time to watch the parade of people. While we sat, a bus to Phoenix and another to Alabama were announced, loaded, and sent on their way. Listening to the list of stops on each route sparked more wanderlust except for the thought of riding a bus for multiple days. Riding the rails sounded much better.

The train left on time and we settled in to watch the state of Missouri pass by the window. The train was a local that ended in KC so it stopped in quite a few smaller towns on the way, including several that we will overnight in while riding the Katy. They all looked quite interesting and made us even more anxious to start cycling and have the chance to really see these places.

Most of the other passengers were very quiet and enjoying the scenery. We had a group of cyclists (those annoying cyclists!) behind us who were crossing on the train in order to ride the Katy in the other direction. We certainly did not mind listening to their chatter that included talk of cycling, but then one member of the group who was sitting behind us by several rows decided that his back felt better when he stood. So he stood in the aisle next to his friends for the rest of the trip, about 4 hours, and talked incessantly until we finally got to KC. Even his friends behind us sounded weary and worn out by it all for the last part of the ride. At least we were able to walk away from them all when we got off the train. His friends will be riding with him for many days!

It was a pleasure to walk into the beautiful classic Union Station in Kansas City, which has been beautifully restored and also includes a museum and theaters. Our brief view of the city was more favorable than St Louis, but we just saw a small part.

Union station

After a long day on the train, we decided to scrap our original plan to get out to our hotel via streetcar and bus, around a 90 minute trip. Uber again to the rescue and we were at our hotel in less than 30 minutes instead.

For dinner we set out to walk to a local BBQ restaurant a few blocks away, but were turned back by artificial rain. Instead we ducked into the chain BBQ next to our hotel (Famous Dave’s) and had some very good Kansas City BBQ anyway. “Burnt ends” seems to be a particular Kansas City favorite, so we ordered some up. Burnt ends are the pieces from the very end of the cut on a brisket. Since the meat is thinner there, and on the end, it get exposed to more heat and smoke than the rest of the brisket. Very good!

This turned us back (whimps!)

We are concerned about our trip back to St. Louis on Sunday. As you have probably heard, there was another not guilty verdict on a police shooting of a black man here. Keep in mind that Ferguson is close by. There are numerous protests going on now. We hope they don’t turn violent, but would not be surprised if they do. We have been warned to avoid downtown St. Louis, but that is where the train station is. We will continue to follow the news closely in case it gets to the point that we need to make other arrangements to get back to St. Charles.