On the Road - Part 2 Illinois & New Mexico

The last weekend visiting St. Louis we all went to Springfield, Illinois because Chase had a hockey tournament. I left early so that I could do some sight seeing. After I checked into the hotel I drove to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. It is right in downtown Springfield. 

The next morning when the kids went to lunch with the team I visited the Illinois Veterans’s Memorials and the Lincoln Tomb. They were both close to the rink. After that I went to do a walking tour on my own of downtown Springfield and even had lunch at an iconic Route 66 chili place. 

The second day of the tournament I went to breakfast at another Route 66 diner and then to the first game. Between games I found a trail to hike before going back to the rink. I also visited some other Route 66 landmarks. The Route 66 activities were an unexpected bonus on this trip. Illinois is the one state I hadn’t explored yet. 

I then took Monday to get everything packed for the trip home and had lunch at El Maguey with Stacie before hitting the road early Tuesday morning. On the way home I stayed the first night in Clinton, Oklahoma and then drove to Tijeras, New Mexico the next day to stay with Ken and Kristi Meunier. Ken was out of town until late that night so Kristi and I met her brother and sister in law from Las Vegas to go rock hounding near the Rio Puerco. It was a beautiful New Mexico evening and I was amazed at the variety of rocks in the area. 

It was another good trip that involved a lot of Route 66. I even made a point of stopping at one of the donut places I see a sign for every time I drive through Amarillo, Texas. 😄

On the Road - Pt. 1 Missouri & New York

I hit the road again this Fall to visit family and friends and it was another good trip. Originally I was going to fly and be in St. Louis for a Veterans Day Ceremony at school with Chase and Haley. Then the hockey schedule came out and I realized I could get there to see a game and stay longer for a tournament in Springfield, Illinois if I drove. I would also get to see Haley’s gymnastics and lacrosse practices so it was a no brainer to put new tires on the car and hit the road. 

I didn’t try to stop and see things like I usually do because I wanted to be sure to get there for the activities and it was going to be close. I did visit Diablo Burger for dinner when I was in Flagstaff though. I had read about it many times in Twitter posts from runners in the Flagstaff area. In my opinion it was overrated and I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again. I did sit down and eat with a local trail runner and her family so conversation was interesting. Shortly after that dinner she was one of three women to break the Fastest Known Time for running Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon. 

The drive itself was good and I got there in time to do the things I wanted to do. It was the start of an event filled time in Missouri, New York and Illinois. 

The first weekend there Stacie and I were entered in the GO St. Louis Halloween 10K, the second race in the GO Challenge for both of us. We did the 7K GO in April with Tom who did the half marathon. 

The next week I left to visit my Brother in Niagra Falls where I intended to run a 5K the day I was leaving to head back to St. Louis. On the way to NY I took a route that would take me close to Pittsburgh so I could meet one of my former athletes for breakfast. Unfortunately we were unable to have breakfast because of a schedule change but it worked out because I was able to visit a National Park in Ohio that I haven’t visited yet. 

Because my brother Rob and his wife Cindy have such odd work and therefore sleep schedules we got to spend time together most mornings and Cindy and I did get to go out for pizza one afternoon but for the most part I found different places to run and enjoy the beauty of the area. 

And then I finished off the trip with a 5K, adding another State to the states I’ve raced in. 

From my race in New York it was hurry back to St. Louis in time to see Tom’s parents who were in town for a few days. We all went to watch a hockey game and then went out to dinner. A lot of fun and a lot of laughs. 

When Halloween came I dog sat with Barley while Jackie handled treats outside until Tom, Stacie and the kids got back. Stacie started the day making the kids a special Halloween breakfast. 

I continued finding new places to run and enjoy the Fall foliage. I was considering a race the next weekend but got sick. After about 12 hours I felt better so I went out to run on a trail I read about in the newspaper that they called the Zombie Trail because it is “haunted”. I don’t know about haunted but it was beautiful and I felt so good after running five miles that I signed up for another 5K when I got back to the house and then Stacie decided to run it with me. The best part about the race was Stacie winning her age group. 

On Veterans’s Day the kids had an assembly at their school to honor veterans. Tom was off work so we were all able to go. It was a really nice event.