St Louis

Great trip.

Day one was the long slog of a drive to Emporia.  Damn near ten years to the day I finished the Dirty Kanza 200 in front of Mulready's Pub, I took my finishers pint glass into the bar and they filled it.  I took that same pint back and of course they filled it again.

Next day was off to St Louis.  Hotel check in, packet pick up, and a quick tour of some local breweries.  The race was Saturday morning, and it went about as well as I thought it would.  After two long days of driving I did not have the fortitude to push through the final miles and I slowed greatly, running the first half in 1:45 and finishing in 3:44.  Did stop for two cans of beer in the final six miles, which didn't help my time.

Spent the rest of the day in St Louis, visiting a bunch of breweries and bars within walking distance of the hotel.  Next day, which happened to be National Weimaraner Day, included a long dog hike at Gateway Arch, then a short drive south to Taum Sauk mountain.  Not a huge climb, but the trails in the state park we stayed at were awesome and we got a ton of hiking in.

Then it was two long days of driving back home.  Stopped for the night at Happy Basset Brewing in Topeka.  Had to be the most dog friendly brewery I've ever been at.  There was a huge storm while we were there and a nearby tornado, but nobody at the bar was worried so I just kept drinking.  That evening I got to sip my last beer of the trip at the van door watching an incredible lightning storm.  

16 more states to go.  Des Moines in October, probably the last state I'll be able to road trip to.