A Detour in our Journey

Our trips would be nothing without a little room for change and some flexibility. The fact that we could have a longer or shorter stay in one place or change our whole itinerary altogether if we decided was the whole appeal of our South American Journey. This was something we wanted to implement on the North American tour as well. We ran into a snag when we started heading deeper into summer and it was time for a detour. School was out and prices were creeping upwards!

Our original plan was to head West mainly through I-80 towards Boulder passing Chicago, Des Moines and Lincoln on the way. Because of hefty hotel prices along this route and a nice hotel hook up in Colorado that fit our budget, we quickly revamped our strategy. So that we could be in Denver within a day and a half we zipped through Ohio, Missouri and Kansas on I-70 stopping only to sleep for the night in Columbus and St. Louis. Although we did not get to see much of these lovely places there were a few memorable scenes we enjoyed while just passing through.

Ohio

After sleeping for only few hours we were in desperate need of some good coffee so that we could hit the road again. We stopped by German Village, a scenic historic neighborhood full of quaint shops and restaurants. Here we found Pistacia Vera, a delicious eatery where we devoured some fresh pastries and some killer coffee to start the day off right.

Missouri

After a seven hour drive we arrived at our Airbnb in St. Louis late and exhausted. Unfortunately, we were only able to get a glimpse of the infamous St. Louis Arch from a distance while stuck in traffic and would definitely have to come back again with more time. Up at sunrise the next morning and three hours into our drive we were starving! We pulled off I-70 to find Old School Frozen Yogurt & Coffee Co, a hidden gem in Sweet Springs, MO with authentic coffee and the most mouth watering cinnamon buns ever. We stayed to chat with the kind barista while he prepared Manu some delicious Colombian drip coffee, which Manu claimed tasted like the real thing!

Kansas

I have fond memories of visiting Kansas City during an Alternative Spring Break assignment in College. I wanted to show Manu the place while passing through Kansas but with eight more hours of driving until we reached Denver that was not possible this time around. So as the gorgeous colors of the earth and sky blended together we continued making our way further West.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED NEXT:

• Denver