Saint Louis, MO to Salina, KS

It was a very long day in the van yesterday.  We got on the road basically as per "the plan," but within a half hour the adults needed coffee and the children wanted to stretch.  On the west side of St. Louis, we found our mermaid and they found bike racks to climb on.  St. Louis is very encouraging of bike usage among its residents and visitors.

We stopped off in Independence, MO and went to the President Truman Library.  We went in, and upon learning that that admission for the six of us would be about $30.00, we left and found a used bookstore.  There, we spent less than $30.00 on a new book for each of us.

We arrived to our Couchsurfer's house around six.

This couchsurfing experience was different than the others.  Our 25-year-old host lived in a small rented house with several other people; it was unclear just how many others there were.  The living room had two recliners positioned in front of a low table where the t.v. and the Xbox360 sat.  We walked in where two people, who later went to the local, i.e., in Salina, KS, Pat Benatar concert, were playing Call of Duty, headsets and all.

(Since these people appeared to be as young as our host, I questioned their being fans on Ms. Benatar.  They seemed shocked that I would even ask, responding "She's awesome."  I suppose this is how the generation before mine felt about my assertions of Led Zeppelin's "awesomeness.")

Although the apartment was sparsely furnished, somewhat unclean, and fairly cluttered -- mostly with empty chip bags and dirty dishes -- we opted to stay.  We were offered an extra-long queen sized bed with an ill-fitting sheet and floor space for the children.

Jenna had offered to prepare dinner for our host and ourselves.  It's a good thing we travel with a cutting board, knives, and plasticware.  (The house only had three forks.)  Additionally, we had gone by the local grocer to get the makings for a "gourmet salad."  Now, as you may already know, making a salad usually requires a salad bowl.  Nary one was to be found.  Nothing even smacking of one was in this "kitchen."  Punt.  I prepared the salad in a grocery bag and, when it came time to serve it, had to use my hand to scoop it out.  Classy.

Rob went with the children to a playground while Jenna fumbled around in the kitchen.  Before dinner, Abram and Rob sat on the front steps to relax.  Truth be told, Abram was relaxing as he whittled and Rob, in his hyper-vigilance, needed the beer to offset his stress over his baby using a souvenir knife near his little right knee. 

As there were only four chairs to sit on -- two coming from an impromptu raid of the downstairs roommate's basement apartment -- we ate in shifts.  Kids first, then adults.

The children got to see AFV before we headed out for an evening walk.

It's the getting hit in the groin clips they like the best.

On our around the block venture, we found this statue outside of the Children's Center, which seemed to be a health, rather than recreational, center.

All jammed together.  Tired and quick to sleep.  As I fell asleep, I wondered about the reasonableness of a 25-year-old couchsurfing host to say "yes" to our family.  Didn't he think that it might not be the best place for all of us?  Then, it dawned on me that he probably fell asleep wondering about the reasonableness of a mental health counselor and an attorney asking to couchsurf with their four children in the home of a 25-year-old.  This experience motivates perspective and reflection. 

The 7th will be another long day, ending in the reception of friends in Colorado Springs -- our first break from staying with strangers.