10-4 good buddy. Checking in here from Topeka, KS. What a day. I went through two states I've never visited before, and was duly impressed by one, and meh, about the other. On the other hand I was totally stood up for an interview, but that's not the first time such things have happened. I'm rolling on to New Mexico from here tomorrow. Then onto Phoenix.

Where to start? I'm no where close to road burn yet, which is good. I'm really pumped to be back on the road. What's a summer without crossing into every state of this great nation? I've been doing it a lot summer to summer. While all of this sounds glamorous there are endless cluster bombs to deal with. Still in the end, it's like no life I'd rather live.

The first thought on my mind is my parents. We traveled a lot as I was growing up. Our family lived in Wisconsin and we lived in Ohio, so there were multiple twelve plus hour drives to see the family. That sounds bad, but as kids, we dealt. We had walkmans, and lots of books. When we got bored, we'd stare out the windows as dad pumped NPR throughout the family van. What I thought of today, and last night were: showers and packing. As I packed, I meticulously rolled reach article of clothing. It's a trick I learned from Dad to conserve space in a bag. Laugh if you wish but all my boxers are tightly rolled and that added space for the copious research material. And showers...? Well, my dad gave me an article (darn near ten years ago) the Air Force published for those travelling. It pointed out that new locations mean new pollen. Get it off you as soon as you can. I've been cursed with awful allergies, and the first thing I do when I arrive somewhere new is shower. It doesn't guarantee no allergies but it helps.

And then I saw another great moment that made me again recall my parents. I went to the hotel pool (more on that in a bit). There was a family of four splashing around. I just wanted to soak in the hot tub because God knows my joints are dying for a spa. So the family splashing around was adorable. It was clear one girl could swim better than that other. The youngest one loved jumping into her father's arms. It was always, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, catch me!" And he would. It reminded me of time when my family went on vacation to Doore County, WI. The hotel we stayed at had an indoor pool, and my parents convinced me to get on the diving board. Which, I did, and then froze. I must have been four or five. I would not jump because I could not touch the bottom. My mom said, "Dad can't touch the bottom." And at that point, my dad didn't cease to be Superman. He was Superman. The man defied the deep, and I jumped, but only because my mom said it was safe. After that I've never been scared of water.

Okay, as for the day. Got up early. Walked to Enterprise (which is soooooooooooo much better than Hertz). Got there, and they didn't have the economy car I reserved. At Hertz, they would charge me extra for the upgrade. Enterprise said, the upgrade is free. I picked the Dodge Challenger...it was the car I drove in Vermont. Well, when the lady at the desk asked me about my trip, she saw the car needed an oil change, and they upgraded me to the Ford Fusion no extra cost. Nice car. Good gas mileage.

I took off to Iowa. This was the first time I've been in Iowa. One of the few US states I've not visited. Iowa is cool, subtly. The entire state's Interstate Highways are rolling farmlands, unlike anything I have seen before. The highways are devoid of McDonald's or Burger Kings or Exxons for every ten miles. However, my GPS was a straight purple line for 200 miles. So the drive is not adventurous, but the scenery is unbelievable. I wish I had better words to describe the state, but it is a verdant, fecund land that is unmatched with any state I have been to. It is a land worked and loved by the people.

Then I crossed into Missouri. I'm not a fan of Missouri as I'm not a fan of Lanford Wilson. That is, I see the country and I resist it but I can't help but fall in love with it. That's how I am with Lanford. His writing style and mine are polar opposites, but damn, when he's on, he is on. _Talley's Folly_, _Rhymers of Eldrich_, _Madness of Lady Bright_, _Hot L Baltimore_, and so on: unbelievable plays that I will never, ever be able to match as a writer. Missouri is a state that has pristine beauty only to be spoiled by Kentacohuts every two miles. (Kentacohuts are Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut franchises all in one building.). Outside of that, Missouri is gorgeous, and for what it's worth, Lanford's ethos and pathos in _The Fifth of July_ lands so much more while driving through Missouri.

My first stop was in Bethany, Missouri. I was supposed to meet with a dealer, a U-Haul dealer, there. He was not there. The shop was closed and hour before it was supposed to. Eh. The place has been a U-Haul dealer for 55 years, and this place is a picker's dream. It's not in the best repair. But, man, it was trip down memory lane. The place is a mecca. But I thought of Bethany, and I keep wanting to say Bethany, WV, where I went to soccer camp when I was in high school. And it reaffirms to me the bonds this nation has that I can step into two towns of the same name, different makeups, and be awed by the fact that they share a lot, a charm that says, names are the same, make up is different, but it's still the same country.

I waited for about forty minutes and then hit the road for my hotel in Topeka. This is another state I've not visited. Again, Kansas far surpasses any place I've been in terms of farmland. Just, freaking gorgeous. When I arrived at my hotel, I was a bit nervous. It didn't look like much. I'm in the Ramada downtown. This is ironic because it's less than a mile from the Expo Center which I cite as the location for the final scene in my play _The Sublime Abortion of Man_, now renamed _A Great Fresco of Stupidity_. The neighborhood is suspect. My best neighbors are two blocks down at the Shawnee County Correctional Institute. Side note, when I turned on the TV, there was a COPS episode (or some such TV show) on that was set in Topeka, Kansas. However! The hotel is really awesome and has earned numerous awards from Ramada's national office, and rightfully so. The place is large and in charge. Multiple conventions and weddings are here. Yet it's quiet. It's right off the Interstate so traveling to New Mexico will be easy tomorrow.

As for the drive, I'm trying to live like the Area Field Managers of U-Haul did: Find cheap hotels, and eat out of a cooler. I did this for the first book, and quite liked it. So my cooler today consisted of apples, cheese sticks, nuts, turkey, cheese, wheat bread, and leftover grilled turkey loin from last night. I arrived at the hotel full and feeling no desire to eat crap. I'll keep this going all trip, and try to keep costs low. I think this is in the spirit of what built the company. The Area Field Managers would cover vast tracks of land and do it on what they bought at the grocery. It's a neat life, and clean living, and one I guess we, myself included get too far away from on the road.

Pictures will come soon. I forgot my camera cord, but I'm gonna try to buy one at Best Buy tomorrow.

Out,

Luke