Heat Stroke & Another Surf

Columbia proved to be far too hot and muggy for the two of us, as we agreed that heading out ASAP following our visit to the university was a priority. However, there were two must stops before we finally jumped back on I-70 toward Kansas City. First, Will had a friend from Syracuse who began her studies at MU and alerted us to Shakespeare’s Pizza. The pie didn’t disappoint, had a ton of cheese and wasn’t doughy. Second, we went to Douglass Pool to combat the initial signs of heat stroke. The price was right at $1 each, which allowed us to partake in the water slide and climbing wall, without the fear of hotel attendant at Lake Motel 6 asking for our room numbers. Will did his best impressions of the X-Games trying to do what he called a “back, back, nollie, mcshuffle, with a knick knack paddy wack” (translation: he slid into the pool sideways.) We could imagine a daily visit there, should one spend an extended period of time around these parts.
Our arrival into Kansas City had a familiar arrangement, Will sprawled out (if such a thing is possible) in the passenger seat dead to the world and Todd listening to the cockney dj’s that are BBC Radio 1 on the satellite radio. Kauffman Stadium, which is where we’ll see the Royals play tonight, is a bit more out of town than we desire, as was along our route into the city. Neighborhood stadiums provide us with more unintentional comedy and a livelier atmosphere. Nonetheless, it appears to be a unique joint to watch a ball game but we’ll have more insight after our visit.
We have hit another home run with our host, Kim, on couchsurfing.org. The arrangements are in a beautiful neighborhood and home, which provides easy access to several parts of the city should we decide to venture out on our own. After settling our bags and Todd taking a quick shower, Kim took us to meet some of her friends for an energetic night of conversation. We spent the majority of our time at a bar named Kelly’s, the longest continuingly running business in Kansas City, and enjoyed many of a pint at $4.75 a pitcher. Kim’s friends were a riot, with topics ranging to their recent trip to Northern Alabama to the suggestion that we camp in Lake of the Ozarks, MO on our way to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Supposedly, it has the reputation of being quite the place to be in your 20’s and jumping in an actual large body of water sounds so incredibly enticing right now. (Note: Kim’s friend is in the works on setting up a date with the mother of comedian David Spade’s child. The kicker is that she was in a certain famous men’s magazine’s March 2005 issue.)
Our night ended with our top floor room finally cooled enough to sleep comfortably. Miraculously, Todd decided to show some heart and allowed Will to sleep in the bed, while he huddled up next to the vent on the floor. We both slept in to 10 am, which is a testament to how tattered our bodies are at this point. Today, a Royal’s game and an attempt by Todd to get Will to shower; both should be exciting.

Todd & Will