Old Patterns Seen Anew

My trip south along I-29 from the Metro Omaha area to Kansas City kicked up memories of many childhood and adult trips on that same road. Growing up, I thought it was because we wanted to go to the bigger city for tasty eats and shopping at the Crown Plaza and Country Club Plaza.

Those were attractions, but we made that trip so many times because of the generational migratory pattern caused by family visits to see my grandmother’s mother who came from and returned to this part of the world. And, here I thought it was because Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun were rad.

With my Lewis & Clark travels in mind, I stopped near St. Joseph, Missouri to get up close and personal with the muddy Missouri River. Then, I finished the drive into Kansas City in time to interview Jannae Gammage, CEO of The Market Base.

We met in J. C. Nichols Park adjacent to the Country Club Plaza. It has an iconic fountain and has served as the de facto downtown for locals. It was the site of the George Floyd/Black Lives Matter protests and many artifacts from those recent days still are on display.

I picked up some barbecue and local craft brew before retiring to my hotel for the night. Three more full days of interviews and travels before I complete this pilot journey.

What routes and patterns have you seen in new lights recently?