Day 3 – Kansas City BBQ
We crossed the Mississippi in to Missouri, continuing the Jesus, guns and Trump tour of America. The landscape was similar to what we had encountered in western Illinois with mostly flat, farmland for as far as the eyes could see. The highways were mostly 70mph which was great, although I did get pulled over by a Sheriff’s deputy halfway through the state.
“I got you for speeding,” he said. “How fast do you think you were going?”
“85?” I guessed.
“I had you at 80,” he answered.
“Then it was 80.”
I think he thought that was funny. He ended up giving us a verbal warning and asked that we try to drive slower. I told him it was really hard to drive 70 on those flat roads. He agreed.
We made it to downtown Kansas City around 3:30pm and to Q39 which is renowned for its BBQ and a place we specifically mapped out for dinner. The restaurant was packed even between meal times but we had reservations and were seated right away in a corner with framed blue ribbons all around us.
We started with pork belly and sausage corn dogs served with BBQ sauce and maple syrup for dipping, and an order of wings slathered in a chipotle BBQ sauce. Both were awesome.
For our main meals AJ had Mac ‘n Cheese; Michael had the Q Burger which was an angus burger with BBQ sauce sharp cheddar cheese and onion straws; David and Jack both had the Choose 2 Combo Plate and each selected brisket and spare ribs; Lauren had Pulled Pork TaQos served with jalapeno-cilantro slaw and chipotle mayo; I had the Pit Master Brisket – a loaded brisket sandwich with the house-made BBQ sauce, provolone and onion straws. Everybody agreed. The food was sensational. We’ve gone through real Mexican joints in Colorado and California, 4 star steakhouses in Las Vegas – nothing yet has compared to Q39. Best meal of the trip unless Tucson, Gruene (Texas), New Orleans or Nashville can somehow top it.
After the Q39 we crossed the Missouri river into Kansas (the Missouri river would later marry up with the Mississippi in St. Louis – something I didn’t know until I looked at a map in a hotel).
There was quite a bit of traffic heading into Kansas on a Sunday afternoon. Lauren had joked that the traffic was likely due to people leaving a gun show. Turns out she was right. So we worked out way across 2 lane highways at 75mph or faster (when possible) across lands so flat that it made Missouri seem mountainous. There was lots of cattle and horses, lots of farms and tons of windmills. We passed by Fort Riley – where yours truly was born – and chased the sun west. A dense fog settled in after dark so that the best way to drive was to find a vehicle in front of you and follow their taillights. Eventually we made it to the Quality Inn in Burlington, CO and settled in for the night.
Number of States: 4
Total Miles Driven: 755
