I decided to visit the Truman Library first for two reasons- the first is that the Truman Library was closer to Omaha than the Eisenhower Library and the other is if plans changed ( and they often can), if I had to choose one or the other, I preferred the Truman library.
We left in the morning for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Independence, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City.
I was a little surprised at the condition of Independence as we entered town.
There was some road work being done but many closed stores with barred windows and it seemed to be very run-down.
Pulling up to the Truman Library, the front grounds were more expansive than I expected, and from my time watching programs on and from the library were the most familiar to me.
However, the most recent renovation placed the entrance at what formerly was the rear of the building.
I didn't realize this until we were touring the building as the mural that used to be the first thing that visitors saw when entering, now was near the end of the building's tour.
The main difference is the new entrance has the feeling of being in a residential area with houses that were likely around when the library was built (it opened in 1957) and a cozier area than the previous entrance which looked like a looming colossus!
When entering the building, we passed an elderly woman and someone who called her "grandma'.
As I took the photo at the top of the page, this guy began to act strangely and began making odd remarks to the elderly lady, which made me wonder what his deal was.
When entering the museum, we saw another life-size statue of Truman and more noise from this guy and when we entered the first stage, the guy started to holler and make strange noises.
We never heard from or saw him again, so my best guess is that security walked him out.
What I really liked about the Truman Library was how wide the building is and the center area with the President's and First Lady's graves and the President's office area.
Everything seems so modern which is amazing with the building nearing seventy years of age!
I enjoyed going to the basement of the building and seeing various vehicles that were used by the family during the White House years and I loved watching some of the films that the museum featured.
As we hit the gift shop on the way out, I bought a few magnets for the fridge (I really liked one that was based on the cover of the book Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure) and my biggest decision came down to which Truman item I wished to buy for me.
The library had an awesome Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox with a facsimile autograph of Truman available in blue or white.
I love Victorinox's products and a similar-sized knife that looks like Swiss cheese that my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas a few years ago is a staple on my key ring.
A Truman bobblehead had some appeal too and to my surprise, the knife was a few dollars cheaper.
I decided on the knife and the other items before leaving the museum.
For a facility of its age, the Truman Library through its renovations and design has given a modern and fresh look and feel to the building, which I would highly recommend to anyone in the area.
We began the drive to Omaha, looking for a place for lunch.
I had originally considered Kansas City's barbeque staple Arthur Bryant's but while we were close enough to see the Kansas City skyline, it would have been going out of the way to get there and we were beginning to see the rush hour traffic as a possibility, so I wanted to get ahead of that, if I could.
As we hit the fringes of the KC metro area, I saw a sign for Whataburger, the Texas-based burger chain that I visited once in Florida, and instantly decided on Whataburger so Cherie could try it.
It turns out that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who grew up in Texas and attended Texas Tech, wanted Whataburgers in the Kansas City area and is a member of a partnership that owns franchises in the Kansas City and Wichita areas.
This store placed a signed Mahomes jersey in the lobby as part of the decor.
Whataburger ranks with Five Guys (I've never had the West Coast staple In and Out) as the best of the higher chain burger joints and if you have the chance to stop at one- do so!
After leaving Whataburger, we stopped at WD Pickers in Platte City, Missouri and while they had many things that I would have loved to have purchased, their prices were a bit high and they didn't have anything that I had to have at those prices.
Still, I'd return there on another trip, if I was in the area.
We also stopped in St. Joseph MO and the Jesse James antique market, named after the outlaw who died in St.Joseph.
It was large with two buildings but I didn't purchase anything there either.
We finally rolled back into Omaha and one thing I consistently notice that is different than the East Coast is the distance between gas stations, restaurants, etc.
In the East, they are all over the place, even smaller or rural areas, and in the Midwest, there are far fewer.
We then met Ryan and his family for an orchestra recital, which proved to be interesting, mainly because the youngsters played six pieces that all sounded the same despite the director calling out the song titles before each piece.
A stop at a local supermarket (Family Fare) for some supplies for the hotel concluded the day out other than a food trip next door to the hotel for dinner.
I'll get into more detail on that establishment as we move on in this series.
Next time on Road Trip- The reason we traveled to Omaha.
