The Pure Missouri Post: 6/20/21

Special Train Edition • Vol. 1, Issue No. 7

Do you remember the plan?

Well, things have not gone according to it recently.

I took Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner train from Kansas City to St. Louis today—arriving at Kirkwood, to be exact—around 1:30 p.m. Using modern technology (so I thought), I was going to share my trip with you in real time as I crossed the state.

However, the great internet connection I enjoyed from KC to Jefferson City let me down during the second half of the trip, so here it is after 10 pm and I’m just now getting this “special edition” published.

The Missouri River Runner at KC’s Union Station. Source: amtrakguide.com

This was my first time on a train in Missouri (unless you count Santa’s Christmas Train at Antioch Shopping Center back in the 1970s). I’ve taken commuter trains on the east coast—and I’ve been on high-speed trains in Europe (rolling at 186 miles per hour)—but I’ve never been on a train in Missouri.

And at $36 one way from KC to St. Louis, WHY HAVE I NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE???

I can’t get a Lyft from Downtown to KCI for less than that.

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For my first trans-Missouri train trip, I got up at 4:55 am, walked the dog, finished packing, ate half a breakfast burrito so I could take my pills (yes, I’m old), and caught the free KC Streetcar with my luggage in tow around 7:15 am. Ten minutes later, I was at Union Station. By 8:15, the Missouri River Runner was pulling out of the station. Easy peasy.

So, while this is late and much less timely, here’s a video of the first part of my trip—let’s call it this week’s Missouri MOment—after reaching the halfway point (KC to Jefferson City). Depending on how the rest of this trip goes, I’ll tack on to what’s here.

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