plane doors are about to close and our tables are in the upright position. This is talking america. Welcome to Chicago, where the local time is 10.09.
Speaker 3:Our arrival gate today is M18.
Speaker 2:I'm taking a road trip with my childhood school friend, tim Arnold. We're driving from Chicago to Denver and back again. Along the way we'll meet with my friends Hilly and Hart breakfast radio presenters on the mid-Missouri radio station Cat Country, and we'll explore the Rocky Mountains. So let's fill up the car with gas, top up on the root beer and head down the highway. So we're in Chicago and we're just about to leave in the biggest car I've ever been in in my life. Tim, this is huge this car it is.
Speaker 4:It's a monster. I'm actually a bit scared that when I put my foot down, the petrol gauge is going to go to empty.
Speaker 2:It's that big.
Speaker 4:It is that big. It's a gas guzzler for sure.
Speaker 2:But we are in Chicago, we are, the road trip begins Talking America are in Chicago, we are. Hey, the road trip begins Talking America. So we left Chicago around about half 12 and time now is about 25 past five and Tim and I in our car, our giant, massive, huge car, which we've just filled up gas for we've just passed the Mississippi River. Yeah, there was a lovely moment where we went over this bridge, which was like the bridge out of Stand by Me, the movie. It fantastic and you're getting these little moments as we go through this beautiful landscape. Well, it's about 7.15 and we're just arriving in Jefferson City. The State Capitol is to our left, the State Capitol building with its beautiful red light which is shining, and then there's this orange glow. That's been quite a journey so far, tim.
Speaker 4:It has. Yeah, We've got about a thousand bugs on the windshield.
Speaker 1:Because we've been going that fast.
Speaker 4:And wiping out every bug between Chicago and here. But yeah, it's been a great. Well, it's been a lot of miles, a lot of hours.
Speaker 2:Just going over a beautiful stretch of water, now Heading towards the sign which says Lake of the Ozarks, and that's where we will join Kevin and Donna, our hosts, over the next couple of days.
Speaker 5:Hello, hello Dude. How are you, hi? I'm doing all right man. How are you, tim? It'm doing all right man. How are you, tim? So nice to see you. Good ride down.
Speaker 4:Hi, I'm Donna.
Speaker 6:Was I right when I said you were?
Speaker 3:going to be Eldon exits. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's about a half hour. Yeah, yeah, yeah, welcome to the woods, guys, lovely sound yeah.
Speaker 5:Kevin, I cannot believe we're here and this is your home, this is where we live, this is our house. We've been here three and a half years and we bought it three years ago, and we love it.
Speaker 2:It's a lovely place as well, so tell us where we are.
Speaker 5:Lake of the Ozarks, which is a huge tourist recreation lake. I love the rural setting that we're in. We don't have to worry about cars back and forth and everything, and I've lived on the end of a gravel road a couple of times in my life. This is one of them. We just love it here.
Speaker 2:So it's weird to think you know 11 years ago that I first came to see you you weren't living here then, no, april of 2013,.
Speaker 5:We were living in Columbia, missouri, and that was another house we had. We lived in a cul-de-sac. We were still raising our kids at that point they were teenagers and that was the first time that you came to our house, which was really funny because we had really just met a couple of years before, maybe not even and you said, hey, I'm coming to america. We're like okay. And I was wondering, like, are they still going to debut the film? The film will debut in Poland.
Speaker 1:I mean, is it going to be in theaters here? I mean I feel really bad. It's such a messed up situation. But all I know is I really pray to.
Speaker 2:God, just coming up to the radio station. Now I do remember this. You can see the radio transmitters nearby.
Speaker 5:Morning Kevin. Well, good morning Tom.
Speaker 2:It's very early, I am telling you, it's freezing and it's freezing out. See, here we are, 11 years later, back again here we are.
Speaker 5:This is just like no time has passed at all. You know, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:So what's your routine now this morning?
Speaker 5:I'm going to go in. Aaron has already kind of started piecing the show together, and I'm going to go in and get a cup of coffee. Hey, so I found these guys out here, good morning. They're hanging out by the entrance, hi Boy.
Speaker 6:Good morning Dom. How are you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got your coffee.
Speaker 6:I do have my coffee and my Golden Girls mug. Nice, that's right, you got to start the day off with coffee.
Speaker 5:This is the special Dominic King seat of For British Day. Move over Buckingham Palace, Kelly and Hart's British Day has BBC Radio's Dominic King taking the crown for radio royalty today on 94.3 Cat Country. Oh, indeed, we do Welcome Dom Dominic King.
Speaker 2:Good morning, the band are back together again.
Speaker 6:We're so happy to have you.
Speaker 5:This is so great Dom got in. On what day did you arrive? Saturday.
Speaker 6:Saturday.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and we've had a great time with him. You know, yesterday we took a cruise at the lake celebration cruises and then we had dinner all together and then we said, well, we've got to have you on the show on Monday, You've got to come in with us. So it's British Day here.
Speaker 2:I'm honored. You know how honored I am.
Speaker 6:Well, you traveled quite a distance just to hang out with us, so we're honored.
Speaker 2:And I don't want you to think I've left it 11 years for a reason, but I did feel like a bit of space would be good for all of us, that's probably good.
Speaker 6:Plus there was that pesky restraining order? Yeah yeah, dom was here in April of 2013.
Speaker 5:And then we all became great friends from that and you know I had the great joy of, during my as we like to call it European odyssey, got to stay with Dom and his wife for a couple of nights, so we just had a blast.
Speaker 2:We really did Really good and it was great having you over with us.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it was, he gave me. Oh my gosh, aaron, you get over there, you're going to get quite the tour from him. This man, if he wasn't in radio he would make a great tour guide because he knows the whole area there.
Speaker 2:And the thing is, Aaron, I never charged him much Bill's in the mail, isn't it? Well, it was the tips idea and I thought well, if you can do it, so can.
Speaker 6:I See, see Exactly.
Speaker 5:See, here's the thing His knowledge of his area dwarfs mine. Like I would not be able to give such an in-depth look at where we live the way he did, because I mean he goes into history and little particular details and things the last time.
Speaker 6:Dom was here, I think Hilly drove him down Missouri Boulevard and was like there's Walmart, there's McDonald's, hey, we got a Burger King Three o'clock and we will do this again tomorrow for a Tuesday.
Speaker 5:Guys. Quote unquote more normal version See 820.
Speaker 2:Guys quote unquote more normal version See you in 11 years, Don't?
Speaker 5:make me sad. 94.3 Cat Country.
Speaker 2:So, erin, we have left the studio. We finished the show.
Speaker 6:Yes, we have, and now we're heading to the grand reopening of Midmo Water Solutions. They used to be Echo Water and that's like a staple in our community, but they're rebranding and we're going to go and show our support In this area in this community.
Speaker 2:You know you and Kevin can't really easily just walk down the street without people knowing who you are and what's that like.
Speaker 6:Well, okay, usually, if they see, they'll look at us and say, okay, those people look familiar. It's when we speak, it's when we talk, and they hear the voices that they're like wait a minute, I know those voices and it's kind of weird, it's surreal, it really is. Once I had a really bad cold and I took the day off. I said I just need a day to kind of get over this. Well, I didn't have any type of cold medicines or anything. So I went into Walmart in just my PJs and my mom had called and she was like hey, how are you feeling? I go. I just stopped to get a little bit of cold meds and I'm heading back home. Well, this older woman heard me and she goes excuse me, are you Erin Hart? And I mean I looked awful and I go. No, I get that a lot, I and I go. No, I get that a lot. I felt bad about saying that, but at the same time I was a hot mess. I did not. I did need to have a long conversation. We've arrived, we have.
Speaker 1:Ready set cut.
Speaker 3:My name is Julie Smith. I am a photographer at the Jefferson City News Tribune. I am in my 35th year. What do you love about what you do? I love meeting new people. I love the fact that I am not tied to a certain spot in an office every day, all day. I like the coming and going, no matter how challenging the weather is sometimes, except for the pouring down rain, and to soon be out in the heat, the cold, the snow, the sleet, you know, you've just got to watch out for your camera gear.
Speaker 2:To actually grab that moment, is there a joy that happens as you click that image.
Speaker 3:Oh, indescribable joy and feeling of accomplishment.
Speaker 2:It's like I think I got it. I think I got it. Kansas City is the destination. Now, as the road trip continues. We're on West I-470, the route heading in that direction, after being in Jefferson City and spending an amazing weekend in the Ozarks and just having a really great time. But the road trip goes all the way to Denver and then back on ourselves. It's a long route, there's no doubt about it, and you certainly get to know the person you're traveling with, don't you, tim? You do.
Speaker 4:Well, there's many hours in there. I mean we've had it must be around 15 hours of travel already even to get to this point, and the road ahead is a lot longer, a lot longer. I think it's about a 10 hour drive tomorrow and that is a lot of mileage. So, yes, you're right, you do get to know people very well. You can have some good chats. I mean there's periods of silence where we just listen to road trip radio, which is great. I mean, isn't it great? There's a radio station dedicated to people on road trips and the music is just great. So you know when there needs to be silence, you can just listen to the music and look at the open road.
Speaker 2:We've had railways going past us, trains going past us with sounds, and that was a moment for me as well, because my love of America is often with the sounds that you hear. So the sound of that mule train going forward where it seems to never end, and then that horn that blows. At one point we didn't even realise it was on our side and you heard the horn and it was like whoa. So Kansas City is our next destination. We're going to stay in a place called Grandma's House, and the next time you hear us we'll be opening that door. Let's hope she's not there, Grandma. That sounds a bit more sinister than I was hoping for. All right, OK.
Speaker 5:He's my baker.
Speaker 2:He's my baker, my baker just sitting on this veranda, both got a beer in hand. We've had quite a road trip already, and we're now here in kansas city and I wonder where that train's going. Isn't this just idyllic?
Speaker 4:very idyllic. Oh, it's lovely, isn't it? There it is it is. Yeah, sorry, I've got a mouthful of Hershey's as well as a beer, but this is like a movie set. It is like a movie set.
Speaker 2:It's amazing. Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, this is proper, like you know, main Street USA isn't it?
Speaker 4:It is. Yeah, I can imagine then that house over there, yeah.
Speaker 2:Michael Myers, michael Myers, yeah.
Speaker 4:He's just about to break into that house. Thanks for that, Tim. He won't come over here because Grandma's here.
Speaker 2:No, we have to be honest. We are a little creeped out by this house. When we came here, we thought this is beautiful and it is. It's lovely old-style USA, but there's just a few rooms that we've closed the doors on.
Speaker 4:Yeah, a bit. Rooms that we've closed the doors on yeah a bit scary. They've got like closets at the back and, yeah, funny looking toys yeah, there's a children's room upstairs which is opposite my bedroom. Yeah, and I've got to tell you it's creepy and I've just seen an old lady go past the window inside. But you know, I don't know if that's anything well, I'm just going to say it's strange.
Speaker 2:you said that because as you sat down, I did think I saw something coming past. Yeah, seriously, exactly. Yeah, did you really see that?
Speaker 4:I did yeah, A few moments ago.
Speaker 2:No, because I did Cheers.
Speaker 4:Cheers.
Speaker 2:It's just after six in the morning. We're leaving our place in Kansas City, just outside called Grandma's House, and yeah, it was really really nice, lovely, beautiful place. On this road trip, I mean, we may have also had Grandma staying with us, because we may have heard her a few times overnight. Yeah, we sure did. She's in the car and we're now heading to Denver. So this is about an eight hour road trip and we've been told by literally everyone we've met oh, you're going through Kansas City right the way through to Denver, are you? You? Yeah, not much to see. It is john denver playing on our way to denver how cool is that what an irony that song playing as we look at the sat nav.
Speaker 2:What are you? 520 miles on the i-70. Yeah, yeah, take that in 520 miles on the I-70. Yeah, take that in 520 miles on the same stretch of highway.
Speaker 6:You'll be all right.
Speaker 4:How about this then? Thank you very much.
Speaker 2:We're in the car and we've just been to a diner.
Speaker 1:That was really cool, wasn't it? It was, it was yummy that was proper American diner as well.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yummy scrummy.
Speaker 2:Not a chain, just a nice mum and pups type diner at Stacey's. Yeah, and it was great and the food was wonderful. And, tim, you know, that for me was I always wanted, whatever we did on this whole trip, to have a few experiences. And today that diner experience you and I sitting in one of those booths ordering the food, brilliant local people, you know even a sign saying there if you're enjoying the food, remember a farmer brought it to you I love that.
Speaker 4:It's great to get off the beaten track, isn't it like you say, and not to just get the old tourist traps and all that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:So six and hours and 31 minutes left of this 477 miles. We do need to get some gas.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because we're on a highway where there's not actually much much opportunities to stop. So, yeah, I'm going to pull into a gas station.
Speaker 2:So, tim, we're about halfway to Denver.
Speaker 4:We are. Yes, we're halfway. Yeah, that's bonkers, isn't it? We started in the dark, now it's light, but the landscape's got quite boring. Now We've gone from hills and buildings to very flat land, and not much out there, apart from some nodding donkeys, if you know what those are? What are they? They're the daggers that go up and down and pump water for irrigation. So when we used to watch Dallas, we saw the oil versions of that. The oil versions, the big ones, yeah, that's right. Silos where I think, all the pesticide, all the seeds kept, but that's all we're seeing then, Literally. I mean, it just goes on forever. You can't even see the horizon.
Speaker 2:It's crazy. It's a long old highway, isn't it? It just carries on on I-70. And as we go past, occasionally you get lots in this part of the world of signs that will say Jesus, whilst occasionally you get lots in this part of the world of signs that will say Jesus saves, or Donald Trump. Pretty much those two it is, isn't it? I'll leave you to work out which one will help you, but, yeah, going down this highway as Tim says it really is you can see that kind of very easily that prairie. Look, if you just squinted your eye and took away some of the modern agriculture stuff, you could easily see horses and cowboys, couldn't you?
Speaker 4:no doubt about it oh, definitely, yeah, I'm definitely getting a little house of the prairie vibes looking at some of this so talking america has now reached denver, colorado.
Speaker 2:We're about 20 minutes out from the city itself. We're going to be staying in downtown and traveling alongside my mate, tim, and we have been looking for this mountain ridge for a while, these mountain peaks, and now finally they're coming into view, and it's pretty impressive.
Speaker 4:As we start heading towards the city itself, tim I've been looking for these mountains for hours, because we've been going for five hours through flat, boring land, and I've been going where are the mountains? Because they must be visible on the horizon, and there was a little while, about half an hour ago, I saw a little faint blue outline and it's of course the cloud is obscuring the mountains, as it does with mountains. Some days it's clear, some days they're hidden. And, yeah, we can now start to see the height we're going to have to climb to get to Denver.
Speaker 2:You know this area, Tim. You've worked here before. What's it like when you actually approach and you've done this by, I guess, a plane before, but never on the road.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's a very curious plane journey because you kind of arrive over mountain ranges and you're going well, there's no city below, and then suddenly there's an airport that you arrive at and then, when you get to the airport and leave it, there's a load of countryside between the airport and Denver itself. So it's a very strange kind of approach. But it's interesting for me to come in via car up from the valley this time around. So it's going to be very interesting. And yeah, you mentioned about the breathing. You kind of forget, I mean. I remember when I went up to the actually Rocky Mountains I was struggling to breathe. I was thinking why is this? You call some altitude and you always have to remember that it can really take it out of you.
Speaker 2:Well, it does feel that we really are now Rocky Mountain High. Rocky Mountain High, indeed. Look at this, look at that range. That's amazing. So now really starting to see those mountain peaks, they're kind of mingling with the clouds. You could be forgiven, it's a massive, great, big grey cloud in the background, but it's an imposing image. And now the traffic starts to build up as we head into Denver City itself. Then we've got Aurora, all these famous names, denver, colorado Springs, and just huge, huge skies.
Speaker 2:So we're in our home in Denver in our Airbnb accommodation, which is just magical. It's a beautiful apartment full of sci-fi, because Jack who owns this place works in the entertainment industry, but he is a massive fan of Star Trek. In front of me in this living room here, 2001, a Space Odyssey and posters of things like Tomorrowland, everywhere you look. And he had this lovely welcome for us which said hi, dom and Tim, welcome to Denver. Beautiful map of Denver and surroundings, just on the side of a wall here. But as I go down these stairs, you may hear a familiar sound from our past, and certainly from America's past, because it is the sound of a pinball machine.
Speaker 2:Oh shucks, and let me get this right Tim, you have a pinball machine in your bedroom.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I've been up all night playing this. I'm in my element. I don't want to move.
Speaker 2:And then just coming out to the backyard here, and this is such a beautiful spot there's a hot tub, which we've enjoyed, lovely water feature over here, barbecue area. The greatest thing of all that I've really enjoyed watching over the last few hours is the fact that there are squirrels going up and down the trees and, of course, unlike most of our country, with the grey squirrel, over here it's the red squirrel and there's just two as I speak, two squirrels just dancing their way across the top of the fence line here. They're always so curious, aren't they looking around? Incredible acrobatics. You can hear someone removing their bins, getting them out, or should I say the trash. So we're travelling on a winding road up the mountain, the Rockies of Colorado, stretching all the way across the country to Idaho. It is amazing, tim, this landscape. It's really hard to explain it.
Speaker 2:Looking to the left-hand side side, looking down at a creek there the water and a sheer drop absolutely all the way through to this lush greenery and this rock that's just jutting out as you're driving around the road side here I'm also being rather careful because I don't want to drive off the edge of the road because it is very narrow.
Speaker 4:Here it's. It's incredible, isn't it? And we were only only in the city centre about 40 minutes ago. It goes to show you how unique Denver is, where you can be in Metropolis one minute and out in the wilderness, like this the next. And somewhere around here there's the Stanley Hotel, which was the inspiration for Stephen King's the Shining the book, the Overlook Hotel. Not to be confused with the actual location used in the film. That was very different. But the actual notion of a mountain-based hotel that's left abandoned in the winter when no one can get up there, and a story set in that deserted hotel, well, that's spooky in itself, isn't it?
Speaker 2:I've been very lucky in my life to travel in different parts of the world, but every time you come to somewhere which almost takes your breath away, it's very hard to just get your words out, but I am stunned by how beautiful this is. So we continue to wind our way up the mountainside on these very, very narrow roads.
Speaker 4:Well, literally we're going to be going up two miles high.
Speaker 2:So you can hear the sound of this water, just as I look at the mountains here, overlooking Estes Park, which is a kind of hub for all of the Rockies around us, and it is incredible to be here. I'm the Rockies around us and it is incredible to be here. I'm nearby the visitor center and I'm just looking at this huge mountain range all around us and there's this river walk here, people from all over the world just enjoying these spaces and they can go to these separate places, these separate parks on expedition trips and just enjoying what this place has to offer. Being here in Colorado, being here high in the mountains, just breathing in that air oh it's quite something and just feeling very lucky to be here for our podcast as we continue our journey for Talking America.
Speaker 2:Water coming down the Rockies and as it comes down, it deposits bits of rock that then fly into this fan-type shape, creating over time this natural wonder. Just sitting here is beautiful. I'm actually quite emotional about it. I'm quite overwhelmed that I'm here in a place I've always wanted to be the Rockies. Yeah, just to sit here and know that I've travelled from my home thousands and thousands of miles and in this very moment I'm alone here just listening to this water, and this water carries with it a story story, a story of this place and actually this country. Christy and john, I'm here with you. This natural falls behind us. It's incredible, christy. What's your impression of it?
Speaker 1:uh, it's just so gorgeous I just want to like jump in it, except it's too cold. But yeah, and like the rocks are so beautiful and just looking around constantly finding new views and things to take pictures of, and yeah.
Speaker 2:John, have you guys been here before? To the Rockies.
Speaker 1:I drove through when I was moving to California, but I've never stopped and I always wanted to come back, and so we both like hiking and we figured this would be a great time to go, because our trip got canceled.
Speaker 2:So you've come from St Louis in Missouri and heading here. Where's? Where's the next stop for you, or is this? Is this where you're going to spend a lot of time? This is our big vacation. Oh, this is amazing.
Speaker 1:We're here for like two days, three nights and we just like did a road trip up from St Louis. We were going to go to Asheville this week for an improv festival improv comedy we both do and he was going to perform there, but they they had obviously the flood, so we couldn't go. So we had to change our plans last minute. We were like, well, let's just go to Denver.
Speaker 2:Now, john, the rain's starting to fall. But just one last question to you both here when you come to a place like this. For me, this has been a childhood dream, ever since I heard John Denver sing Rocky Mountain High.
Speaker 1:So this idea of this place, what does it mean to you as americans? It's nice to see a part of our land that isn't spoiled by billboards and gas stations. Yeah, and like too, I love john denver, so we were listening to that on the way up. But like too, it looks like all of the cowboy movies we've seen our whole lives and and just kind of like this gentle I don't know it feels gentle here.
Speaker 2:Nature is not gentle, but yeah there is something very special about being here in this silence, when we just all stop for a moment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's something.
Speaker 2:I hope you both have a wonderful trip and thank you for being on Talking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we love talking to you. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:So I've now reached the top of this waterfall and the wind is starting to blow in and there's a rain cloud coming above and there are spots of rain and leaves falling in this fall in Denver, colorado, and I finally made it to the top of the Rocky Mountains All around me, this beautiful landscape and a bit of a childhood dream for me. I pictured in my mind what it would look like Beautiful, beautiful landscape and I've got to be honest with you, this is something I'll remember for the rest of my life, just sitting here on my own and listening. So it's our final morning here in Denver, colorado, and I'm looking out at the beautiful mountain range before me in the place we're staying, which is a cabin called Owl Cove, and I've been listening over the last few moments and at first I thought it was someone playing a musical instrument. You may have just heard it slightly there with that car sound. It's actually the sound of the elks, I've been told by locals. It is rutting season so you're more likely to hear them making the noise. You can see them all around the Estes Park, which is where we're staying. It's quiet, many people still asleep, and then occasionally and see if we can hear it there, the sound of the call of these incredible creatures that walk amongst the trees on top of this mountain. It's such a beautiful experience to hear, so you can imagine what it's like for me to be able to see all of this as well.
Speaker 2:I went to the gift shop yesterday down in the main town here and they had loads of wonderful Denver Colorado T-shirts and hats. But they also had little key rings and I bought one of them with Bigfoot on. And what better place for Bigfoot to roam, if Bigfoot is real, bigfoot to Rome, if Bigfoot is real than this stretch of mountain which travels all across this part of the States. And I've got to be honest with you, there have been moments when I've just been looking really deeply and intently you never know, it could be the day where I become one of the many but instead the sound in the background of the elk, which is something I definitely know I'm seeing and experiencing for real right here today.
Speaker 2:So we've left Denver Colorado back on the road trip and heading now back to our starting point of Chicago. But there's a long way to go yet and we've just gone past Fort Morgan and that was the home in his childhood of Glenn Miller. He went along to the high school there. Their most famous graduate of Fort Morgan High School Recording of Chattanooga Choo Choo sold over 1,200,000 copies, first gold record in history. I don't know about you, tim, I heard some music as we went past. Yeah, I did as well. Yeah, so today we're heading and we'll get there in another 6 hours and 14 minutes. Sorry about that, tim, because we're breaking this journey into two parts. We've done lots of little bits, haven't we? But this is the big mammoth trip. So that's where we're heading now. Who knows what's going to happen on the next part of this road trip, nebraska then.
Speaker 4:Tim Nebraska, 57 minutes out from our final stop for today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we're going to head over to Council Bluffs, which is just actually technically across the state border, isn't it in Iowa, which is getting us closer to Chicago?
Speaker 4:That's right indeed, yeah, and hopefully there's a good feed there, because I'm well hungry now and that's really weird saying that with all the food that's available. But uh, yeah, looking forward to a nice big lump of meat tonight.
Speaker 2:That's not elk it's been really strange. When you're going down these highways, and for a long time, you don't see much. Either side you're seeing agricultural land, farmland, but as we continue on the 180 eastbound, now it all comes into view here now haven't we learned a little road trip trick not to go blindly looking for fuel that it says is off a ramp.
Speaker 2:I didn't know if you were going to mention that tim. Yeah, yeah, we had a moment where, quite frankly, the car decided to grumble a bit and say you know, you're quite close to being out of fuel at about. Was it 50 miles, 40 miles? Yeah, 40 miles. So we saw the sign for fuel and then it took us right up into Smallville. Superman, I thought, was going to be running alongside the road. Yeah, I would definitely say, if you see a sign that says fuel, don't always believe it's going to be just off of the road, because it can sometimes definitely not be. But we now have filled up and we're coming through into this space. It's definitely got warmer as well, and we've had word that in Chicago itself, it's in the 30s this weekend where the Chicago Marathon is going to be going on.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's right. I've got some friends who've been there the last couple of days and they've said it's 31 degrees. It's quite interesting. On this trip I've had somebody in Chicago, a friend from the UK and also someone that carried on with their holiday to Florida and was in Orlando last night in the worst hurricane Florida's ever seen. It's OK, I haven't seen any of the news on how bad Florida is today, but it's very, very strange weather everywhere because we're also getting reports of northern lights in the UK tonight. Northern Lights in the UK tonight. It's quite funny, as we're driving along in the daytime following trucks and trying to find gas stations, that everyone's out in the gardens taking pictures of Northern Lights back home.
Speaker 2:Very strange, pretty bonkers really. Yeah, just showing what can be happening around the world at any point. But our destination is Ford and that's where we're going now. You've been enjoying that root beer for a long time now. So we've just crossed the state line from Nebraska into Iowa. Lovely big sign saying welcome, and I can see our hotel just in the distance. Well, we will stop for the night before the final journey to Chicago happens.
Speaker 2:So we've just crossed over the mighty Mississippi and we've just crossed the state line. So we're now in Illinois, heading our way to Chicago. We've got about two hours left. We've got about two hours left. Should arrive just after three, although we're going to stop to get some gas right now because we need it. There we go, the land of Lincoln. Welcome to Illinois, it says from the people of Illinois. It has been amazing going through all of these different states and seeing what it's like and the change of pace and the place that you see in front of you, and all the different vehicles as well, has been really eye-opening. So many different types and all the incredibly huge lorries that I think you, tim, described it as like tonka trucks it is.
Speaker 4:It's incredible. Yeah, they're massive. I mean like the semis, the trucks. Sometimes you can have two massive trailers on the back, or you have a lot of these things out here where you have a pickup truck that's towing a massive um caravan with a, with a kind of a truck hitch on it this has been, though.
Speaker 2:This journey back has been visually so much more appealing, isn't it, quite frankly? Because, uh, this trip back from denver all the way through, we stopped off at council bluffs overnight for a stay, but the rest of the journey it does feel like it's gone a lot faster.
Speaker 4:Yeah it it does. It's much more interesting. Everyone warned us that the Kansas Trail was going to be quite flat and boring. It was to be honest, but I've not struggled at all on this one. There's lots to see, lots more scenery and, as you said, every time you cross into a different state there's different surroundings. You really do get a feel for how different each state is.
Speaker 2:And we've been keeping going with plenty of coffee. Well, we finally reached Chicago after 44 hours, 31 minutes, 2,593.3 miles. What a journey From Chicago to Denver, denver to Chicago and all the places in between. What a story that's been told Talking America. So, tim, here we are. We've arrived in Chicago. Yes, we have.
Speaker 4:Finally, will you imagine 34 years ago, playing football in a playing field in our school in Kent, that you'd say we'd be 34 years later working in the media and doing a road trip with the USA? I mean, I wouldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it, incredible.
Speaker 2:How's it?
Speaker 4:been for you the trip. It's been great. I love driving and I've actually liked time around not doing the touristy things and actually just seeing America, because when you do places like Florida and California, which I've done in the past, they are mini Disneyland's basically and, yeah, this is very different. I've seen the real bits of America, got to live in an American house, with Airbnb mainly as well, and we're enjoying the hotel experience.
Speaker 2:Use the right lane to keep right to merge onto I-190 East towards Chicago. Quite remarkable, though, really, when you think about what we have done and the journey we have taken and the places and the people we have met. We've met some lovely people along the way, as well as people we were going to meet, which is just such a joy that we've had that in our lives. As we look now, chicago O'Hare just to our left planes coming into land, that's where we'll be heading, but we're going to have just some chill out time in Chicago now before our plane journey back home to Kent. Go past this exit, then use the right lane to take exit 1 beyond to River Road South. Thanks for listening. The music to Talking is composed by Johnny Easton. Talking is a Laughing Frog production.