Day 12 Limon to Columbia, Missouri

 It was another long 640 mile drive to Columbia from Limon. However, it included a random stop for lunch at a place Sylvia found on the Internet. It was just three miles off route 70 in Salina, Kansas called the Hickory Hut (hickoryhut.com. I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to try authentic East Kansas BBQ. The Hickory Hut was just what you'd think a small town Q joint should look like, and it was packed with locals at 11:30 in the morning. Now, I know less than nothing about BBQ, all the types are just way too much for me to comprehend; Beef, Pork, Back ribs, Short ribs, Spareribs, Country style, Baby Back, St Louis, etc. Plus the different styles; Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina, Texas, Wet, Dry, etc. Not to mention all the ways to cook them. It's just that another level of education is required to know anything about BBQ ribs. Anyhow, I walked in, totally out of my element, and asked the guy in the window "What are you famous for?" He smiled and told me the ribs and baked beans. I said, "Give me them and a pork sandwich with sides." He asked, "Where I was from?" I told him and he smiled rather kindly and welcomed me to Hickory Hut. Cool!

Well, it was an experience, and totally great. Like I said, I know nothing, but the two large ribs I got were very good (by my uneducated standards), and the beans were like nothing I've had before. I should have gotten a gallon to take home. Sylvia really like her pork sandwich, and she thought the coleslaw and potato salad were perfect. It was an excellent lunch stop.

The Hickory Nut

It was late afternoon when by the time we got to the Best Western in Columbia, Missouri. Sylvia had made a reservation from the car about an hour before we got there. As we pulled up we both thought something looked familiar, but we never remembered being in Columbia before. Once we got settled in, I checked the USA2017 blog, and sure enough, we had been at this hotel on December 26, 2017 after leaving Nashville on our way to Oregon. Thank goodness writing this junk is of some use. We would have been driven crazy all night.

Neither of us were at all hungry, so we didn't go to dinner. We just made plans for tomorrow to go to Lexington, Kentucky.