An autumn afternoon on the Smithville Lake bike and hiking trails is one of KC’s best escapes.

US Senator Barack Obama will be in KC this weekend to raise money for Claire McCaskill’s Senate campaign. If you don’t know have $250 for breakfast with the guy, you can get tickets to a free rally.  It’s Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Uptown Theater.  Get tickets here.

First, riding in an elevator with an embroidered “RUSH 30th Anniversary” polo shirt.

Second, learning that cashew chicken was invented in the buckle of the bible belt, Springfield, MO. Hence forth I shall call it God’s Chicken.

So I’m heading to St. Louis in a couple of weeks on a new endeavour.  It’s been a few years since I’ve spent any serious time in the Lou, as most of the folks I knew there have moved to KC or elsewhere.  So, if anyone has some updates on what’s new and cool on the east coast of the state, bring ‘em on.  The science center is always a must-see for me, and I plan to check out the progress of their downtown renovations as well.

This is hard core nerdy even for me.  If anyone wants the official state song on their phone, here is a MIDI file of the Missouri Waltz.

During a quick trip down to Springfield/Branson this weekend I stopped counting after the fifth Jesus Radio station.  Then one of the secular stations had an ad for a store selling the Juicy Couture clothing line, and the girl kept pronouncing it Juicy Cooter. I think this is more than just a Mizzourah accent that says Versailles like Ver-Sales, and in fact the buckle of the Bible Belt has a store that sells juicy cooter and advertises it on the radio.

Publisher’s Weekly:

While the Missouri is not as muddy as it was before it was dammed, straightened, channelized and turned into what environmentalists call the world’s biggest barge ditch, the political wranglings surrounding it are murky indeed. Journalist Lambrecht (Dinner at the New Gene Cafe) deftly untangles the confrontation between an alliance of farmers, barge operators and real estate developers who want the river managed for industrial convenience, and environmentalists and recreation and tourist interests who want to restore some of its meanderings and seasonal flows and revive floodplain ecosystems. The controversy also pits the Army Corps of Engineers, custodian of dams and canals, against the Fish and Wildlife Service, guardian of endangered species. Meanwhile, the upriver Dakotans and downriver Missourians squabble over divvying up the river’s waters.

Toastedcone has more Missouri town names, many that I didn’t have in my list. I also forgot to mention what is probably my favorite, three towns in northwestern Lafayette County that go by the names Wellington, Napolean, and Waterloo (although Waterloo doesn’t really exist anymore).

Mid-America Regional Council has a new bike ride to promote the nascent MetroGreen trail system. On October 1 the City-to-City Tour 2005 will go through lots of historic areas of both KCMO and KCK, including the River Market, Columbus Park, Cliff Drive and Gladstone Boulevard in the Old Northeast, and Westheight in KCK.