Day Sixteen, Super Jessa!

This morning was so nice because I got to sleep in until 10am, which for me isn't really sleeping in, but on this trip, it is! Then I grabbed my favorite cheddar broccoli soup for lunch at St. Louis Bakery & Co, which I found out is also known as Panera Bread! What can I say, it's the best!

I had a beautiful 3 hour ride through the southern Illinois countryside. I couldn't stop looking out at the bright blue sky filled with puffy white, cottonball-like clouds. I love clouds! I realize after seeing so many of them on this trip that southern California is severely lacking in clouds, with the exception of fog and little thin whisps which are more suggestions of clouds than actual clouds in my opinion. There's just something about little puffy white clouds layered across the sky that makes me want to fly right up there and bounce around among them. It looks so calm and peaceful up there, isolated from this crazy busy world down here and I'd just love to be surrounded by that feeling of peace every once in a while. I've found some of it in the more isolated, untouched places like the open spaces in Utah, Wyoming and in the national parks like Arches and Yellowstone, but I'd love to get a taste of what it's like among the clouds without the pressurized fuselage of an airplane getting in the way. It's times like that I wish Superman were around to give me a lift. I finally decided that if he won't come to me, I'll just have to go to him, so I headed to his hometown of Metropolis, Illinois, which just so happened to be the direction I was already driving, go figure!
For those of you that don't know, I'm a huge Superman fan! I guess for me it dates back to the 1990s TV show, "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" starring Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain. I loved that show despite the fact that at 10 years old I was probably a decade or so younger than it's target audience. I never got into the comics, but I have seen and own all four of the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve and loved those as well, although the fourth one w/ the scary, solar-powered villain still scares me to this day! And I love the new Superman franchise as well! I remember watching Brandon Routh on "One Life to Live" years ago and think it's so cool that he's made it so far. I think he's a great Clark Kent/Superman and I can't wait for the next installment!

Anyway, I drove through little Metropolis, Illinois, which unfortunately doesn't live up to its name and probably wouldn't even make the map if it weren't for it's connection to a certain superhero. Driving around a bend, I caught sight of the familiar red and blue suit on a giant Superman statue in the middle of town! It's so funny stumbling upon sights like this because they're always in small towns and their often bright colors rarely fit in with the faded, historic, older buildings and features. The giant bright red and blue Superman statue was no exception, but I think that's what makes it so cool, that it doesn't fit in and that it's even more unique because of it. Plus, I just think it's cool anyway because it's Superman!

I, of course, went in the museum/gift shop as well and didn't walk away empty handed, having purchased a t-shirt, hat, and a Superman/Metropolis shot glass as well as a ticket to tour the Superman museum. The museum was even cooler than the statue, which isn't very suprising I suppose. There was memorabilia from all the different Superman interpretations over the years, from Clark Kent's suit, hat and glasses worn by George Reeves and some Daily Planet props used in the 1950s TV show, "Adventures of Superman" to the Kryptonite Crystals and Superman costume used in the Christopher Reeve "Superman" films to my all-time favorite, so excited, can't believe I was so lucky, "Lois and Clark" costumes worn by Teri and Dean, props touched by all of the great actors on the show, and other misc. photos and memorabilia that made me giddy! Luckily I was the only one in the small museum at the time so I didn't scare anyone with my grinning and giggling! Don't tell anyone, but I touched this desk lamp that Dean Cain used on the show, but don't worry, I'm not a creepy celebrity stalker, I swear. I'm a very nice, from a safe, legal distance celebrity stalker, I promise.

I probably wouldn't have gone to Metropolis any other time despite wanting to so I'm once again I'm so very glad I am taking this roadtrip to see all these once in a lifetime random things! I'm having a blast and today was definitely a major highlight for me!

P.S. I wrote this post while watching the longest All-Star game in MLB history, which is pretty cool, but what's more interesting is that after the game was over and I was still writing, I flipped the channels and guess what movie was playing on the free HBO in the hotel room: Hollywoodland, which just so happens to be a movie about George Reeves, the star of "Adventures of Superman!" I love it when coincidence or fate or whatever you want to call it happens!