In this episode, Scot tries to convince a friend to chase down a perfect drive on the perfect stretch of road, and things don’t go completely according to plan.
Even if you don’t know this stretch of road yourself, I hope this episode brings you fond memories of whichever stretches of road are your own pieces of perfection.
Here’s a link to the Google Maps Streetview to at the starting point and you can navigate down it yourself:
Google Maps Link to K-10 and I-435
Today’s music courtesy:
Ryan Branflake - https://www.fiverr.com/nickwoott
Captain Creamsicle - https://www.fiverr.com/capncreamsicle
Relaxo Beats - https://www.fiverr.com/relaxo_beats
Desparee – https://www.fiverr.com/desparee
Handanu - https://www.fiverr.com/handanu
Aandy Valentine - https://www.fiverr.com/aandyvalentine
Contact:
https://twitter.com/PerfectShowShow
https://www.instagram.com/perfectshowshow/
AI Generated Transcript:
Speaker 1: 0:22
Hi and welcome to the Perfect Show. I'm your host, scott Moppen, and this is a podcast where I will catalog some of the perfect pieces of life, one by one. Join me each episode as I examine something that I or someone else considers perfect. When you start driving, everything is exciting, everything is new and you want to take it all in. You're still getting the feel of being behind the wheel, and even running errands is awesome. Fast forward a few years and everything is a lot more dulled down. Your body can practically drive on muscle memory a lot of times and you know instinctively how hard to crank the wheel or push the gas when you need your car to move the way you are wanting it to go. After this point, you can drive places in almost a trance at times, but every so often you get to a part of the road that wakes you out of that state for a minute and invites you to be present. Instead, it could be a new sight or some accident, or even just the road itself, if you happen to be upon a specially nice stretch of it. That's what today's episode is about that perfect stretch of road. I grew up in Olathe, kansas, a suburb about 30 or 40 minutes from Kansas City. You can get your permit at age 14 in Kansas and when I got my permit I was driving everywhere my parents would let me, with one of them sitting in the passenger seat. When I got my full license at age 16, I started driving to work in school, but I would often take the long way home or just go out and drive to thank, crisscrossing major streets and highways and exploring new roads and unfamiliar exits. This is still how I sort of get my bearings in a new city. If I'm going to be there for an extended time, head out for a drive and find my way down roads. I've never been down before. I don't remember when this was, but at one point in time I was switching from one highway to another in a direction. I rarely had a reason to go and I took notice of this ramp being particularly nice. I made a mental note and, even though it was a route I didn't travel often, I made my way back to it and tried the interchange again pretty quickly. I noticed that it felt particularly nice to drive that short stretch of road. I would make more reasons to travel that way and hit up the interchange whenever I was even nearish, which wasn't often, but often enough I started to anticipate getting to just drive this quick run of asphalt, the way you do when you know you're going to have something you love for dinner. It's the perfect stretch of road and I haven't driven on it in 13 years. If you hit it just right, going the right speed and without traffic, you start to notice this pleasant gliding sensation and I swear, for a second or two it feels like you're weightless. Over and over again, the same conditions produce the same results. When I say without traffic, I'm saying the ideal condition was zero other cars, no one else to monitor or adjust speed, based on just open road. But in Kansas that may be easier to come by than you might be thinking. I remember slowing down a mile before this interchange at times, just to put enough space between my car and the one car on the highway in front of me. I refined the experience more and more. Let me stress it was never bad. It was always uncommonly nice, but over time I developed some rules to make it optimal. I'll list them in a bit, but follow these instructions do it when there are no other cars and you have a perfect experience on demand for whenever you need it. So what is this perfect interchange then? Well, it's in the episode title, so I'm probably not keeping you in suspense, but it starts on highway K-10. K-10 is an east-west state highway for Kansas. That's where the K comes from, and it goes from Lawrence, kansas, on the west end, and merges into Interstate 435 over Nolathe, kansas, on the east end. This is the end on which I want to focus. When you're traveling east on K-10 and you reach I-435, you have to pick whether to go east or north. It's east slash north rather than east slash west or north slash south, because I-435 is a beltway, a highway that makes a large 83 mile loop all the way around Kansas City like a moat. So when you enter the corner as K-10 does, you wind up with the options of east or north. This might be a good point to jump out of my narrative and talk about highways just for a second. I knew some of this, but I filled in my knowledge gaps from various Wikipedia articles. So in the United States, we number the interstates in a certain order. They start with Interstate 1 on the west coast of California and increase in number as they go east. They all have either a one-digit or two-digit number. The interstates that run north to south are all odd numbers. The even numbers are used on east to west interstates. Those start with the lowest numbers in the south and the numbers get higher as you travel north. Main should have all the highest interstate numbers overall and Arizona should have the lowest Branching off from these main interstate routes are different types of bypasses, beltways and spurs. Spurs are routes that only attach to the main highway by one point, so, like an offshoot, bypasses connect at two points, so they become an alternate route for a stretch. Beltways or loops also connect at two points to the main highway but, unlike a bypass, they make an entire loop around. These routes all have three-digit numbers, with the first digit being odd on spur routes and even on bypasses and beltways. Is that interesting to anyone else? Where I grew up there was an I-35, a 435, 635, an I-70, 470, 670. I always wanted to know the rules about why they numbered them the way they did, so it's interesting to me. Back to my perfect stretch of road, I figured the easiest way to check it out again after so long was to take a trip there via Google Maps Street View feature and, after a bit of time getting reacquainted with how to move around in the map. I was off there we go lots of nice cut rock on the side, but prairie, good clouds on this Google image. Now I get to the part where I have to choose between 435 North or I-35 to Wichita and Des Moines. I-35 is the way I would normally go. 435 North is the way I don't normally go, but that is what we're looking for actually, alright. So as I pick 435 North, I'm entering the ramp I'm talking about, and it looks like the Google car might have a wide, open road for this. So here's what I'm noticing this road kind of tilts up as it turns left. The right side tilts up kind of like a racetrack. I mean, that's not too abnormal, but I remember it. Just, it also slides to the left as it goes. You get this great effect, alright, so Alright. And then here's the part where it curves in and finally where other people start to merge in with it, and then you're on 435, headed North. It looks like it's still there. On Google Maps it looks like it's still the same. I guess that's what we're going to see. Since it looked like everything was all good on the Google Maps, I decided the next step was to reach out to someone local. Even though I haven't lived in Kansas since 2003, I have many friends who still do, and this is where my friend Danny comes into the story.
Speaker 2: 8:44
Hello.
Speaker 1: 8:45
Hello Danny. We've known each other since 10th grade. He was with me, in fact, for the Billy's Balloon experience from episode 1. He's been a good friend from way back and I figured now was the time to see if I could trade on any of that for a favor. So hey, buddy, you're my big interview for this episode.
Speaker 2: 9:06
All right, all right, lucky me, I guess.
Speaker 1: 9:10
So I was going to ask if you'd be willing to drive over a stretch of road near you that I remember being perfect and then report back to me after you've done it. Does that sound like something you'd be into?
Speaker 2: 9:22
Sure, I can do that. I have no idea what a perfect stretch of road is, but all right.
Speaker 1: 9:28
So the stretch of road I'm talking about is going from K 10 going east, and then you merge onto 435 north.
Speaker 2: 9:36
Well, when was the last time you were back in Kansas City?
Speaker 1: 9:39
Well, I was. I was thinking about that, do you know, the last time I was back in Olathe, so that that would have been the last time I drove this stretch of road, and that was 2008 for my sister's wedding. Do you remember that?
Speaker 2: 9:53
I remember being you know, oh, did we, did we watch the final four together?
Speaker 1: 9:58
That's right, yeah, we watched. We watched the KU basketball game at your house with your dad.
Speaker 2: 10:06
The final four on the UNC yeah, with North Carolina, yeah.
Speaker 1: 10:11
I drove out to Lawrence, I think, to watch the championship somewhere at a friend's house, I think.
Speaker 2: 10:17
Yeah, yeah, I was back, yeah, and I was back in Baltimore at that point. Yeah, but yeah, okay.
Speaker 1: 10:24
So that was the last time I was in Kansas City and that time going to Lawrence when I came back. That would have been the last time I would have hit this interchange, but that's it like 13 years ago.
Speaker 2: 10:35
I got to tell you they completely redone that change.
Speaker 3: 10:40
Have they yeah.
Speaker 2: 10:43
The road you're talking about no longer exists. I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 1: 10:47
I went like I went down Google Maps, I did the street view and kind of went down at driving on my computer and it, I mean I felt like it was still there.
Speaker 2: 10:55
But Heading East, then into Into 435. Yeah, I can do it. I'll do yeah. But yeah, I think they redid it within the last five years.
Speaker 1: 11:08
Oh no, okay, well, we'll find out, I guess. Yeah, so here's, here are the parameters. I was thinking it's. I was thinking daytime, not nighttime. I was thinking that I would have been doing this afternoon or or evenings, like just daytime scenario, and going the speed limit or or a little over. That's probably what I would have been doing when I was striving it no radio off, windows up, no talking, and then looking slightly out, like two o'clock and maybe a little bit up, kind of slightly out, so that you're not seeing the ground or the road. And then if you get it just right, it's kind of it's like you're floating. Okay, that's my that's my theory, this is my memory of it, and I'm I'm going to see if I can put you through it and see, see how close my memory comes to reality, if at all.
Speaker 2: 11:56
Yeah, I can do. Yeah, I mean it's not far yeah.
Speaker 1: 12:00
Awesome.
Speaker 2: 12:01
Like 10 miles at most from where I'm currently living. So yeah, that's doable. Yeah, Danny.
Speaker 1: 12:07
Danny, you are a lifesaver.
Speaker 2: 12:09
This is awesome, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: 12:14
I'm just wondering if you could do it today or tomorrow. Would you be open to the idea of me riding with you on the phone?
Speaker 2: 12:20
So I'm on the phone when we go through this and I just I'm listening. Sure, yeah, I could do it today or tomorrow pretty easily, I think in the afternoon.
Speaker 1: 12:30
Yeah, okay, yeah, that totally does. I would not turn that down. No, I could do it anytime. I can make it work around you 100%.
Speaker 2: 12:39
Yeah, I think that's for me to do it sooner rather than later.
Speaker 1: 12:42
Okay, well, that works on my end. That's, that's great. So, yeah, all right. So let's talk compensation. Here's my offer. I thought about this I can either Venmo you $5 for gas and stuff, or I'll pay someone else $5 to make a song about how awesome you are. Don't answer yet Consider it. Think about. Think about having $5 of gas money. I mean, I think that's a great idea. It's a great idea.
Speaker 2: 13:11
I think it's nice, but consider how cool it would be to have a custom song all about you.
Speaker 1: 13:19
Oh wait, what is this? Like a service of some kind? Yeah, this is so I've been needing. Sometimes I need music or different things for this that I can't do, and so I will.
Speaker 2: 13:29
I've we'll outsource it to people on like Fiverr Okay, all right, go for it. Go nuts, yeah, I'll get a.
Speaker 1: 13:39
You've made the right decision, Dan. Maybe, All right. Well, let's, uh, we'll, I'll wrap this up here and um, and then we can plan and and execute the whole drive a little bit later on. Is that all right? Okay?
Speaker 2: 13:57
Yeah, all right.
Speaker 1: 13:58
Very cool. I appreciate this, dan. Thank you so much. I was on cloud nine waiting until the following day for Danny to call back and I could introduce him to this divine chunk of asphalt and concrete. Danny told me he actually had a dentist appointment the following day. That would put him right where we needed to start. So I just had to bide my time until he would be able to call back from the road. I'm talking. Can you hear me? I hear you. Can you hear me?
Speaker 2: 14:24
I can. All right, are we recording?
Speaker 1: 14:27
All right, we're recording. I got my, I got my technology. We made lots of small talk until we got to the end of K 10. All right, then I quieted down to hear Danny's reaction to the drive.
Speaker 2: 14:37
All right, just pass uh Richfield and getting on the interchange for 435.
Speaker 1: 14:48
Okay, okay, this is it 435 north and 35. Okay, when we get to the actual curve, I'll be quiet and just and just let it go, because I want to. I want you to get the full effect, okay.
Speaker 2: 15:02
Getting over and yeah, I'm just about to the curve I think you're talking about, and that was it and going down the highway towards 35 south. Um, yeah, I think I did the thing it's it's done.
Speaker 1: 15:26
And yeah, all right. So what? What'd you think what? What do you think of it?
Speaker 2: 15:34
Um, a pretty normal, slightly confusing highway interchange.
Speaker 1: 15:40
Okay, I was bummed out. My perfect stretch of road was gone. I figured I'd at least salvage what I could for the episode. I mean, these aren't all going to turn out the way I want them to at the beginning. I know that.
Speaker 2: 15:53
Okay, I wasn't entirely sure whether, uh whether, I should have been on 435 north, 435 east or the 35 south way.
Speaker 1: 16:07
So I chose to find that, but as we were talking a bit more back and forth, we discovered it. So, was there an option to get to 435 north? To get to where? 435? What North? Yeah, and did you take? Did you take that option? No, okay, I think that's the option I was trying to get us to take To go from K 10 to 435 north. Uh Well, I don't know what to tell you, but Did I, did I, uh, so is so backing up, I think I, maybe. Maybe I explained it bad. We talked and I apologized about messing up the first explanation. It turns out that later that same day was going to still be the best time to give it another try, so a few hours later we were back on the phone and ready to go again.
Speaker 2: 17:10
Hey, scott, you there.
Speaker 1: 17:13
Yeah, is this working? Yeah, this is much better. Hey, all right. So sorry about the first one. This time we're going to, we're going to try and do K-10 going East, and then take the 435 North ramp, which is totally not the one you would normally be taking.
Speaker 2: 17:35
Got it Okay, no problem.
Speaker 1: 17:39
Well, now I feel like I have to make you follow. I was feeling bad because we did it the first time and it didn't work, but I feel like I need to make you follow through because I've already put the wheels in motion for for music. So I mean, there's no, there's no going back. I've already that ship has sailed already.
Speaker 2: 17:57
Yeah, Uh, getting on the K-10 now.
Speaker 1: 18:01
Okay, I'm following you on, I'm looking down on you at. Google Maps.
Speaker 2: 18:05
I'm looking down at you on Google Maps, yeah all right, looks like I'm about two and a half miles from 435. All right, this is exciting.
Speaker 1: 18:19
I am taking 435 North, 435 North right. It'll peel off to the right, but then it'll fork to the left. Yeah, that's the one.
Speaker 2: 18:33
All right, just past Woodland Road.
Speaker 1: 18:36
Okay.
Speaker 2: 18:38
Coming up on Earth.
Speaker 1: 18:39
You here yeah. And here comes all right, I'll be quiet.
Speaker 2: 18:50
Basically there's this own separate highway now yes, yes. Like the model leading to 435, 35.
Speaker 1: 18:57
Yeah, okay, so I'll be quiet and I'll let you just take it in All right, here we go, taking the 435 North exit.
Speaker 2: 19:09
Now I'm at the left-hand lane, I believe I'm supposed to what, and entering the curve Going to look out at my two o'clock changing lanes. Oh, there we go. There's that nice little bay, Okay yeah. And coming out of 435 comes the merger with the rest of maybe the Lackman Road traffic.
Speaker 1: 19:49
You're merged back in.
Speaker 2: 19:54
And yes, that merged back in.
Speaker 1: 19:56
Yeah, we did it. That's it Okay.
Speaker 2: 20:03
All right.
Speaker 1: 20:04
First off, thank you so much. That's great, yeah. So I heard you. I heard you like have a moment of recognition. Did you feel what I was kind of talking about or trying to describe?
Speaker 2: 20:16
There was a moment where, like the bridge on the road came up, you know just the normal side barriers, and they eliminated everything else from my field division and the road entered a part where basically you couldn't see over the end of the road, like you pressed the hill and fall down, so like it just became a pure sort of vantage point. There was like a road to maybe, if not quite, nowhere, just like it would just unfurl forever perhaps.
Speaker 1: 20:52
Yeah.
Speaker 2: 20:52
Infinite road.
Speaker 1: 20:53
All right.
Speaker 2: 20:54
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: 20:56
That's it All right. Okay, I've, I'm very happy. I'm happy with how that worked out. Okay, can I? I want to read off some words to you. Will you respond yes or no to them, based on if you think each one accurately describes the experience. Sure, okay, here we go.
Speaker 2: 21:20
Smooth, Uh yeah.
Speaker 1: 21:24
Tranquil, no Transcendent.
Speaker 2: 21:32
No.
Speaker 1: 21:34
Enlightening? No, no, nicer than normal.
Speaker 2: 21:43
Yes.
Speaker 1: 21:45
Regular.
Speaker 2: 21:48
No.
Speaker 1: 21:50
Flying.
Speaker 2: 21:53
I'll say yes, over high. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1: 21:56
No, no remote.
Speaker 2: 22:00
Over-hyped no no.
Speaker 1: 22:05
Worth the trouble.
Speaker 2: 22:08
I don't know, Scott, this is a lot of trouble.
Speaker 1: 22:14
It really was yeah.
Speaker 2: 22:16
It was a lot of trouble, but that might not be a reflection. Yeah, the experience itself, yeah.
Speaker 1: 22:27
Dude, thank you, I appreciate this so much. So have you turned around? I know you headed back the right way now.
Speaker 2: 22:35
Yeah, I'm back on 95th Street right now.
Speaker 1: 22:37
Cool, all right, danny, I cannot thank you so much for helping me out, not once, but twice, with my ridiculousness.
Speaker 2: 22:47
It has no problem, Buddy. You're very, very welcome. Happy to help. All right, buddy.
Speaker 1: 22:55
Danny, I love you baby. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2: 22:59
I hope you have a great rest of your day, bye, bye.
Speaker 1: 23:04
We did it. I mean, really he did it. I didn't. I didn't really do anything. Well, actually I told him to do it. I guess that's something, yeah. And then I went to fulfill my end of the deal. But to show a peek behind the scenes, I discovered that it wasn't quite as easy as I had planned to get a $5 song made. I had done this a few years ago and it had really been no problem. But this time I just hit a string of bad luck. The first artist I bought a gig from didn't respond at all, and I had to cancel that gig. The second artist I bought a gig from sent me a message that he was on vacation until the end of the month. Another I bought from messaged me back to tell me he had set up the offer a week ago but forgot all about it, and now he was too busy. So that one got canceled too. Then I had a $5 delivery that came through, but I couldn't understand any of the lyrics. I would say I was starting to panic a little. If you're counting with me now, that's four tries Along the way. I got smart and started messaging people about what I was looking for before getting their gigs. So there were also messages to people that didn't contact me back or couldn't deliver because of whatever reason. By this time I had all the other pieces of the episode in place and Danny's song was the last thing I was waiting for. I had even planned for this episode to come out before the last one, but had to change the order of things. When the song kept getting pushed back, I hired a fifth songwriter. This gig also got a bit delayed, and by that time it had been long enough that the second guy I contacted, who was on vacation, had returned and could do the song now. So it just became a matter of which song would get to me first, and that would be the song that made it into the episode. So I texted you because I mean, you'll find out in the episode. It was a long process, but I finally have a song for you.
Speaker 2: 25:00
It took me a while, but I now have a song and I want to play it for you. Okay, okay, well, I'm all ears here. I am so this is a song called the.
Speaker 1: 25:12
Greatest man, by somebody named Ryan Branflake, and I got it for five bucks, and now it's going to be yours, alright, so here we go.
Speaker 6: 25:54
I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man Strong like ox and clever like dog, wise like owl and modest like frog. Brave like lion and graceful like deer. Nothing like rats or snakes or fish or worms. I'm a man. I'm a man. I'm a man.
Speaker 2: 27:53
I'm a man. That's it. That's amazing. That's a perfect $5 song. I'll give you that. That's a perfect $5 song.
Speaker 1: 28:01
Yeah, that was totally great.
Speaker 2: 28:03
I love it so much. Yeah, yeah, I love it so much.
Speaker 1: 28:07
I was super happy with that. Ok, well, that was pretty much all I was going to bug you with.
Speaker 2: 28:14
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1: 28:17
This is my way of saying thank you for it, for doing that ridiculous stuff.
Speaker 2: 28:21
Oh, my God, I'm so happy, I'm so happy.
Speaker 1: 28:29
Yeah, I'm pretty happy to Thanks Danny. When I was talking to friends about the subject of this episode, the conversations would eventually turn toward perfect drives that people remember from their own lives, and everyone I talked to seemed to have at least one to share. The perfect drive isn't really a physical stretch of road out there somewhere. It's a connection you have with the mood, driver, vehicle, road environment. Everything is aligned in the same moment and it's a connection so strong that when it happens you can't ignore it. It interrupts your driving trance and invites you to be present and appreciate the experience. Then it etches into your memory and stays with you to the horizon. Some of you eagle-eared listeners out there may be wanting to say to me hey, scott, he technically went out there for you twice, so does that mean he gets two songs? And that is a completely fair question. The answer should be an easy yes. Honestly, it does make sense. But the process of getting the first song took so long and it was also getting close to the time I wanted to publish this episode. But Dan did do me a huge favor Twice and I owed him. So I did what any good friend would do I made the second song myself.
Speaker 5: 30:39
Dan, you're the man and I think you're awesome. Like some barbecue ribs, right after you saw some red on the bone from front to back and you're kind of like a mix of Jack's white and black. Your brain is superb and it couldn't think clear. I got to say, if I may, you got a lucky mirror. What a handsome guy that should be on canvas facing Danny Boy. You're just the best in Kansas. Here we go, dan. You're a gentleman and a scholar. Your mom loves her birthday because you always call her. Now, don't forget your dad. I bet he's real proud with the sun. As unique as Conor McLeod In law school. Aspire in to make a good grade, because when you're Dan, it's quieter than it's time to get paid. Step on out of children. You can conquer worlds, and we'll tell the tale of Danny to the boys and girls. All right, and with that the K10 to I435.
Speaker 1: 31:39
North interchange becomes the fourth item in the perfectorium, the index of perfect things. Thanks to my friend Danny for being such a great sport from when I initially texted him about the perfect thing. I'm going to be back in a minute. I'm going to be back in a minute. I'm going to be back in a minute. Thanks to my friend Danny for being such a great sport from when I initially texted him about this. All the way through, you can find all the credit and links for the music in this episode on the webpage or in the show notes. Thank you to Ryan Branflake for the first Danny song. On this episode's webpage you can also find the Danny songs if you just want to hear them on their own. This episode was recorded and mixed at Morena Studios in Oakland, california. Be sure to subscribe to get every episode and if you're enjoying these and want to drop the perfect show, a perfect rating or review, please do. It's the easiest way to support the show. Once again, the perfect show site is at perfectshowsite. That's S-I-T-E. Email any comments, music or other things to perfectshowshowcom and connect on Twitter and Instagram to username PerfectShowShow. And remember if you came here and waited all the way until the end, just ask me to sign your transfer request so you can drop this podcast and get into a different one with a different host, or because it's too early in the morning, or because there's this other one that your friend is listening to and you want to study for final podcast exams together, or whatever reason. I regret to inform you that those are not legitimate excuses and it will still show up on your podcast transcript as a withdrawal and stay on your permanent record. So just think about that before you're in the registrar's office going through all this trouble of adjusting your podcast schedule this semester. Anyway, until next time, I'm Scott Moppin, and thanks for listening to the Perfect Show. Oh, hello, you're still here, okay. Well, as I was finishing up putting this episode together, my last songwriter got back to me, so now it's an extra bonus for people who stayed all the way through. Here's one additional Danny song, written and performed by Captain Cream Terkel AJAYا.
Speaker 3: 34:33
He roams through the hills like a galloping beast. You may call him the old majesty. He makes the ladies race and get some end of mood, cause he's got a baby face and he's a good looking dude. He can totally afford his rent but he still makes time to go and pitch a tent, camping his Kansas on his snacks he is munching. Back in high school used to blast the smashing pumpkins. Come on, danny, there's no plan B. The plan is have a good town. That's all I can see. Danny's the man. He's got big hands. You know what that means. I hope you understand.
Speaker 2: 35:26
This is amazing. Yeah, Can I get all three songs?
Speaker 1: 35:29
Yes, you are getting all three songs absolutely. They don't have a lot of interest with other people who are named Dan Alright man, I'm gonna let you go, I'm gonna go eat some fish sticks and then I'm gonna watch Shang-Chi, and with that I actually will bid you a fond farewell until we meet again. Bye.
