This morning our barometer showed dropping atmospheric pressure and the weather was overcast. Driving through Kansas you’ll see signs saying for weather alerts dial some AM station or 103.3 FM. Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz would not exist but for Kansas Tornadoes! The High Plains Campground rules and regulations also states in case of emergency, evacuate to the men’s or woman’s rooms. They are safe.
Museums along I-70, Kansas
We left High Plains RV Campground late at 11:30. Li’l Beast took nearly a gallon of DES and we were off. There are a number of museums that we would normally stop for, but we wanted to roll on toward New England. We skipped the Prairie Museum of Art and History, Colby; the Fick Fossil and History Museum, Oakley; the Chrysler Boyhood Home and Museum, Ellis; the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Hays; the Combat Air Museum, Topeka; the Oz Museum, Wamego; and of course Totoz Tacoz, Wamego. We flew by all these museums in Kansas. Oddly we found very little of interest as we buzzed through Missouri. We drove past Mill Creek Campground near Paxico Kansas around 3 Pm. It was far too early to follow Jim’s advice and stop there. We were on a roll.
Kansas Scenery
We drove on and started looking for a great place to camp for the night about 2 hours drive further. Ellen found a number of two star campgrounds in Independence Mo. Driving into Independence we realized it was too urban for us and we skipped them and continued on. Around sunset we stopped at a rest area to take some photos.
Sunset Over Missouri
Lazy Day Campground, Danville Missouri
The rest stop was very well developed with a few RVs parked for the evening. We drove on thinking we’d camp at the next rest stop and just boon-dock for the evening. Another hour down the road and we found that the rest stop was primitive, uninviting. Again we drove on. Ellen searched further down I-70 and the next interesting area was Graham Caves State Park. We could stay at the park, at Kan-Do Campground RV Park, or at Lazy Day Campground. Both RV parks were near the park. Easiest off and on the highway was Lazy Day. By now it was 8:30 Pm and we had driven 515 miles. Ellen called Lazy Day thinking we’d get a voice message with late check-in instructions. Instead KIm, the owner/manager, answered the line and took a reservation for “the Beast”. Amazing at 8:30 PM.
Ten miles later Kim greeted us in the driveway and directed us to her office. She arrived moments later, opened the office, and we registered. We got to chatting. I gave her my credit card saying, “I’m glad you take credit” Kim said, “We take everything but American Express”. Ron,”I’ve never used AMEX since they turned me down for a card after I graduated college”. Kim tole me that she never uses K-Mart! In the massive flood of ’93, her house was flooded along with everyone else in the flood plain. It was a 100 years flood. Kim lost everything. With everything gone, she opened new account at the Bank and received unnumbered temporary checks. K-mart and an old crowded wall-mart were the only shops in town. K-mart refused to honor her checks because they were not numbered. They wouldn’t call the bank to verify funds, K-mart just would not take her checks. She was not alone. Most everyone else could not buy at K-mart for that reason. Kim now will never buy from them. Not surprisingly, K-mart is not in business in the area today.
Kim guided us to our site with her golf cart and waited to be sure we were settled in before heading off. This is amazing customer service. From answering the phone late in the evening to ensuring we had what we needed, Kim was wonderful.
I had half-jokingly said what I wanted this evening was to settle into a chair watching Bill Maher with a beer. The longer we drove the less likely that became. After verifying level, connecting electricity and water, and raising the antenna, I was surprised to see Real Time with Bill Maher starting in a few minutes! I grabbed a cold one from the ‘fridge.
Today was a marathon drive through Kansas and into Missouri. With good weather and traffic we may camp near Dayton, Ohio tomorrow. Dayton has an aviation museum and Antioch College, Yellow Springs is close by. It will be fun walking the campus and Glenn Helen Nature Preserve with Ellen.
Life is indeed good.
Ron