Sundown Woodland Park, Co.
We left Woodland Park late in the morning. We said our goodbyes to John and Ronna. Paid for the extra night at the office and chatted with Charles for a while. Then we went to the over-sized car wash and hosed down Li’l Beast, went to Safeway to replenish our food supply and headed off.
John and Ronna
In Colorado Springs we stopped at WallyWorld for some missing essentials and forgot to get water and a knee pad. We did find a Radio Shack that carried an IR repeater. From Colorado Springs state 24 descends into a series of rolling hills punctuated by cross traffic and stop signs. After twenty or thirty miles of that, the road became less traveled with fewer stop lights. We discussed heading north to I-80 or staying on I-70. Our smart phone showed there was no significant difference. We opted to stay on I-70 going through St Louis and passing near Dayton, Oh and Yellow Springs. I’m told that Dayton, the home to SAC, has an amazing aviation museum. More significantly Dayton is close to Yellow Spring home of Antioch College and “The Glenn”. Without taking too much time, it would be fun to visit old haunts there and see if the doughnut shop is still serving up piping hot treats at 6 Am.
The rolling hills of eastern Colorado gave way to Kansas Flat. The road rolls on and straight as an arrow. We continued on I-70 which had minimal traffic. I think I-80 would have been full of trucks. Past Dayton Oh, we expect to peel off north toward Cleveland, go along the US or Canadian side of the Great Lakes, and descend into Syracuse NY. Tonight we stopped at High Plains RV Resort an independent campground at exit 70 on I-70. There were two sites available when Ellen called. We took site #118. Though the numbers run into the hundreds, there are only about forty sites. In the time we drove the 4 miles to the campground, the manager had printed out our personalized campground info. She gave Ellen a $5 coupon for Capt’n Jack’s Pub which abuts the campground and is an easy walk along the grass. The campground was four star rated and we agree.
Arrival High Plains RV Campground, Kansas
While setting up we ran into Jim and his wife who own a new thirty four foot Winnebago. It’s very good looking, though very large. Ellen explained why we call our RV “Li’l Beast”. We compared notes on our rigs and diesel mileage. He gets 9 mpg on a good day. He did say our Sat Antenna was better than his, “size does matter”. Jim recommended Capt’n Jack’s Pub for dinner, “You won’t be disappointed”.
Once we were setup, we headed off to the pub. I have no idea what I expected, but this was not it. The door opened onto a remodeled barn with a long full bar to the right; two big-screen TVs on the far wall showing Thursday Night Football, Bengals vs NY Giants; some booths along the walls and bar tables scattered about. The cooks and waitresses were gathered at the near end of the bar. The two booths nearest the TVs were occupied. As we entered a gal said, “Welcome, sit anywhere you like”. We noticed the six jolly roger flags hanging from the rafters as we sat down, one stating, ” the beatings will continue until moral improves”. Later the gal came by and took our order: Kobe Beef Hamburgers, a Crab Cake, and “the Calling” IPA. The menu stated that the Kobe hamburgers would be served medium rare. If you want your meat well done, then order an Angus beef burger! The menu also offered a third legendary burger; the Elk burger, stating probably one of the tastiest burgers you will ever find. Right, in Kansas just off the freeway we found Kobe Beef, Elk and Crab Cakes. Still more startling, they were excellent.
We chatted another waitress who brought our food to table. She and her husband, who was a coast guard captain off the Virginia coast, moved to Kansas and opened this restaurant in 2013 after remodeling the old barn. Capt’n Jack actually cooked our burgers. Our waitress is his wife. They plan to offer Kobe Beef Steaks sometime in the future.
Jim also recommended Mill Creek Campground Paxico Kansas, saying, “it is American Memorabilia. It will bring you back to the past”. He also said there are antiques for sale that run from inexpensive trinkets to very expensive pieces upwards of twenty thousand dollars.
Sunset over Kansas