Not in Kansas Anymore

Goodland, KS:  Giant Van Gogh reproduction alongside the highway

We’re not in Kansas anymore.  We made it through most of the state uneventfully until we pulled into Milford State Park in Milford, KS last night.  Toad’s battery was dead again after a long (6 hr) drive.  Yes, we should have learned by now that 4 ½ hours is about as long as we can go without stopping and running the car for a bit, but we’ve been so focused on coolant and the day got away from us.  So there we were at 6pm in the middle of the road in the middle of the campground with a dead battery.  Some very nice camphosts came over to check on us and once again AAA came to the rescue and jumped Toad.  We backed into a lovely site, hooked up and enjoyed a salad, cheese/onion quesadillas and the good chips and salsa we bought at the Mexican restaurant in Kanab, UT.  Boy, that seems so long ago.  

Milford State Park, Molford, KS

Today we left Milford and drove through the rest of Kansas, crossed the Missouri River on a big, wide bridge in St. Joseph, MO and landed in Eagleville, MO.  

Not in KS anymore - crossing the Missouri River

No eyeballing truck drivers on bridges today.  No eagles in Eagleville either.  The drive was easier today, only about 4 ½ hours of driving and yes, Toad started when we got here.  A little reluctantly, but he did start and Robin took him for a long ride right away.  You’re probably wondering why we don’t just stop mid-day and run the car, right?  Well, a couple of reasons:  there’s not always a good spot to pull over and stop in the middle of the day for 20 mins when you driving 36’ of vehicle with another 14’ attached.  That sounds like a weak excuse, but we’ve been trying to stay off the Interstate to enjoy good scenery and the roads tend to be narrow and winding and the towns tiny.  Also, running the car to charge the battery entails disconnecting and removing the i-Brake, running the engine, then going through the gear setup, and then reattaching the i-Brake before driving again.  Tthat doesn’t sound horrible, and it’s not, but we succumb to road hypnosis and tend to think we’ll be fine if we go just a few more miles.  We’re learning.

Xena, on a cold morning, trying to ooze onto my hands (again).

So now we’ve been set up for about a half hour and the lightening, thunder and rain just started.  This campground only has room for us because a bunch of people who planned on attending their Halloween Party weekend canceled due to the forecast thunderstorms.  Luckily we got settled before the storm started.  Standing out in the field plugging 30amps into a receptacle on a pole in the middle of a lightning storm seems like such a bad idea.  See, we are learning.

ETA in Wisconsin is sometime Sunday, unless we get a better offer.  See you soon.