September 30, 2020 - Winfield to Colby, KS

We headed out this morning following Hwy 160 west. We left the trees behind and were in farm country before we knew it.Neither of us knew cotton was grown in Kansas, but it is. Mile after mile of it, as well as sorghum.We spent a good deal of time spotting hawks on the telephone and fence posts. It was really fun to see.The Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway is approximately 42 miles in length and extends from the western city limits of Medicine Lodge to the junction of U.S. 160 and U.S. 183 at Coldwater. It bisects the beautiful Gypsum Hills. We were lucky enough to see flat mesas, deep canyons, sharp high hills, red soils and caprock formations. Both of us said it reminded us of Wyoming or Arizona!Abandoned farm buildings were along the route, along with lots of cattle!About 35 miles east of Dodge City, M.T. Liggett's Political Sculptures at Mullinville warranted a small stop. The welded metal signs created by folk sculptor and activist M.T. Liggett certainly make a political statement! Since this is an election year, you can make up your own mind which way his political view leans!From Dodge City, we took Hwy 283 north to Hwy 24 on our way to Colby. It is part of the Smokey Valley Scenic byway was marked with these signs “Wildflowers”. It is the wrong time of year for us, but in the Spring, the route is a showplace of native grasses and wildflowers like purple and bright-yellow coneflowers, red-and-yellow Indian blanket flower, sky-blue pitcher sage, and cream-flowered yucca, as well as big and little bluestem and grama grasses. I think I would like to come back in the Spring!We are staying in Colby, Kansas tonight and will be home tomorrow afternoon.

September 29, 2020 - Mountain Grove, MO to Winfield, KS

We got to sleep a little later this morning because our first stop only 65 miles away in Springfield, MO. I met three of my high school friends, Lorene, Beth, and Ruth, for lunch at Houlihan’s Restaurant. Four of my classmates live there, but one was unable to join us. The time just flew by and we had such a good time catching up! It’s hard to believe that we are just a couple years away from our 50 year high school reunion!Tobey did not get left out. After he said hi to the girls, he was joined by his cousin, Steve, who also lives in Springfield. We hadn’t seen him since we got married 40 years ago! It’s crazy how time flies.We headed on down the road staying mainly on state highways. While they are narrower, there is also less traffic. We noticed far fewer trees once we were in Kansas!Driving through Oswego, Kansas, we spotted one of the MKT cabooses – part of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas line that made up the Katy Trail!Settling in for the night, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow we will keep trekking west toward home.

September 28, 2020 - Webster Groves to Mountain Grove, MO

It started raining last night and rained all night long! Tobey and I both slept well, probably from the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof! It had stopped by the time we were ready to leave this morning, but stayed overcast for a good share of the day. We said our goodbyes to Patty and will see her again at Christmas. Thanks again for recommending the catfish dinner last night!!!We need to get gas before heading south this morning and stopped at the Sam’s Club since we are members. It was only $1.63 per gallon! Woohoo!!

Our first stop was Elephant Rocks State Park. The elephant rocks which were formed from 1.5 BILLION year old granite,are giant boulders that stand end-to-end, like a train of circus elephants!We took the main asphalt trail which winds through the main area of rocks and features interpretive signs in English and Braille describing things along the 1 mile loop. The park calls it the Braille Trail because it was designed for people with visual and physical disabilities and is the first of its kind in the Missouri state parks. Along the trail we passed many rocks that are covered with lichen and moss.Penny wanted to give rock climbing a try.There is a small stairway that leads to the area where the elephant rock train is located. You can see a woman in the back of this photo and see how big these really are! The largest of the rocks is called “Dumbo” and is 27 feet tall, 34 feet long, 17 feet wide and weighs over 680 TONS!Tobey made his way through one of the paths between boulders.One of the trail spurs leads to a quarry where Sheehan Quarry operated in the 1890s. Some of the trees around the edge of the quarry are starting to show their fall colors.Tobey remembered coming here with the Boys Scouts when he was younger. Back on the road, we were making our way to Johnson Shut-Ins State Park, another of his younger-years haunts. Narrow roads lined with trees was our route most of the day.”Shut-in” is a term for a narrow constriction, or gorge, in a stream. The waters of the East Fork of the Black River are “shut-in” by hard volcanic bedrock.

Upstream, the channel is wide. Over time, the water cut back and forth through the valley eroding the soft sedimentary rock. Downstream, the river cascades between steep slopes of ancient mountains, formed from repeated volcanic eruptions almost 1-1/2 billion years ago.Right now the water level is quite low, but in the spring and summer, it is much higher. There were signs all along the trail if you hear the sirens, to climb at least 200 feet UPHILL!

Near this area is where Tobey remembers his friend, Chris, jumping into the deep waters below. Apparently, Chris would jump straight out and look like he would “belly-flop” into the water, but tucked into a dive at the last minute. I can just imagine their scout master having a heart attack watching their shenanigans!We took paved trail back roundtrip from the parking lot for just over a mile walk. We did climb down to the water to get a closer look.  In the summer this park is packed with folks enjoying the water!

We are staying in Mountain Grove tonight. As we were exiting the highway, Tobey spotted these trees. They looked like one tree from a distance that someone had sliced in half!

September 27, 2020 - Alton, IL to St. Louis, MO

Today marked the final day of the Katy Trail and beyond journey for Tobey and Phil. The MCT Confluence Trail went right by where we were camped last night so it was an easy start for the guys this morning. They passed the bridge over the Mississippi that Marcia and I would drive over again today.They continued south on the Illinois side of the river and went by the re-created Camp River Dubois where Lewis & Clark and the Corp of Discovery stayed from December 1803 to May 1804 while they prepared for their westward journey.And, back on the road again!As they approached downtown St. Louis, they could see the Arch in the background behind the bridges and power lines!Their journey took them over the McKinley Bridge which was built in 1910. Luckily, it did have a pedestrian/bike lane!Once again on the Missouri side of the Mississippi, they connected to the Riverfront Trail which led them to the Arch.Ten days and 375 miles later, Tobey and Phil arrived at the Arch! (Today’s ride was 26.5 miles.)Marcia and I managed to drive to the Arch only to find a terrible parking situation – all of the level, concrete-paved lots were closed! We followed the narrow riverfront street to the end where barricades were up and met a dead-end! We turned the RVs around and waited for Tobey and Phil to arrived. After lunch we drove back and parked on the cobbled parking at such a slope we had to turn off the refrigerator in the RV because it affects the coolant and it won’t cool! It doesn’t look that sloped in the picture, but it certainly was!Barges were going up and down the river.Phil, Marcia, and I toured the museum at the Arch which was redone and completed in 2018. It was much larger than the old museum and we didn’t spend too much time, but it was interesting to see.Looking to the west from the Arch, you can see the old Capitol building.After the museum, we made our way back to the RVs and said our goodbyes to Phil and Marcia. They will be heading back to Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan to finish out their trip.Tobey and I were off to Webster Groves, MO to see his sister, Patty. Penny was so excited to see her that she kept jumping all over her! Patty and I took Penny for a nice walk and Tobey got his bike off and rode about 10 miles around Webster looking at where his grandparents and friends lived when he was growing up.

We got fried catfish takeout from King Edwards Chicken and Fish and brought it back for dinner. It was delicious and we were stuffed! We are spending the night here and shortly after settling in the RV for the night, the rain started. We were so lucky with the weather for the ride, we won’t mind listening to it fall on the roof tonight! Tomorrow, we will head south toward Elephant Rock State Park and Johnson Shut-ins tomorrow.