Toronto, KS and Cross Timbers State Park

Apparently in Kansas towns can only be named after other cities that already exist. At least, that's what it feels like. This morning we left Pittsburg, drove through St. Paul, and ended up in Toronto, never leaving the great state of Kansas.

We had so much fun at the library yesterday that we decided to hit up the one in the next town this morning. It had a clubhouse in the middle of the kids' area that was just the right size for August. He loves stairs, and he enjoyed going up and down and up and down these.




He wasn't sure what to think of the dinosaurs he found at the top. We read "If You Give a Dog a Donut", which I thought was humorous. Maybe someday I will add it to our home library.

After a lot of fun there, and a bloody nose from a little guy bumping his nose on the floor, we changed and headed towards our next destination. A few observations from today's drive: Kansas farmers are really committed to putting Bible verses on signs alongside their fields. I probably saw 8 different farms with this today. The rest of them had pro-life signs. Also, the posted speed limit is 65 on most country roads, but the accepted speed seems to be more like 80.

Finally, I realized today that we spent part of yesterday and part of today in one of the most famous fried chicken regions in the country. Chicken joints around here are plentiful and Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's have been duking it out for best fried chicken around for decades. The Travel Channel even came out and did a special on it one year. I'm not a fried chicken fan, but I am a little bummed that we didn't make sure to have Chris try some.

We met up with Chris this afternoon in a tiny place called Toronto. We got there about an hour before him, so we had plenty of time to explore. This small town is probably the most depressing we've come across so far. It has a nice big wide, main street with dozens of storefronts, and literally every one of them was out of business except for a lone liquor store. I was ready to leave by the time he arrived.

He had been planning on riding another 40 or 50 miles after meeting up with us, but it had turned into a pretty hot day and he had gotten there later than he'd estimated. Since he'd already put in 105 miles, he decided we should probably stick there. So, we drove a couple miles down the road to Cross Timbers State Park, which is on Lake Toronto. It's the weekend which means that campgrounds are fuller than other days, so we were lucky to get the last RV spot here.

After the breakfast for dinner we cooked up, we took the bikes out to explore the park. There are cabins you can rent right on the lake here, which I bet are wildly popular. The lake has a beach for swimming, but unfortunately was closed as the lake has been flooded. All of the roads near the lake are covered with debris left behind from high waters, and a campground worker told us they've been busy trying to get it cleaned up for the 4th of July. We rode up the big hill at the entrance to get a better view, and it didn't disappoint. It's a beautiful lake and park.

We also happened upon an awesome playground, and August got in some evening sliding. We're all going to try to call it a night early to be ready to take on the day tomorrow!

Pittsburg, KS

Last night we stayed at a KOA in Springfield, Missouri, along Historic Route 66. KOA's are the Cadillacs of RV camping. They always have lots of amenities, though you can expect to pay more than at other campgrounds. This one had a nice little playground, pool, decent laundry center, camp store, and you could even get a pizza delivered to your campsite!

I personally enjoyed the silly face cut-out signs that were out front. There must have been 8 different ones.

Today was another rainy day. Chris took off early as usual, and we stayed around to sleep in a little and eat breakfast. I had hoped the rain would let up before it was time to pack up, but no luck. Winding up hoses and septic tubes in the rain can give you a new appreciation for things. Then we headed on towards our destination, Pittsburg, Kansas.

Chris rode 95 miles today, but because Kansas is so flat and he caught a nice tailwind, he got to Pittsburg by 1:00pm. We spent most of the rest of the day with Harry and Jim. Who are Harry and Jim? Well, Harry's Cafe and Jim's Steakhouse. Yes, all we do is eat.

We met at Harry's Cafe for lunch since it was right off Chris' route. It is an old school diner in downtown Pittsburg. The food was delicious and cheap. The decor was like a scene from a movie, and our server was so friendly and accommodating. Chris got the beef manhattan, which was superb. If I had known how tender and delicious it was, I would have ordered it too. I got a tuna salad sandwich and broccoli soup, which was very good as well. I had heard rave reviews about the cinnamon rolls, so of course we had to split one. I ate less than a third of it, but it was difficult not to eat the whole thing as it was fantastic.

Then we headed to the public library here for the first stop on our national library tour. I'm surprised we hadn't gone to one sooner, but there's been so many other things to do that we just hadn't had the opportunity. I could tell Auggie was ready for some book time other than the dozen or so we brought, and especially since the weather was so rainy it was a perfect day for it.

The Pittsburg library had a wonderful kids' section with a play area and August was thrilled to be around other youngsters. He gets a lot of interaction at daycare and I have noticed that he's been missing his friends lately when he's just been with boring old mom! I am looking forward to more library stops in the future.

Afterwards we went back to the campsite. The city park here allows tent camping and RV camping, is unmanned and pretty much just goes on the honor system to collect payment. Yet another great city offering we have discovered on this trip. I'm sure the cities we've lived in have had neat accommodations too that we've never had occasion to use. Another thing I noticed was while we were walking around downtown, there was a parking area with signs marked "Public Exchange Meetup" that was monitored by video surveillance. I thought about some of the violent encounters that have occurred during Craigslist pickups and wondered why more cities don't consider doing something like this. We generally pick a CVS parking lot or something if we have business to do on Craigslist, but this is great.

After a long and much needed nap for Auggie (and me, can't lie), we took off for a bike ride around town. Chris remarked several times that this town reminded him a lot of Danville, Illinois, which is near where we both grew up. I agree, it is much like I imagine Danville would be if the economy hadn't gone south. A nice, solid town with a lot of local businesses. We rode the trail that runs through town, it was nice but too short and had all these dumb concrete barricades at the intersections that I'm sure seemed like a good idea to keep cars off of it but I was positive I was going to hit one before the ride was up since they took up 1/3 of the width of the trail. After 10 minutes we had ridden all of it twice, so we headed back towards the park and decided to stop in at Jim's Steakhouse for dinner.

Ron Paul's 2012 presidential campaign is still alive and well here in Kansas. No wonder his son is pondering centering his campaign around just "Rand" to differentiate himself.

Jim's and Harry's have both been around since the 1930s, so I'm guessing those two knew each other. Jim's was quite a bit pricier, but also very good. I hadn't had a steak in a while, so I got one even though it seemed a little indulgent. I was glad I did as it was an excellent cut and I feel like I'll be full for days. Chris received the largest order of spaghetti I've ever seen, and it was tasty too. So, we went over our food budget for the day (and calorie budget too I'm sure!), but it sure is fun trying the food at all of these neat little places.




There is one other TransAmerican rider at the campground tonight, a South Korean college student named Jay that Chris has come across a few times so far. The first time Chris met him, in Kentucky, he was wearing flip flops. He is riding solo, self-supporting, and opted not to purchase the Adventure Cycling Association route maps; instead he is just relying on Google Maps. Chris and he were talking about their ride plans and Jay casually mentioned that he is going to make a pit stop at the Grand Canyon and then head to California. We really hope he will take precautions for the desert heat he is going to encounter along the way at the hottest time of year. Anyone who is willing and able to ride 60-90 miles a day in flip flops is not afraid of a little adversity though.

Rainy Day in Springfield, MO

We've been enjoying a rainy day in Springfield today. Chris isn't riding as he had a meeting with a professor at Missouri State in the big city this morning and we decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing together to celebrate our anniversary. So, I'm off soaking up time with my two loves. We'll be back tomorrow with more fun!

RV Express RV Park in Marshfield, MO

This morning we wished my dad safe travels home and he headed east while we headed west. It was a really nice visit, and August and Grandpa had some fun bonding time. At one point August rejected my hand in favor of his as we were walking to the Shut-Ins. They are becoming buddies I think!

For the second day we were on the TransAm route itself for the whole drive. I have a feeling this will become commonplace as we reach more and more remote locales. I passed five cyclists heading the same way, and we encountered our first eastbound riders. Chris had the chance to stop and talk to two of them, Germans who started in Oregon. We were surprised to see them so early as doing the eastbound trip usually requires a later start because of snow around Yellowstone and in Montana/Idaho. That was part of the reason Chris decided to do westbound. They confirmed that 1) It doesn't make much sense to start in the northwest early in the season as at one point they rode through 6 inches of snow for quite a while, and 2) They are badasses because it didn't seem like too big of a deal to them.

Chris and I chuckled at the thought of any Europeans deciding to come here for an epic bike trip. It sounded like us going to Bangkok or Mumbai for a leisurely road trip, but obviously they were having fun and I'm glad they didn't have too many complaints about us Americans.

The drive was beautiful today. I didn't know what to expect from Missouri, but today was gorgeous farmland all around, with sweeping views of cattle grazing in valleys. The weather was perfect too, mild and partly cloudy, so I knew Chris must be having a good ride.

Speaking of Chris, we were excited to sneak up on him once again. Missouri has ample places to safely pull over for a rest (take notes, eastern Kentucky!), and we took advantage for about five minutes. This is what a bicycle-RV pit stop looks like:





Tonight we are staying in Marshfield, MO. Sometimes you stay at a park where your campsite overlooks a scenic lake. And sometimes you stay at a parking lot nestled between a Holiday Inn Express, a McDonald's, and Interstate 44. The RV Express RV Park is nothing fancy, but it is a place to sleep. Apparently Route 66 runs through here. I am hoping to see more of it tomorrow.

We got an amusing call from one of our neighbors tonight. Our next door neighbor Bill is blind and has a guide dog. Recently his former guide dog retired (he still lives with them, but is no longer a service dog), and he got a new one. It takes a while for guide dogs to learn the ropes of course. Today he went for a walk with the new dog, and instead of taking Bill home, the dog took him to our house and guided him into our house sitter's car. It wasn't until he got in that he realized something was off! I am still chuckling at that one.




August, reading the label on his raisins. "Ma, are you sure these are organic?"

Finally, lest you think it is all glitz and glamour out here on the road, Chris got to do yet another minor RV repair tonight. It was a perfect evening for hanging out outside so Auggie and I watched and played.

Alley Spring Campground in the Mark Twain National Forest

We have been without internet or phone service for going on two days, so this post may be delayed in getting published. The Ozarks are a great place to disconnect and recharge, as you have no other option.

This morning Chris decided to try a late start, so we had scrambled eggs and toast before he took off around 8:30. We followed a couple hours later. For the first time, we were on his route for the whole drive. We passed nearly a dozen TransAmers, a sight I loved to see, though I felt bad for being yet another vehicle making their journey a little more dangerous. They were in groups of 1-3, and I was happy to see several women among them, including one group of three. I suddenly felt pretty soft after that. Hopefully there are fewer buffets in my future.

August and I went for a bike ride after we set up camp. We got caught in the rain a few times, but the temperature was nice and it wasn’t pouring, so it actually was pleasant.

The rain continued off and on all afternoon, but it cleared off long enough for us to go see the mill at Alley Spring. I wasn’t expecting much (we go to mills surprisingly often as Chris is a fan), but it was beautiful and fascinating. The water around here is a swirly mix of aquamarine, bright green, blues and brown.

81 million gallons of water a day flow from Alley Spring, a quantity I can’t even comprehend. The rushing falls were impressive, and there was a mist over much of the water. We were so glad we took a few minutes to go check it out, I wouldn’t want to have missed it.



We had Chris’ sloppy joes for dinner and then chose an early bedtime since August had been clearly tired and grouchy for much of the evening.

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park

*Written on 6/15, delayed in posting because of lack of internet connection.

Yesterday we spent the first half of the day in Farmington, MO, where we had stayed at a hotel to treat ourselves for Flag Day. I was ready for a little break from the RV and we were all ready for some pool and hot tub time. Since my dad was in town the night before, Chris and I were able to sneak away to watch the late showing of Jurassic World at the theater that was practically in the parking lot of the hotel. I had so much fun!

In the morning we hit up the hotel breakfast. Many of you have probably been doing the make-your-own-waffle wrong. Let me help you with a hotel waffle tutorial. This method was patented by our friend Pat and demonstrated here by Chris:

First, you make your waffle per usual. Pick up no fewer than three packets of “butter” and an extra plate. Put the butter packets on top of the waffle, and use the second plate to cover. Let sit for about a minute, and then open the hot butter packets and saturate your waffle with it. It’s the healthy way to breakfast!

Then we went for a swim before checking out. Three girls who were there graciously offered August their princess kickboard, and he had a blast. As you can see, Chris’ bicycling tan is coming in very nicely. How mutant is he going to look in 5 weeks?!

Then the little guy was an asset in taking the luggage cart out to the car.














We spent the second half of the day at Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park. I honestly had no idea what a shut-in was before we went there, but I had heard it was a great park. A helpful sign educated me on the matter.

The Shut-Ins were actually pretty cool, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The rock formations are a sight to see, and the water is very swimmable. We saw lots of families take a picnic and spend the day there.

It would be especially good for older kids I think. Some brave folks were jumping off of the tallest rocks into the pools. I will never be that brave, so we stuck to the easier area. August liked putting his feet in.

I made spaghetti with homemade sauce for dinner, with Caesar salad and garlic bread. I was sure I had packed a bag of spaghetti we had in our pantry at home, only to find as my sauce was simmering that we had no noodles. The camp store usually has them, but happened to be sold out. It’s pretty humbling to drive 10 miles each way to buy a dollar of noodles. I wasn’t about to let my sauce go to waste though!

After dinner August was watching Daddy do some bike maintenance and decided maybe his tricycle could use a tune-up as well. Priceless!

Farmington, MO

August and I were up and going at a good hour this morning, motivated by the breakfast buffet where we were planning to meet Janet and Sam! Matt had found a place called Reid's Smorgasbord along their route with a $6.50 all-you-can-eat breakfast. I have eaten at more buffets in the last two weeks than I have in the last two years I think! Anyway, word from the guys who ate there three hours before us was that it was tasty. So we headed from Murphysboro to Chester to see for ourselves.

Chester sits along the Mississippi River in Illinois and was home to the creator of Popeye. It takes about two seconds of being in Chester to figure this out.

The breakfast buffet was actually pretty good, and I couldn't believe how cheap it was. It had poached eggs, which you don't see on many buffets. Poached eggs with a side of biscuits and gravy is one of my favorite country breakfasts. Sam, who is heading into his freshman year of high school, got two full plates of bacon and two plates of french toast. My kind of kid! August was happy with some scrambled eggs and strawberries.

After eating we pointed the caravan towards Farmington and took off. Matt ended up cramping too much to make it all the way to Farmington, but he did put in a good 30 miles or so. It was really nice visiting the Craigs! Janet was so thoughtful she brought a bag full of road snacks for me and The Augster. Sam often helps take care of our dog when we are out of town, mow our grass and things like that, and we are happy to have his good help nearby.

This afternoon August and I found a nice little town park while we were waiting for Chris, and then took off to the Farmington Family Center water park. We were glad to cool off and it's always nice finding kid-friendly places. We thought the brakes on the RV might need some work, so we took it to Meineke and ended up getting the rear brake pads replaced. Chris, of course, is kicking himself for not replacing them himself before we left at a fraction of the cost. He had replaced the front but hadn't thought about the rear needing it. As I told him, you can't win 'em all! If a brake job is the biggest RV expense we have on this adventure, we'll be lucky.

My dad is in town visiting too, and took us out for Thai food at the Pad Thai Kitchen tonight. It is a house converted to a restaurant, and the food was excellent, though spicy. Hopefully he didn't feel too taken as we tend to order a lot when we find a delicious Thai place. Tonight was no exception, we finished an appetizer sampler, mussaman curry, red curry, pad thai, and a dessert of mango and sticky rice. Thanks, Dad!

Tomorrow we are taking a rest day in observance of Flag Day. Chris is excited about sleeping in and we are excited to have him around all day.