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Summer Road Trip 2014_Day Eleven

"Well Toto, we are certainly not in Kansas anymore!'

I set my alarm for 3am, thinking we would get a super early start and possibly get a few miles down the road befor the wind kicked up.....nay, nay on both counts. We were so beat and exhausted that the alarm was an unwelcome interruption to a much needed rest...I hit snooze and three more times we decided it just couldn't be done. Both of us dreaded facing that wind again today, but there was no way around it. Cowboy up and ride.

It was not nearly as bad as yesterdays wind/ride, but the wind followed us in varying degrees all the way to Illinois. The Eastern part of Kansas with the bright green hills and deep ravines was suggestive of the Emerald City...we could have used a Wizard as well to cast a spell and make the wind subside.

This kind of balls to the wall ride is not my cup of tea; I learned to ride hard and about five months into my tutelege....I decided I didn't want to travel this way....all interstate, see how many miles we can put on today....no thanks. But when the situation calls for 'getting there,' I am not afraid to ride, and ride hard....which is what we have done the past two days.  I prefer the backroads, the meandering, the twisty turnys, and the wonderful diners, driven-ins and dives you encounter along the way. We have not had the luxury of even one stop for sightseeing.  I saw several signs for 'scenic' byway through Kansas (does that mean there is less wind....and what the hell is there to see in Kansas anyway??).  There is actually a historic site in Topeka Kansas that I took my girls to see several years ago. The former Monroe Elementary School where little Linda Brown set in motion the whole civil rights movement in terms of integration of public schools. The school is a National Park and Museum honoring those brave families (there were five) and the attorneys who fought for integration and established Brown vs. Board of Education.

We cross the Missouri River and if I could have done a Happy Dance, I would have...instead I did an energetic fist pump as we said 'farewell' to the state of Kansas and its hellacious wind.  Kansis City Missouri is known for its blues, jazz, and barbeque....but will we get to experience any of that?? NO. It is also the home of Mark Twain...will we get to see any of those historical places? NO.  It is also the birthplace of the beginning the end of slavery (at least thats how the billboard along 70 spins it)....but will we get a chance to see it?? NO.  I am just sick we will miss all of the sites....and then theres Route 66 in Missouri, which I have never done.....and I won't be doing it now either...someday, someday.

As the miles rolled past and the monotony set it, I found myself getting angrier and angrier at my Dad. With the question still looming large and unanswered...why??  My Dad always loved hearing about my travels, especially on Bessie....I will never tell him another road trip adventure and that makes me sad.  

We crossed the Missouri RIver again as we got closer to Columbia...tried to decide if we wanted to roll all the way to Muncie.....after fighting the traffic around St. Louis (and I didn't even get to see the Arch!) we decided it just wasnt that important to get there tonight. Headed off I-70 at Highland Illinois...I know I'm getting closer to home because there is corn as far as the eye can see....and settled in for a much needed shower and rest.

Tomorrow is another day; Thank you God for safe travel today.

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