Retirement

Today, after “gettin’ outa Dodge,” we headed west on US 50 along the route to our next stop. The trip was mostly uneventful, with a little rain an hour into the drive with clearing the rest of the way.

The road west on US 50 took us through numerous little Kansas and Colorado towns. All very scenic with the usual crops, cattle feed lots and creeks, rivers and railways.

At one point, Damsel had her camera pointed at a passing BNSF locomotive with flatcars behind. The crew must have seen her with the camera, because when they passed us, they blew the diesel electric rig’s deafening horn. That startled us at first but then we both laughed. There was no RR crossing when they did that.

We’re now parked in the KOA and enjoying our evening. Tomorrow, we visit some more ancestors’ graves in Pueblo, CO and then on south into New Mexico.

Camping in Dodge City, KS tonight. Nice RV campground, named “Gunsmoke.” Roads in the campground are named Chester Avenue, Matt Dillon Drive, Miss Kitty Lane, among others, taking us back several decades to the TV series by the same name. Nostalgic,to say the least.

We have had good weather and minimal delays for road work the last two days on our route. Tomorrow, we will be heading into Colorado where the forecast is for possible rain and thunderstorms, but we have traveled through those earlier on the journey with no ill effects. Still having fun, relaxing and enjoying life on the road.

The scenic drive continued today crossing nearly half of Nebraska on Interstate 80 Westbound. Of course, there was the usual pastoral scenery, but we also transited through Lincoln, the state capitol. Traffic wasn’t bad and we quickly were back in the boonies.

The weather today was agreeable and sunny and the forecast for tomorrow’s route as we head south is for the same. Unlike Arizona, however, it is not a dry heat in the prairie states. Humidity indicator hovering at between 50 and 70 percent in the RV since we left Wyoming last week.

We will be camping in Kansas tomorrow night. I just called and got the reservation confirmed. We will be in the famous old western shoot-em-up town of Dodge City. All that shooting stuff actually happened, give or take a lie or two.

We decided to take a shorter drive today than originally planned. It will add a day to our trip, but a shorter drive will relieve the fatigue from a six-plus hour drive and keep us happier on the road.

We crossed western Iowa on I-80 and saw corn. Lots of corn. We have been seeing corn since we left Wyoming last week heading into the farm belt. Don’t get me wrong, there are other crops – sunflowers, barley, soy beans and so on. There are also places with horses and cattle. We did see one small herd of bison in North Dakota a few days ago.

We also saw dozens of rivers and creeks along the way. Yesterday we were next to the Mississippi in Dubuque, IA and this afternoon, we crossed the Missouri going from Iowa into Nebraska. I didn’t realize it, but the Missouri is the longest river in North America. I had assumed that title belonged to the Mississippi, but that isn’t correct.

We have another short scenic drive tomorrow and should be posting from Kearney, NE after we arrive there. Thereafter, we will be enjoying more adventures in the few days left on our trip. It has been great fun and a wonderful experience.

Our journey today terminates in Kellogg, Iowa. We started off heading east and got as far as the Mississippi River in Dubuque, IA and then headed back south and west to where we are near Interstate 80.

The little RV campground is pretty full tonight. Maybe I should say crampground, since the spaces are so close together. It is a nice camp otherwise and inexpensive.

Tomorrow, we’re headed out of Iowa and into Eastern Nebraska, planning to camp near Omaha. The travels remaining on our itinerary are taking us through Nebraska, Kansas, back into Colorado, New Mexico and finally Arizona. We’re having a great time.

We have met our Waterloo – not in the Napoleonic sense, but we are camped in Waterloo, Iowa this evening. We drove from Spirit Lake, IA today and stopped here on our way to visit points east and the Mighty Mississippi River at Dubuque tomorrow.

Damsel and I enjoyed our Sunday dinner here this afternoon with Steak and Salad on the menu. We relaxed, showered and are now settled in watching a baseball game on the satellite TV. Actually, we’re enjoying all the comforts of home while on the road.

After Dubuque tomorrow, we will be turned around and headed westward again. Eastern Iowa is the farthest away from home that we will be on this trip. We have some more interesting places to visit on the return trip, so tomorrow’s destinations won’t be anticlimactic for us.