Day 18 -- Hutchinson to Lawrence, Kansas -- 194 Miles

Today, all we did was drive. We promised my Navy buddy, Thom, that we'd be in Lawrence, Kansas by afternoon-ish and we knew that he and his wife would certainly be expecting to join us for dinner and a nice comfortable session of getting re-acquainted. For the most part we chose the rural routes, trying as hard as we could to avoid the interstates, and especially the toll roads. However, as luck would have it, we encountered both and just had to deal with them the best we could. The bulk of the day was spent in listening to our CD book on Lincoln and the Civil War, so except for our lunchtime stop, we didn't take any other photo ops.

We we arrived at Thom and Sally's house in a very upscale section of west Lawrence, Kansas, we parked just above his house on a somewhat level spot, and walked down the hill to meet them. They had seen us drive by and were already out in front waiting for us. Then for the next hour or so we sat and talked, we toured the house and grounds, and then we toured THEIR motor home that was sitting in the driveway. Coincidentally, they intended to hit the road just a couple of days after our visit as they had a whole list of people they needed to visit this spring.

We asked Thom to recommend a nearby camp that would be close enough to their house so they could come and pick us up for dinner in Lawrence. As it turned out, there was a terrific state park just down the road, less then 10 minutes away, and we rolled over there and got a nice spot for the night. The cost was minimal, the scenery was fantastic, and the camp was so conveniently located that when we were ready to leave it was just a simple couple of turns and we were on the interstate out of town.

Our only stop for the day was in a tiny hamlet called "Strong City." Like so many middle America towns of such size and fading glory, it was heartbreaking to see the once stately and finely-crafted buildings falling into ruin. We did get to see a once proud filling station with fitting compliment of vintage automobiles in front. The property has largely gone to rack and ruin, but it was neat to photograph anyway. Concetta and I walked around town, we had a nice lunch, and we got to see a few trains go by on the track adjacent to our lunch spot. All too soon we were back on the highway, no doubt never to return to Strong City.

So until next time, we wish you Happy Travels!