WE MADE IT TO KANSAS!

The day started off clear and warm, leaving the Springfield, MO KOA around 7:30 AM Central Time.  By mid-day it had gotten hot and humid.  The generator ran most of the day so we could use the big air conditioner. 

The roads in Missouri were very good.  The stretch of road just west of Kansas City (in Kansas) was rough going.  We had some tolls today on the Kansas City turnpike, and we were worried at how much it was going to run us since we are towing a vehicle and had a total of 4 axles. For the stretch of road we traveled from Kansas City to Topeka it was only $4.75.

Today we saw Truman Lake just north of Clinton, MO.  It's a big lake, but we were only able to see small legs of the lake and what we saw looked to be the shallow. 

Truman Lake

The Kansas River was very full.  This area has had a lot of rain this summer.

We stopped off at Osceola Cheese Factory and had fun sampling the different cheeses.  We picked up some cheese for the road and headed to Lees Summit. 

After picking up some groceries from Target, we met the Eskew's for lunch at Jack's Bar-B-Que.  It was good to see Luanne and Kurt and catch up with them.  Next time we see them, we will be welcoming our grandson Luke to our families.  The BBQ was very good and so was the company.  (Forgot to get pic)

As we approached Fort Riley, KS, we saw ominous clouds on the horizon.  Fortunately we were able to connect to the internet and look at the radar which showed severe thunderstorms along our route.  We were able to pull into a rest area and sit the storm out.  We were surprised by the severity of the storm.  Joe followed the radar to know when it was safe to leave the rest area.  We were parked for about 30-45 minutes allowing the storm to pass.  These Kansas folks know how to have a severe thunderstorm!  Thus far, we have experienced severe thunderstorm warnings and storms every day since leaving home.

1,000 miles down, 4,000 miles to go. This is a LOOOONNNNGGGG drive!!!!

We arrived at the Salina, Kansas KOA campground and got set up around 6PM.  It had cooled off considerable and we were able to open the RV windows and air the place out.  We noticed a lot of condensation on the inside windows of the toad.  Upon closer inspection, the carpet was wet.  The only thing we can see that caused this to occur is water leaked in around the straps that holds the cover to the windshield.  The straps on the inside were soaked.  They apparently acted like a wick during the torrential rains we've had the past 2 days.  We rolled down the windows and opened the doors trying to air the car out and will probably keep the windows down tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

We stayed at this campground last year and found it to be very quaint and pet friendly.  Tomorrow our destination is Cheyenne, WY.  That's where the landscape really starts to change.