Escape from Kansas

Kansas (Friday, August 2) didn't want to let us go. There was road construction, a long detour, and when we were two miles from the border we got stuck at a RR crossing - the train was dropping cars at a station, so it would back up and go forward, several times and very slowly. We finally escaped, however, and found a good motel in Nevada, Missouri. I should say, however, that Kansas was not without its charms. Riding into Mullinville from the west we were surprised to see a field of quirky sculptures along the road. When we stopped at a small cafe and I asked about the sculptures, I was told they were made by a local who put the names of townspeople on some of them, and the nature of the sculpture was a sign of whether he liked you or not.

There were several thunderstorms overnight, but this morning was dry for awhile. Just after breakfast the rain began, and we rode for a couple of hours in off-and-on rain. After  the 95-100 degree heat of the day before the cooler temperature was quite pleasant. We stayed on back roads all across Missouri with only one 30 mile detour. In the afternoon we headed south through the Missouri Ozarks, and just before Arkansas we headed east to Dyersburg, Tennessee, where we are staying tonight.

Tomorrow we visit the Frist Museum for the Visual Arts in Nashville to view a special exhibit of cars from the Art Deco era. Should be fun.

Roadside artworks in Mullinville, KS