Today was a travel day. If ever anyone tells you that western Kansas is exciting, they’re lying. Every mile is characterized by flat prairie land and farm land as far as the eye can see dotted with massive grain elevators. There are a few small towns that line the highway, each having their own take on a prairie museum, but none of any interest.

Eastern Colorado is not much better, but does have hills and views of the far off Rockies as you near Denver.  In Denver, we met my uncle for a great dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant in the Cherry Creek section of town.

This morning we departed Kansas City to the southwest taking I-35 to US-56.  We followed US 56 through the small towns that dot the southeastern Kansas landscape.  Each town was a variation on the theme of the one stoplight, everyone knows everyone communties.  I half expected to see a milkman or a newspaper delivery boy on his bicycle, but I blinked and we were back in prairie land.  As we passed through I was checking populations and information and was surprised to discover that some of these towns have websites, like Burlingame, KS (pop. 1017).  After a couple hours of rolling prairie we arrived in Council Grove, KS (pop. 2321).

Hungry for lunch, we found Hays House Restaurant and Tavern, claiming to be the longest continually operating restaurant west of the the Mississippi.  It began serving travelers on the Santa Fe trail over 150 years ago and now serves locals and travelers along US-56.  The manager was particularly excited to hear how far we had come and gave us a tour of the building.  Additionally, he explain that Council Grove is know for a tree under which a treaty was signed with the local Osage nation allowing the westward passage of pioneers.  Unfortunately, the tree was reduced to a stump in the 1950s, but the stump still exists today.  The Post Office Oak, another famous tree in town used by pioneers to send mail by way of other travelers, appears to no longer exist.  It, too, was supposedly reduced to a stump, but when we went to the site, all we found was grass.  So much for that historic place!

Onward from Council Grove, we drove south on KS-177 to US-50 crossing more prairie land.  Needing to make some tracks westward we decided to get back to I-70 for the next days drive.  Via KS-150 and US-56, we joined I-135 and stopped in Salina, KS to rest our weary heads.

Before getting back on the road, we made one stop in St. Louis: the Gateway Arch, the symbol of Westward Expansion.  Since we are headed westward, following many of the pioneer routes, we felt it quite fitting to see the arch before continuing our journey.  Rising 630 feet over the Mississippi River and downtown St. Louis, the Arch is quite a feat of engineering.  The structure of the Arch comprises a steel frame filled with reinforced concrete and wrapped in a stainless steel skin.  Inside there are two trams consisting of 8 barrel-shaped cars that carry people to the observation platform at the top using a system of pullies, tracks and auto-levelers.  We went to the top (of course) and the photos depict what we saw on the St. Louis side.  Illinois, unfortunately, has not done much to make their side interesting in the least.

From St. Louis, we decided to follow a scenic route that took us through the Missouri Rhineland.  Our route started in St. Charles, MO the starting point for Lewis and Clark’s expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase and to find a passage to the northwest.  The historic part of town is steeped in this tradition with a brick street, historic wagons on display, and a memorial statue of Merriweather Lewis and William Clark.  Proceeding south on Route 94 along the Missouri River, we passed over the rolling hills of the Rhineland headed towards Defiance, MO.

Just north of Defiance, MO is the retirement home of Daniel Boone, pioneer extraordinaire.  The home is operated by Lindenwood University, who, unfortunately has a very strict policy about taking photographs anywhere on the property with cameras that look “professional” like our DSLRs.  We decided not to waste any more time there and continued on to Defiance.  Despite, Lindenwood’s unwelcoming attitude, the surrounding landscape proved that Boone had chosen a beautiful spot to spend his final years.  The rolling hills, trees and grasslands made for incredible scenery even in the dull months of Winter.

After Defiance, we reached the small town of Augusta, Missouri (pop. 218) where we stopped to have a bite to eat.  Again, we found the attitude of those around us to be unwelcoming, in an almost New York way.  Not what I expected from a small town in Missouri.

Needing to get miles behind us we decided to leave Route 94 at Marthasville, rejoin I-70 bound for Kansas City.  If you’re ever in Kansas City, I highly recommend the Plaza III Steakhouse.