Hold on tight
We had a very windy day. The wind came out of the north with gusts up to 40mph. Poor Larry he drove the Minnie in the wind. It came off the front driver side corner and pushed the Minnie around at times. We drove mainly down two lane back roads with no shoulders so Larry had to be careful not to get in the ditch. He's a great driver so no problem. We did drive an interstate for a bit. The wind was so strong Larry couldn't drive over 50mph on the interstate.
We woke up to 48 degrees at Downstream Casino Resort in Kansas and the high got to 62 degrees in Stockton Missouri. I made French toast sticks for breakfast. Then we got ready to leave. We put everything away and secure. We left Downstream Casino Resort at 8:00.
Larry drove 95 miles today. We started in Kansas and ended in Missouri. The road getting into Downstream Casino Resort is in Kansas, we then crossed the stateline to Missouri and then back into Kansas. We took the road from the casino and got on highway 166. The ramp we needed to get off on was closed due to construction so we had to take the detour, it took us back through Baxter Springs. Then we got on highway 26, which took us to Galena. Galena was about 13 miles from the casino.
Galena Kansas is an old mining town on Route 66. Due to the popularity of visiting towns along Route 66 new businesses are opening, some are restaurants, some sell souvenirs. We drove through the town. At the end of town we stopped and took pictures of the murals of the cars on Route 66 and the museum. Then we found a place to park the Minnie so we could take more pictures of the town murals. We parked the Minnie by a beautiful city park called Will Roger Highway 66. It had a beautiful mural of the highway, it also has an old Galena jail cell. There were murals of Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Galena. There was an old Texaco, that was converted into a souvenir store. As we walked around we saw day care workers walking the kids through town. There were four workers and four strollers, three of the strollers were double seated to hold more kids. It was nice to see the workers and kids having a great time. It was cold and windy so we didn't stay too long walking around but we had fun.
Natter from Cars in the middle
Cars on the Route 66
Luigis Pit Stop for Cars
Old Texaco souvenir store
Galena mural
Coca-Cola mural
Pepsi mural
American flag made from old Kansas license plates from the 70's and 80's
Route 66 sign
Will Roger mural at the park
The next stop was at the Harry S. Truman Birthplace in Lamar Missouri. This was about 50 miles from Galena Kansas. We drove through Joplin, Webb City, Carthage and Jasper. Harry S. Truman Birthplace was a state historic site. We found a place to park. Then we had lunch. After lunch we walked to the office to get information. A lady (Anna) greeted us and then took us on a tour of the small house. The house was a two story house that his parents purchased when they were newlyweds. They lived in the house for four years. Harry was born in the house and 11 months old when they moved. It was small but very nice. The first floor had a parlor, kitchen, and a bedroom off the kitchen for the hired hand. The smallest room on the first floor was the bedroom where Harry was born. The staircase going to the second floor was narrow and steep so you had to use the handrail. The second story had two bedrooms (sewing room and the largest room in the house was a bedroom). Outside there were two monuments ( Shrine, that was dedicated to Harry S Truman and In Memoriam of Harry S Truman), their well, smoke house and outhouse. Anna did a great job on telling the history of the house and Harry S. Truman. When they opened the site to visitors Harry Truman showed up and signed the guest book in 1959. It was a short tour but very nice.
Sign for Harry S Truman Birthplace
Harry's house
The bedroom Harry was born
The largest room (bedroom) in the house on the second story
Kitchen
In Memoriam of Harry S Truman
After touring and walking around the site we thanked Anna for her time. Then we went back to the Minnie and Larry plugged Stockton State Park in our GPS. We arrived at the park by 3:00. We found our site and plugged into the power. The drive to Stockton State Park was down back roads. As we drove we saw sheep, horses, cattle, a couple of donkeys and a bald eagle. The eagle was too fast so I didn't get a picture but it was beautiful.
Stockton State Park is located on a Corps of Engineers lake, which is Stockton Lake. The lake is V shaped and covers 39 square miles with 298 miles of shoreline. The park has two campgrounds (East & West), a huge marina, hiking trails and access to the lake where you can water ski, scuba drive, fish and swim. We're in the East Campground.
After relaxing a little bit we went for a 45 minute walk to get familiar with the campground and to find the trailhead for the trail we're going to hike. We walked both campgrounds and found the trailhead. We started at our site and walked the main road to the West Campground. While walking to the west campground we saw a deer in the field but it was too far away to get a picture. We found where the trailhead was in the West Campground. Then we decided to go back to our site. The return walk was via a connector trail. The trail went in the trees and by the lake. It was very nice and well used. As we walked the trail we saw a deer in the trees. When we got back it was almost time for dinner.
When it was time for dinner I heated up some Park Street Deli Pork Burnt Ends, from Aldi. It has been a long time since we had the pork and it was very good. After dinner I walked around for a little over an hour to get my steps. I walked both campgrounds loops three times. By the end of the day I got 13,000 steps, which put me in 9th place in my group. While walking I said hi to a few campers and their dogs. I saw a few deer running across the road. I had a very nice walk.
Dogwoods in bloom
One of the cabins to rent at the park
Marina
Camping at Stockton State Park
Stockton Lake
When I got back from my walk I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Daily Event. The event was Event: Easy Street of 30 games. It took me 1 hour and 15 seconds, which put me in 14th place in my group.
We had a super day.
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I would love to hear friendly comments on anything at all. Ruth