Westward Bound-Scott AFB, IL-Topeka, KS-Colby, KS

Whew, we are on a roll to get back out West!  We had no plans for anything after leaving the Kentucky Horse Farm, so just made stops to break up the drive.  The first stop was Scott AFB just East of St. Louis in Illinois.  It was convenient for an overnight stay when following I-64 West.  We have strayed there a few times in the past and it had not been one of our favorite spots due to poor maintenance, and especially the muddy sites under the trees.  However, this time it looked like the sites in the wood s had been upgraded with gravel and new picnic tables.  Even the bathhouse (which used to be disgusting) was much cleaner than it was before.  But, oh my, it was so hot, humid, and hazy.  What happened to the beautiful weather we had in West Virginia?  Guess Illinois didn’t get the memo that summer was over!

While Doug took a nap, I walked around the 2 lakes that are in the campground and recreation area.  Needed that exercise, and, of course, the old camera had to go with me.  You never know what you might see on a walk!

Our next stop was Shawnee Lake in Topeka, KS, for 2 nights.  It rained off and on from the time we left Scott AFB all the way to Topeka.  Geeze!  Had t to wipe the RV and truck off AGAIN already!  But the second day was nice and sunny.  We had been to this park several times in the past because the Hitchhiker RV factory was in Chanute, about a 2 hour drive South of Topeka.  Plus we usually made it a point to visit friends in Topeka  (who had already left heading South to Texas).  It is a beautiful park on a lake and a paved path goes all the way around the lake, plus one area has some gorgeous gardens.  The sites are just back in on pavement and gravel but plenty spacious.  There are some nice shade trees and lots of green grass. We liked the area that gave us a view out of our back window.   

Then the next leg of our trip took us to Colby, KS, after about a tiring 8 hour drive.  Driving across Kansas on I-70 was a very boring drive!  There was just open plains with maybe a tree here and there, and then there were no trees the further West we went.  This was not the first time we had driven across parts of Kansas.   We did see the real “Kansas trees”, which are lots and  lots of wind farms dotting the landscape.  You cannot fathom how big those things are unless you are beside one.  Then there is the oil.  When I see my first oil pump, I know I am getting closer to the West again. 

The town of Colby is very small and  rather run down, which seems to be the case in most of these very small Kansas towns out in the middle of nowhere.  But Colby did have a small fairgrounds.  It was just some back-in grass sites very close together.  Glad there wasn’t an event going on because would have been able to see what the neighbors were having for dinner.  I was a bit nervous because we were the only ones there, with no security, and a couple of trailers and old junky campers at the end, but I never saw anybody near them.  We didn’t unhook and it cost us $20.  Some truckers must know about the town because they pulled into the dirt parking lot across the road to spend the night.  We were fine, but I still didn’t like it, plus the weather had turned overcast, chilly, and windy. 

Nope, never found the Yellow Brick Road or Dorothy.  But some days I can be more like the Wicked Witch of the West!