Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Springfield, Missouri to Kearney, Nebraska
Highlights: Fantastic Caverns, Mushroom Rock State Park, the grassroots art of Lucas, Kansas, and the World's Largest Ball of Twine
Our hotel in Springfield was only six miles from Fantastic Caverns, where we arrived at 9:30 a.m. There were only two other cars in the parking lot, and those folks were leaving as we arrived, so we ended up with our own private tour, riding through the cave in a trailer pulled by a propane-powered Jeep. Our tour guide, John, was terrific, and the caverns were very impressive.
Private tour!
Jana in pandemic gear
Soon we entered Kansas. I didn't think I was going to like Kansas, but the landscape was lovely, in spite of a two-hour boondoggle over some of the worst gravel roads I've ever traversed (especially in a sedan!) We were trying to reach Teter Rock, near Cassady, Kansas, but couldn't make it over the final cattle guard in my car. Detour not worth it, but we survived!
Kansas
After returning to blessed pavement, we ate a picnic lunch at a cute roadside park in Florence, then made a stop at tiny Mushroom Rock State Park, outside Carneiro, in north central Kansas. The park is only five square acres but has several unique rock formations. Detour worthwhile!
Looks just like the rock
Looks just like the sign
Jana's attempt to take an artistic photo becomes an artistic photo
Avoiding the interstates, we were rewarded with lots of wildlife sightings, including a rare glimpse of a bobcat as one crossed right in front of us on Highway 232. We also saw several coyotes, deer, armadillos, possums, and even a couple of skunks.
Garden of Eden in Lucas, the "Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas"
Roy and Clara Miller's Park
One piece of the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things
Our last outstanding stop of the day was at the World's Largest Ball of Twine, in Cawker City, Kansas, which we reached just before sunset. Yes, it is just as awesome as you imagine – over 8 million feet of string and more than 20,000 pounds of greatness!
Cawker City's claim to fame!
Look how big it is!
I was ready to stop for the night, but Tom insisted we move on...
Lodging: Determined to reach Nebraska tonight, we turned due north from the ball o' twine and arrived at the Baymont by Windham in Kearney around 11:00 p.m. Not impressed. The common areas were very dirty - not the attention to cleanliness you want to see during a pandemic. The room itself seemed better, but we gave it an extra-thorough scrub-down. We'll be skipping the breakfast buffet.
Driving distance: 571 miles. Looking forward to fewer miles tomorrow and some hiking!
Tom
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