Day 3

We slept well!! Left the Kan-Do campground about 8.00am.  Easy access to I70 travelling west to Kansas City.  Yesterday we travelled through 4 states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri.  Today we will continue across Missouri, then Iowa and touch Nebraska.

We went through Kansas City which overlooks the Missouri river and turned right on I29.  We followed the Missouri river now going north. At lunchtime we stopped at a place called St Joseph about 50 miles north of Kansas City. We went looking for a Starbucks!!  Coffee has become a bit of a problem and Starbucks is about the only place so far to get a strong cup. It has an added benefit of providing free wifi. This Starbucks also provided a fairly large carpark for the RV.   I am still looking for the best description for the right coffee for me and I think I have found it - a short, double americano with room - the US version of a long black 2/3rds topped up!!   At last!  Trevor - "thank god!"









So now we are over the border in to Iowa - flat land, lots of cropping of what appears to be corn, maize and soya beans, small and large silos and long arms of reticulation sprays. Long lines of train  regularly pass us. We are headed for Nebraska City, 4 miles across the border in Nebraska.  We had called ahead from St Joseph to the Victorian Acres RV park and know where we are headed.  Did some shopping in town before hand and added to our store of necessities - door mat, can opener, some cooking utensils  We are settled in the RV park by 5.30pm. It is very hot.  It was 105 degrees there that day and it was still uncomfortable outside so we settled for the airconditioning which is working wonderfully.

 'I know its there somewhere'!!!









We had a full hook up which included wifi.  Spoke on Viber to Mace (free phone calls like skype).  Mace was at work - he called us on his new i phone - neither of us knew how to end the call (literally).  I could here him asking his work mates how to turn it off.  We kept saying are you still there?
Had our first home (RV) cooked meal and a glass of wine.
I heard a train hooting in the still air of early morning.  It reminded me of growing up in Hastings - the train line there went through the centre of town. Now where did that come from? More than 60 years ago!


Nebraska City was a way station on the Missouri River where families and adventurers bound for Oregon mixed with trappers, traders and riverboat people. It is the birth place of Arbor Day established by a Nebraskan politician (1830-1902) who proposed a resolution to make 10 April a state holiday to encourage farmers in Nebraska to plant trees as a protection from high plains winds and soil erosion! Arbor Day is still commemorated through the US though the date changes from state to state.

There are so many trucks on the roads; at times it seems that there are more trucks than cars  And they look magnificent. The tractor (we know as the prime mover) gleams with paints of all colours.  The signage sparkles and there is usually lots of chrome on the front. They look as if they have just driven from a truck wash. Unlike our road trains they generally have one long trailer. They come from all parts of the US presumably going to all parts too.
The highways we have traveled are great driving - well kept despite the enormous amount of traffic. Upcoming maintenance is well sign posted. One such sign was 89 miles before we came upon the maintenance crews and road work! There followed regular reminders as we got closer; the traffic then moved into one lane for about 100 yards then everything was back to normal!

Nebraska holds memories for us as we spent a night in a small town in the northeast of the state on 26 December 2009. We had had a white (very) Christmas in the Black Hills and were booked on a flight from Rapid City, South Dakota on Boxing Day 2009, to spend several days in San Francisco and on to Hawaii for a week.
We arrived at the airport early and our friends left. It was snowing hard, a white out, our flight was cancelled as were all flights - for a week! So we thought we would drive to Denver, Colorado, as only West Aussies would!  Of course the roads were even more hazardous. We were in a small car to save costs. As we neared the border of SD with Wyoming the road was closed.  We turned back and found a small country road which was still open.  By now it was dark.  We were driving through snow drifts which completely engulfed the car.  Trev said he could still see the middle line ...  then we were on a gravel road.  It was cold and fairly scary!  After about 2 hours of anxious slow driving we came to a bigger road.  We had driven into Crawford, Nebraska. At the end of our road there was a 'Road Closed'  sign.  They just hadn't put up the sign at the other end!
We walked into a service station and were greeted with - where have you come from?? Nobody was on the roads that night.

Day 4

Up early and on the road by 8.00am. We refuelled about 10 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska - 57 gallons at $3.57 a gal = $204.00.  Headed for Sioux City and on to South Dakota.
After Omaha the highway changed to less well tended and the surface less smooth to ride on.  The milage posts now appear every  mile and not every 1/10 of a mile as before.
When driving out the other side of Sioux City - a feed lot - much to Trevor's relief. First obvious sign of livestock in several days! Now the sunflower planted road verges are replaced with round hay bales on both sides where the sides of the highway has been mowed and baled.

And now we are in South Dakota! Some of the crops are replaced with pasture. There are cattle in the pasture. Speed limit has increased to 75mph. South of Sioux Falls the traffic becomes heavier with more motor homes and motor bikes. Sturgis, the motor bike rally starts on 2 August.










At 1.30pm we stop at an Information centre/ rest area on I90. We are looking for somewhere to stay that night as we still have many miles to go to Rapid City.

Rest areas dot the highways. They are amazing - like an oasis in a desert of flat open land.  They have free wireless/internet, clean rest rooms, vending machines, newspaper stands, lots of travel information, covered picnic areas. Many of them are also Information centres staffed with friendly people keen to help with any and every inquiry.
We ask about RV parks on I90 and book in to one at Murdo about 160 miles west.  We then run into about 15 miles of road works - down to one lane!  Its very hot!

By 3pm it seems like we have been driving forever. How far today? 330 miles so far and we still have 108 miles to Murdo. So far we have covered 1245 miles!

4.15pm Now under 30 miles to go.  Should reach Murdo by 4.45. A long day.
My legs and feet keep swelling up - I guess sitting for 4 days, lack of coffee and water  But do I complain???

We cross the Missouri River again at Chamberlain.
It surely is an impressive body of water and has been a constant companion for the last 3 days.

Arrived in Murdo. 105 degrees!  Booked in to the American RV Park & Kamp. $31.00 for full hook up.  After we set up we went looking for a grocery store but got waylaid at a bar where the beer on tap was 50 cents between 4 and 6pm.  It was lovely and cool and we had a beer. (Several) So the groceries can wait till tomorrow – I have cooked some sweetcorn cobs and will do scrambled eggs, tomatoes and ham.

Murdo - population  650!!!

Tomorrow we go through a one hour time zone so can sleep in!!!!