Yesterday was a great travel day. The end goal was a hotel room in Omaha, NE, which was a long drive from Poplar Bluff, MO. I avoided interstate highways and struck out heading west on Highway 60. Right aroud Springfield, MO, I saw a sign for Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Not knowing what battle it was, I followed the signs and found a really nice park that preserves one of the earliest battles of the Civil War--it took place in August 1861, and was the first of many battles in Missouri (I learned that Missouri was the third most fought-over state in the war). The Union lost a general and the battle, but the Confederates were not able to pursue so Missouri remained in Union hands overall. Daisy and I took a nice long walk on one of the trails, and I inadvertently stepped in poison ivy.
After learning a bunch of new stuff about the Civil War, I decided to go to Lawrence, Kansas, as many people consider it to be where the war really started ("Bloody Kansas"); Kansas also saw many battles--one described in first picture above. So we drove cross-country--again eschewing Interstates, and saw some really pretty and changing topography. We stopped at a number of roadside historical markers (I LOVE being able to do this!) and at one place got a glimpse at 18 acres of original prairie--so cool! (that is in the otehr picture above)
After arriving in Lawrence, I fought w/ my GPS system and road construction to continue to avoid Interstates and won, for the most part, till I had to get on I-29 just south of the Iowa-Missouri border so I could get to our hotel before dark. It was a long day (13 hours) but i loved the back road traveling and unplanned stops! You can see so much more of our country and its history if you get off the highways!
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