The wind that was blowing over my campsite last night continued to blow across the highway today. Any west to east travel forced us to battle it, but the south to north runs were a breeze. We hit I-35 north of Oklahoma City and drove that to the Kansas border, where we jumped on US 160 to do battle with the wind. North of Coffeeville, we turned onto US 169 which again took us to 35 and our crossing of the Missouri River. It’s always fun for me to cross the Mighty Missouri, but this time I was preoccupied with the maze filled with traffic.
We did hit a Turner high of 18.75 mpg in Oklahoma, but that was aided by both a tailwind and two fills of non-ethanol gasoline.
It was a long day behind the wheel, over 9 hours in fact, driving 486 miles. Some road deconstruction, lots of towns insisting on 25 mph, and early bedtimes in Missouri all played a part.
I had planned on camping again tonight at Wallace SP, but the gates were closed at 8pm, and I arrived at 8:10. I was not impressed. Who closes their gates at 8? The Show Me State. What did they show me? Closed gates. I guess I’m lucky I crossed The River by 7. Its my fault for not googling the park, but it never occurred to me that a state park would close their doors so early.
I was looking forward to another night in the tent, but hunger & temperament suggested I simply find a place to sleep for the night.
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