Nick and Dale's Great Adventure: Kansas and Missouri Edition

After a long several days in Oklahoma, we were finally in Kansas, a short but memorable piece of Route 66.  Kansas takes great pride in the fact that they were the second state to have paved the road (Chicago, IL was the first.)  While short, the trip through Kansas took us through some back roads and over the Rainbow Bridge.

We met Steve Herman, a fellow cyclist recovering from a knee replaceplacement.  He is also a Vietnam Vet and had reconnected with a former Navy buddy who he was showing around the area.

Further down the short Kansas road we stopped at the Old Riverton Store, a fixture since 1929! 

 We spoke with a couple who stops there and knows the current owner, who's aunt bought the place in 1965.  As we were leaving, another group was walking in and we found out the great uncle actually helped build the place in 1929.  I introduced the two groups, amazing history in just a few minutes.

We crossed over into Missouri and stopped for the night in Joplin, MO.  Little did we know that the trip would change over the next few days.   Springfiled would be our last town on Route 66.

We stayed true to Historic 66 and traveled through Avila, MO.  Spotting Lottie's as we traveled along, we stopped for some refreshments and chatted with the locals.  Being the only place around, it was popular at lunch time. 

A cold drink and a fresh baked good for each of us and we were on our way.  Lottie reminded me of Gram Clouser, Cindy's grandmother.  We passed through Halltown and then into Springfield.  As we entered, we stopped and got a drink at the first gas convenience store.  As we were sitting there, a pet rescue bus pulled in.

  They were empty and heading back to Texas.  One of their stops was in Lancaster, PA!

We decided to meet our ladies in Paducah, KY the next week, drastically changing our plans (and negating the maps).  Google would need to see us through. The ride to Mountain Grove would prove interesting.  Google has vehicle routes and bicycle routes.  This bicycle route would include 3.5 miles of unpaved road, not exactly what we had planned. 

It was beautiful countryside, hardly any traffic and a sleepy dog toward the end that didn't budge as we rode by!  On the way, we spotted an antique store with a fence made of bicycles. 

We thought about adding our bikes to the end but kept on pedaling!  We ended our day at a B&B on the square of Mountain Grove.   A pleasant evening (some locals hangout on the square), a good nights sleep and a fine breakfast and we were on our way. 

Sticking to Route 60 East, we made our way to Van Buren, MO.  Lots of river action there with float trips and such.  The Inn was a family affair including a small restaurant.  Since it was a hot day, we thought the pool would be refreshing, it was wet and warm.  During the ride we were noticing a lot of saw mills and stopped at the state conservation area with a historic display of the industry.

The final stop would be in Minor, MO, just outside of Sikeston and a few miles from the border.  The ride there was described as hills to Popular Bluff and then flat to Sikeston.  He was right and we were thankful.  It was a

nice ride, found a couple of dollar bills and saved a turtle.  The next day would bring us to Paducah,KY where we would meet our ladies.