day 56, Wednesday, October 9, 12,373 miles (93 days and 19,1982 miles with part 1)

Had a pleasant stay at the Goodland Kansas KOA last night. Stayed outdoors except for sleeping since it is difficult to stay indoors since we have been outside for almost 56 days. See photo of our quaint cabin. Our hosts, Richard and Alicja Tracz, were excellent and had the right idea when they moved from Chicago to take over this little oasis right off Interstate 70.

Made good time today on the road, 466 miles, or 2nd best, even losing an hour with time change. Stopped at a pleasant little town for a rest break and then realized it looked familar. We stopped there also in 2001 and discovered it was Senator Bob Dole's home town. Photo is of Leben and Erde in historic section of town. I could envision a young Dole riding in some convertible down this street during Memorial Day or July 4th parades, or opening his campaigns here. Leben and Erde were interested in the smells, and I the coffee at the great expresso bar in the background.

We made it to our goal,the Kansas City KOA by 8:30. we would have made it earlier except i got lost. but i also got lost the exact same way when i tried the find the place on September 11, 2001, on our way back from Alaska.

Been thinking about that auto accident in Cheyenne more. If i did not have the brush bar on the front, the impact would have taken out my radiator and headlight, among other thjngs. Also, before i even assessed the damage, I reviewed my contingency plan just in case the damage was trip-interrupting: go back to the camp, rent a car, and stay put until the Defender is functioning again. This was the same plan we had at the Yukon. Fortunately, the damage, while a lot, does not interfere with my driving, although the left headlight is aimed lower than it would be, impeding my driving at night.

When i return, i will continue tuis blog with my thoughts on a number of individual topics or themes from the trip. Maybe one a day for a few weeks. I can think of about 50 topics off the top of my head. Unfortunately, on the trip, i don't have time to work on them for this blog.

one of the topics i will talk about is my many sources of inspiration for these trips. One of those is clearly my own mother who at 21 set out with her 19-year old sister Evelyn on a cross-country road trip from New Mersey to California in 1935. Let me repeat, 1935. No interstate system, no paved roads all the way, no AAA, no Napa shops, no Walmart's, no gas stations every 20 miles, no Jiffy Lubes, no ATMs, no GPS system, no cell phones or iPads, no coffee machines at every gas station, no KOAs , no Defender 90s or even JEEPs, etc., etc., etc. See photo of my mother next to what she and her sister drove to California and back. Where is their gear?

Taps. long drive tomorrow.