Some things Lisa and I have read discussed difficulties in finding available campsites in the U.S., unless one wanted to go to Kansas. I can attest that one can get a campsite at Cross Timbers State Park near Toronto. I think I was the only one camping there last night. I don't know why more people don't come there to camp. The scenery was nice and the park is right on the lake. Kansas is a good place to visit to get away from the hustle and bustle of regular vacation spots. A good slogan to attract some vacationers would be, "Kansas, a great place to chill."
Pics of sunrise over Toronto Lake.
Selfie shadow pic below.
Pic of my bicycle cockpit this morning. I'm drying out my towel from yesterday.
My hunger this morning made me get off the "USBR 76 migration current" and head toward The Kitchen Table Restaurant in Fredonia. Below are pics around Fredonia, including breakfast. The town has a square with the courthouse in the center, but unlike a lot of towns, the courthouse was not at all ornate, but just looked like a 1960s-1970s office building. The Gold Dust Hotel, estb. 1885, in the 2nd photo was cool.
After breakfast, I took out on Kansas Hwy 47, and stayed on that highway the rest of the day. There were quite a bit of 18-wheelers on about a 10 mile section of Hwy 47 due to a U.S. highway detour using that section. I bailed to the side of the road about 5 times to allow 18 wheelers to safely pass near crests of hills or when traffic was approaching from the other direction.
The next town I came to was Altoona. Below are some pics around town. I don't know what type of establishment the business in the last pics is, but I don't think I will go there.
One can't travel to Kansas without getting at least one pic (or maybe 2) of these.
The next town was St. Paul, which started out at Osage Mission. Below are several pics from around town, Saint Francis Catholic Church, and the museum. Hopefully, you will be able to read all the plaques. They contain interesting information about the mission. St. Paul had a more modern water tower also, but, as you can probably tell from my pics, I am partial to the Tin Man hat water towers.
I then went through the unincorporated area of Greenbush, and the pics below show the historical significance of that area.
Finally, I made it to Girard, my stopping place for the night. At Girard, I will hook back up with USBR 76, and will continue riding that route tomorrow. The City of Girard allows cyclists to camp in their city park. I went to the library to recharge my electronics and to use the wi-fi to complete today's blog. Below are some pics around Girard.
Total miles today: 80.0
That's an interesting story about the church bell! And the Osage Mission. Makes you wonder what life was really like back in 1850. The burned Catholic Church story was also interesting. That is so nice that bicyclists can camp in city parks! Does Chattanooga allow any of that? It seems like you could definitely camp out at Chester Frost for free on a bike. I think you might get run off down along the riverwalk. I hope you journey continues to be sunny and pleasant!
ReplyDeleteMost larger cities are not as agreeable as these small towns about camping in city parks.
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