After checking out of the hotel on day 23, we reluctantly started our journey east. We set our sights on making it to Kearney, Nebraska. We decided to stay at Fort Kearney State Park--another campsite we stayed at last year--because we knew the area and that it was reachable in a day.
After a quick stop at the store to get some brats and veggies to grill for dinner, we pulled in to the familiar campsite, found a secluded spot, and began to enjoy one of our last few nights on the road. The weather was perfect and as dusk settled around us he lightning bugs emerged and we watched the sunset over one of the ponds before calling it a night.
In the morning of Day 24, we packed up again and got back on 70E with the goal of reaching Mark Twain National Forrest in Missouri. As we drove, however, we realized that we would be going out of our way if we went that route, so after stopping for a quick lunch at LC's Barbecue shack in Kansas City, we decided to drive as far as we could and then pick a campsite along the way. We ended up choosing Graham Cave State Park near Danville, Missouri for our last night on the road. It turned out to be an excellent campground! Each site had plenty of trees and the campsite was virtually empty--which was surprising since it is the 4th of July weekend.
While at LCs Barbeque, we wisely ordered a rack of ribs to go for dinner. So, our last meal on the road was just a matter of wrapping the ribs in foil and warming them over the fire. Delicious. I must admit--I am very lucky. I didn't cook a single meal on this trip. Kevin cooked every meal and they were spectacular--from tacos, to steak, to shrimp pasta, to stir-fry, to burgers--everything was delicious. Between his willingness to drive 90% of the time to his cooking 100% of the time I've been spoiled on this trip!
After dinner, we both sat by the campfire and talked about the favorite parts of our trip. I read while Kevin organized the bed of the truck for the last leg of our journey and we both stayed out by the campfire as long as we could--knowing that it was the last night of an amazing trip.
Eventually, though, we went to bed to get some rest before our final drive home. As I type this, we are a few hours from home. We stopped for breakfast at Lu-Bob's Family a Restaurant in Illinois and I've got a homemade piece of blackberry pie waiting for me in a to-go container in my lap. The dogs are sleeping in the backseat of the truck, and we will be in Ohio in a matter of miles. It will be nice to be home--where water runs out of the faucets, the toilets flush, there is always air conditioning if wanted, etc, but I'll miss the spontaneity of being on the road, cuddling with Kev and the pups in the cocoon of our trailer, being disconnected from news/media/electronics, the quiet of nature, the calm, the stillness. There will be more road trips for sure, but it's still bittersweet to say goodbye to this one.
Man I miss seeing
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So much to see.