Galena, IL to Oakley, Kansas

Drive to Oakley, Kansas

August 8, 2015

The actual road trip portion of the vacation began at 5:30 AM. We hit the Galena McDonald’s for some McGriddles (Yum!) and were on the way. It was a long day of driving but the kids handled it very well.  I began to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to them a few chapters at a time.  They also played an hour of their devices, read books, and Carson napped a bit. Jeff and I took turns driving and sleeping. Iowa and Kansas are big states, though Kansas is not nearly as flat as I thought it was.

Carson loves the neck cushion.

Spencer is a reading machine!

It did get very, very hot in central Kansas. We were driving the entire time so did not have to endure it at all, but I did take pictures as proof. It had cooled down to about 80 by the time we stopped for the night.

We stopped for the night in Oakley, Kansas and camped at a small campground that was connected to a restaurant. The owner told us that he made a 600 mile weekly trip to Loveland, CO to pick up the pizzas that were made there so the kids and I ordered one and it did not disappoint! Yummy!

There was also a resident cat there that enjoyed posing for pictures. He really wanted to get petted on the belly, but since I am allergic to it, he had to settle for photos. I also got a few pictures of another rainbow. It sprinkles a bit after we were all set up, but then the sun came out in time for a spectacular sunset.  Overnight we did get a thunderstorm but there was no wind and just a little thunder and lightning.

Here are a couple pictures from my explorations:

I'm not sure what this plant is, but there were signs warning that the
prickles sticks to clothes and shoes and hurt the skin.

Our camp set up. Not much shade here but we are leaving early anyway.

There were cattle grazing in the field and a few were very 

interesting in my camera activities.

Thunderstorms passing to the south gave us another rainbow!

Gorgeous sunset!