Base Camp
Home for week 71 was Lake Shawnee Campground, a county park that was right on the lake with a fair nightly price. Our site sat under a tree that rained down pods with steady thunks on the roof, but we were near the bathroom so I wasn’t complaining. The campground itself was more of a “sardines style” situation, especially with Labor Day bringing in plenty of neighbors. We didn’t explore beyond our little loop, but the location felt much more developed than our previous stop in Memphis. A gate code at the entrance and solid cell service gave us some peace of mind. Like T.O. Fuller, though, it wasn’t really a destination in itself, more of a resting point as we made our way west.
Monday, September 1st
We kicked off Labor Day with something we rarely get on the road: a slow breakfast without a deadline. Zac made French toast, which felt like a treat since most weekend mornings we’re hustling to pack up and move. With no real schedule, we headed into Kansas City for the Taste of Kansas City festival. It was a small food fest with live music, a handful of vendors, and plenty of people wandering around before the rain rolled in. We tried the lemonade, which was fantastic, and sampled Kansas City BBQ. The burnt ends with baked beans and potato salad were good, but if we’re being honest, Texas BBQ still has our hearts.
Afterward, we detoured to the Kansas City Chiefs stadium just to see it up close. No game or tour, just a fun stop for the novelty of it.
On the way back, we made sure to stop at Andy’s, where I finally got the Stone Cole I’d been craving since we were in Missouri (frozen custard, peanut butter, hot fudge, and pretzel blended together). Zac ordered something different and immediately regretted it after stealing a bite of mine. We ended the day with our fantasy football draft, which turned into a bit of chaos. Zac was on the phone with his brother discussing strategy when suddenly the draft took some unexpected turns. Panic set in, and I quietly took advantage by scooping up players while they were distracted.
Tuesday, September 2nd
Tuesday night we decided on a low-key outing and went to see Weapons. The theater parking lot was nearly empty and initially it was just us and the worker. Just before the movie started, one other person wandered in to see Weapons too. The movie ended up being a great scary flick, plenty of moments that had me covering my eyes, but with an ending that was both satisfying and just mysterious enough to have me looking up theories online. Afterward, we wandered through a nearby mall, which had the same ghost-town atmosphere that most malls do these days. The pet shop was surprisingly the busiest spot, though it wasn’t exactly pleasant. Kids were handling hamsters and birds straight out of their cages, and we couldn’t help but feel a little grossed out. Across the mall, Spirit Halloween had just opened up for the season, so we strolled through to see what the year’s big “pop culture” costume would be, but nothing jumped out. Our last stop was Dillard’s, where Zac tried on a few suits jackets just for fun, it gave us a chance to picture what colors and styles might look good for the big day.
Wednesday, September 3rd
After a few busy days, Wednesday was refreshingly simple. As the evening rolled in, we grabbed a folding chair and walked out to find a good spot to watch the wind blow across Shawnee Lake.
Thursday, September 4th
Thursday was another quieter day, starting with a casual stroll out of the park and into a nearby neighborhood. We admired the houses and landscaping, things we are currently envious of while living on the road, though we both know everything is a trade-off. That evening, we settled into the RV for the NFL season opener: Dallas vs. the Eagles.
Friday, September 5th
This afternoon started with a visit to a small botanical garden. Hummingbirds zipped right by our heads, dancing around the colorful flowers. We walked up to a pond right after a man had been feeding the Koi. The fish swam over with their mouths wide open, clearly expecting us to do the same.
Later, we headed to a bar to catch part of the Chiefs game. The place was packed, and the crowd was lively and full of energy. At our table we played a bunch of different card games to entertain us during commercials.
Saturday, September 6th
It was a travel-heavy day which started by heading north to Lincoln, Nebraska. This was mainly to check the state off our list without committing to a full week, since there isn’t a ton to do there. The capitol building was quiet and striking, and the city itself felt calm and uncrowded, a nice little pause before the real marathon began.
From Lincoln, we set out on a 400+ mile stretch of highway. The drive could have felt endless, but the Hunger Games audiobooks along with a couple phone calls with family kept us entertained. We made a stop in a small neighborhood park for dinner, assembling sandwiches and tossing a frisbee while Scout took a break in the RV. Later on the drive, Scout provided some unintentional entertainment by lying belly-up, all four legs bouncing from the road’s bumps.
By the time we rolled into the Flying J for the night, we were ready to settle in. Parking was easy, with other RVs already in the lot, and we tucked ourselves in for a quiet night’s rest after a long day on the road.
Sunday, September 7th
We started the day with a deliberate hunt for breakfast and struck gold at a tiny diner in the middle of nowhere. The moment we stepped inside, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia - something about the smell of coffee, the décor, or just the warm energy of the place reminded me of my grandma’s house. We split a pecan roll and biscuits and gravy, and even though we ended up taking some leftovers with us, it was worth every bite. Peeking into the kitchen as we were heading out, I caught sight of two grandmothers bustling about, and it instantly brought me to tears and made me really miss my grandma! Crazy how a small unassuming diner thousands of miles from her house brought me straight back to Waterford.
From there, we drove through Cheyenne, Wyoming, making a quick stop to see the capitol. Even though we’d been to Wyoming before, we hadn’t ventured this far south, so it felt satisfying to finally cross the capital off our list. With this stop, we’ve now seen every state capitol building in the 39 states we’ve traveled to so far!
Crossing into Colorado was instantly impressive. The Rockies appeared on the horizon, and I was struck by their sheer size, the map and globe really don’t do them justice. Scout handled the long drives and multiple stops like a total champ, while Zac absolutely killed it behind the wheel all weekend.
Thanks for reading! From here on out we will be doing far more sight seeing and national park stops, make sure to stay tuned. Watch the reel below for Week 71 in Kansas.