Day 87: All’s quiet in the heartland

DAY 87: Hiawatha, Kansas
Miles traveled: 12,377
States visited: 28 (just added: Nebraska, Kansas)
Weather: 85, sunny

I’ve spent the past couple days heading towards Omaha, via Kansas. I wanted to get a feel for the heartland, and I got it. Lots of two-lane roads and wide-open land that smells like cow manure. The stench is almost unbearable at times!

I spotted a tractor plow for sale. Anyone interested?

These days haven’t been terribly exciting, just a lot of driving and stopping at rest areas. Yesterday I drove for 7 hours and listened to 7 full CDs during that time. I do believe my playlist rocked:

Elvis Presley, The #1s
MSTRKRFT, Fist of God
Radiohead, The Bends
The GO! Team, Proof of Youth
Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Bob Marley, Legend
Cobra Starship, Viva La Cobra!

In Kansas I passed the exact center of the United States.

I ended up at a campground in Kansas. The city of Concordia has a park with 15 spots for RVs to park overnight for free. Actually, they request donations, but when you’re on a budget you can overlook that part.

I stopped off for a meal at Long John Silvers. I’d been craving LJS for more than a month now – there aren’t any of these in the northwest. Getting my fish and hush puppies after such a long wait was great. But then, I stuffed myself and almost got sick. Now, I don’t ever want to eat at LJS again. Which is great, because no human being should really eat this crap anyway.

Later I stopped for a meal at Penny’s Diner in Marysville, Kansas. The workers were stumped when I asked about the most exciting thing that happens in Marysville. “This is Kansas, there is nothing exciting,” said the cook as he prepared my biscuits & gravy. The meal was fantastic.

I’ll be spending the next couple of days in Omaha. See yinz there.