Thursday, July 19, 2018
Day 2.

Had an interesting start to the day. Needed to get gas but no stations visible so got on interstate hoping to find something soon. I was ok for a while but feel better with a full tank. First exit I found that said gas, I got caught in a round about and never could find the gas station!  So got back on freeway and went farther. Found a travel plaza so pulled off. There were no cars or trucks at the pumps. I drove up to one of the pumps and there was leftover adhesive on the credit card slot so I decided to drive on!! Finally got to a Pilot in Boonville just as a few sprinkles started and I heard thunder.

Well, it wasn't long before I got right in the middle of a severe thunderstorm. Most everyone was driving very slow with flashers on. Of course, the truckers kept passing but they had their flashers on!! Finally got so bad I couldn't see the line on the side of the rode so took the first exit I found.  There were already cars lined up there and more pulled in behind me.  We sat there for a while until it let up (I guess it won't let me put video in - just the pic. sorry)

The traffic through Kansas City was not bad. Hit it at the right time I guess.  

I stopped by a cemetery just east of Junction City, KS. where my great grandparents on my Grandma Tracy's side are buried. It wasn't raining so decided to drive into it. Four years ago when Lon and I drove to CA and back, we stopped at another cemetery down the road to see Tracy family. But we couldn't find this one. I looked at the map better and was able to find it. On a dirt road with no sign whatsoever. It's the Fairview Cemetery (aka Government Hill Cemetery). Anyway, I wasn't able to find their markers this time. Drove around the small cemetery (didn't want to get out and walk in grass and get chiggers!). The old markers are so weather worn that I couldn't read the names. Some newer markers were ok. But I didn't find any recognizable names. 

After I left there, I drove by Ft. Riley and into Junction City. Well, the skies opened up. They had a severe thunderstorm warning. The wind was blowing me on the road and it started to sprinkle. So I pulled off (into another round about!!) and decided to fill up gas.  Well, just as I started pumping the wind came upend about blew me over and it started POURING!!  Probably wasn't to smart pumping gas in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm, but I wasn't the only crazy one :-) There was a MacDonald's right there so I went in there and got a drink and sat until it let up again.  I am beginning to think it's going to be midnight before I get to Colby, KS. 

The temp had cooled to 70 degrees but quickly went back up to near 100 and blue skies.  Then had to deal some minor construction but not too bad.  I love seeing all the wind mill fields. For those of you in California it was like the Sacramento Valley with windmills filling the valley from the west to east!  Some were moving so slow that they looked like there weren't running from a distance. Others were going pretty fast. But they are massive in size. Then came the oil pumps, your next gallon of gas. Was hard to get a good photo but you get the idea. 

Made it to Colby, KS about 6pm. Had wanted to go to other side of Denver but the motels were either booked of the rates were near $300. And the Hampton here was booked. So got a room at the Holiday Inn Express. Nice room on ground floor. Filled up with gas tonight so won't be dealing with finding a station tomorrow am. (The station is right across the street LOL!)

This is kind of a long post. Sorry. Hope you didn't go to sleep reading it. Probably boring with road pictures but hey, that's what I did today! LOL

Hugs to you all. Till later. More tomorrow. Am going to try to make it to Evanston, WY.