I woke to cold windy sunshine in Cheyenne and had the hotel breakfast (buffet with everything packed into individual serving cups or prepackaged and no water because “the water machine is broken,” what the heck). I was happy to get out of there.

It seemed like I could push through in one day but it was just a little too far for this solo driver. I decided to tell maps “no highways” and go where it pointed me. There were heavy black clouds to the south and clear skies to the east but maps said go south so with a wary eye and some second thoughts I did. I found a local radio station in case any weather alerts came across. I drove straight into that blackness and there was just some sprinkles, go figure.

Yep I drove right into that bad boy.

That dropped me down into Colorado, across the southwest corner of Nebraska, and then into Kansas. Taking small highways had one drawback – no truck stops with their restrooms. A long stretch had tiny towns with few services. NE Colorado was a stretch of dry flat earth, but once I got into Nebraska it was green and hilly and pretty.

You can tell the boom time on the plains was the late 1800s. Irrespective of their fortunes today, every town has a main street of grand brick and limestone buildings, erected with confidence of the thriving future that lay ahead. Many had hopes of the new rail line coming through, and began to fade as soon as it bypassed them for a neighbor to the south.

A string of farm towns follows the railroad and punctuates the skyline with grain elevator and water tower.

I stopped in McCook, NE to stretch my legs along the brick paved downtown, and I spotted this house. Wowed, I googled the cross streets and learned it is an 1908 design by Frank Lloyd Wright. You just never know what you’ll stumble across.

There’s a scenic loop in north central Kansas, from about Colby to the west, to Cawker City in the east. This is a really pretty area, with rolling hills, trees, ponds and lakes. Russell Stover’s birthplace is in this stretch. I aimed to stop here and enjoy my camper van for my last night on the road.

I found Sheridan State Fishing Lake in this stretch that allowed camping (free!) and had toilets (my minimum requirement). A few other people were fishing or kayaking in the evening, and left me alone as it grew dark. I was almost asleep when a vehicle drove past my spot at 10:30. Shortly after, another vehicle passed. I was jolted awake, and opened curtains enough that I could watch their headlights. They didn’t seem to meet and both eventually left, but it took me awhile to sleep again. I much prefer to camp with at least one safe looking neighbor.

It was a four state day of plains rolling under my wheels. And I ended my day on Kansas soil!

Finally in Kansas!