The Journey Home.

I’m on the road again! Sad to leave Kansas, excited for another adventure, and eager to be home.

My return trip didn’t start as I imagined, but was shaped by a confluence of sad and happy events. My uncle passed away last week, and his service was today in central Kansas. This was about when I’d planned to head out and it was roughly on the way, so that was my beginning.

So, it is a sad time for my family to grieve his loss. He is buried beside his daughter, my cousin, who died when I was 4 and she was 6, so I imagine it was my second time at Walnut Hill cemetery though I can’t remember. It was a happy time too. You know what they say about only seeing your family at weddings and funerals. That has been true since I live so far away, and I relished a chance to spend a few hours with my extended Kansas family. And there are four new babies since I saw them last!

I didn’t make it much further this afternoon, just a couple hours northward to Wilson Lake state park. The website says it’s the prettiest park in Kansas, and it was indeed nice. Kansas isn’t all cows and wheat fields! But, it was weird. There are multiple campgrounds off a central loop, many without hookups intended for tent camping, and none of them have a bathroom! There were bathrooms in some central locations but none near the campgrounds. I don’t think I want to know how tent campers resolved that dilemma.

This evening thunderstorms moved in, some predicted to be severe. As in, 60mph wind, 1” hail, and widespread property damage. I was really anxious about sleeping in my van, and I moved from an exposed spot next to the lake to a more sheltered spot set back from the water. Wow, that was a wild one! A couple hours of crashing thunder and lightning right on top of each other, followed by hours of blasting winds that rocked my van. But I’m still here!