New plan: I70 across Missouri & Kansas

Tony&DiannesRV wrote:
Hello all:
I'm still working on our 2015 summer cross-country trip. Will be heading west from Paducah, Ky, preferably entering CO via Rte 70. I'm unclear about our route between the two. Any route preferences or not-to-miss places along the way? So far, my research has shown nothing, and the standing plan is to head north from Paducah to the St. Louis area, then west on 50 across MO and KS. Ideas?

Depending on where you're going in Colorado, you may also want to consider taking US 36 across Missouri and Kansas. You can pick it up in Hannibal (or just about anywhere west of there), take it west to St. Joseph, enter Kansas and take it all the way across to Colorado. You bypass major population/congestion centers and can make just as good time as you would on the interstate, all things considered when towing.

The roadway is good; it's 4lane across Missouri and good 2lane in Kansas, with frequent passing lanes. Many of the towns one goes through have city parks for stopping and stretching the legs. Towns are spread out, about 25-45 miles in between them, so one can drive open roads before hitting a town. Since they are all pretty small, there's not much of a delay in going through the towns, particularly in Kansas.

In Kansas, you could stop at the "Geographical Center of the United States" near Smith Center KS. It's a bit north off the road. There's an abandoned motel there and a small park and signage marking it as the geographical center of the lower 48. A nice rest stop along the way, breaks of the drive a bit!