Route north of Kansas City vs going thru.

We towed our 5th wheel over US 36 from Hannibal to St. Jo in the fall of 2015. Several 4-lane sections, especially over the many rolling hills. We took a roundabout way between Madison and Hannibal via I-90 to Rockford, IL Route 2 to Dixon, I-88 to I-74, I-74 to Galesburg, US 34/US 67/US 24 to Fowler IL, then I-172/72 to Hannibal. But we had never driven through that area before, so we took the "scenic route" to get a better view of rural areas of IL instead of just the big cities. In other words, we weren't in any hurry because WE'RE RETIRED!