Crossing Kansas East to West - Route Advice

Well you may want to check this out.

http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/

trailertraveler wrote:
In Hutchinson, KS there is the Cosmosphere and Space Center and the Salt Mine. In Kinsley is the Middle of America and Sod House Museum. In Ellinwood, there is the Underground World.

Such cool info. Didn't know this all existed! Thank you!!

looks like you are going I24 north so at Paducah take US60 to Cairo but do not cross the Mississippi on US60 if you like the mirrors on you truck. Go north 5 miles to I57 then over to Sikeston MO. & stop at lambert's home of the throwed rolls. Food channel best pig out in the US, no bottom to your plate, food is good & a fun place. You may not want to stop on week end or get there by 10:30/11 as there can take a few hr. to get in

At this point you can go north to St Louis or west on US60 beautiful ride all but maybe 30 miles is 4 lane to Springfield. Springfield lambert's again if you liked it first time, original bass pro, Branson, or you can ride a jeep thru a cave. If you do go this way you may want to stop at West Mineral, Ks & see Big Brutus the second largest electric shovel made. Then 400 to Wichita.

If you go to St Louis to KC then down to Wichita stop at the pizza ranch in emporia. Some of the best chicken you will eat & the blueberry dessert pizza with land of lakes Ice cream is to die for, now if no blueberry ask & they will make it if they have it. Wichita take 54/400 west to Greensburg a little out of your way. The worlds largest hand dug well, also it was blowed away & is now a green town. Stay on 400 to Dodge City then to Garden City & take US50 west. Someone else will have to tell you about Dodge have not been there in a long time.

red

LOL...Jim...I agree. Ripley's is for Florida when it is raining and the kids are driving me nuts!

But the stopping at the Welcome Center to see the brochures et al is such a smart idea....not sure why I haven't made this part of my routine. I mean, really...no brainer! Thank you!

Oh...that's when I first truly, madly, deeply fell in love with having a camper. Last summer, I hadn't slept well on the 17th night of our 28-day journey. I pulled into a rest area, went back into my camper and curled up for a power nap on my ever so soft bed. I almost couldn't get myself to sleep for the luxury of stretching my tired body out in the middle of a long drive. I mean...who ever gets to do that?!? CAMPERS!!!!

Over time, I've created a file of "(State Name) Tourism" links for the states I plan to pass thru on the way to my final destination(s). Every state has a vested interest in getting travelers to spend some time and money on the way through, even if it isn't your final destination. I supplement this info by stopping at the first rest area as I enter a state. They normally have a wall full of free tourist flyers as well as people behind the desk that can tell you about road detours, construction, etc. You can stretch your legs, use their bathroom, and do a walk around on your rig.
And a tip: Skip the "Ripley's Believe It or Not" flyer. The right answer is "Not".

Dave and Sue wrote:
http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/page.php?id=469

If your into the"quirky" sites to see,visit the above link.Much to do and see in my fair state.More than flat and boring.

I'm surprised that the chalk pyramids and castle rock weren't in there.
bumpy

Thank you for all of this great input!!

http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/page.php?id=469

If your into the"quirky" sites to see,visit the above link.Much to do and see in my fair state.More than flat and boring.

US-36, US-50, US-24, US-54, US-400 will all get you across. I've traveled each. Each goes through different interesting places, small cities and tiny towns, you kind of need a guide (even AAA will help) to know what to look for in each place.

US-36 and US-54 have the advantage of bypassing Kansas City.

Fort Scott on 54 has the "first" U.S. military cemetary, at least first in the present system. US-54 does go through Wichita, but that's not so bad as Kansas City for getting across. Just pay attention to the place where the speed limit drops to something like 35 MPH on a stretch that looks like expressway. You will want to leave US-54 before it dips down into the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, that's where you pick up US-50.

St Joseph on US-36 has the start of the Pony Express and was a crossing and starting off place for some of the settlement trails to the Northwest. The route also boasts birthplace of sliced bread (Chillicothe) and boyhood homes or birthplaces of Walt Disney and a collection of WW1 and WW2 military leaders. All in Missouri.

US-numbered highways in Kansas are pretty good, even where two-lane. Most local drivers prefer to move pretty fast on these roads, and most are not afraid to overtake. Long haul truckers move fast too.

Kansas two-lanes have passing zones, keep right except to pass in these. They are like the old three lane highways, middle lane is marked and used for passing in both directions. Hogging the passing lane could get you a head-on collision.

Well I went to college in Wichita and worked the last 20 years prior to retiring there. I would agree that either rout 36 or 24 across the northern part of the state would be more scenic. To me all of Kansas is fun and if one really thinks the state is flat needs to either drive a big bus or pull a heavy trailer across it in any direction. My thinking is the approximate 450 miles east to west is just so much more than most eastern state folks are used to and get tired of not having a new state welcome to sign to photograph.