Day 25 of riding!

We were up and packed, but unfortunately at a motel with no breakfast, so we had peanut butter bread and bananas in the room.  Heading through Fredonia at 7:00 am, we found there was more to the town than we'd seen the day before!  We headed south through town under clear skies with a temperature of 70 degrees.  As we headed south looked for the road we should turn east on, we noticed two arrow shaped signs, one pointed left and said "HELL", one to the right and said "HEAVEN".  I didn't have the camera ready so I didn't get a picture...then the same signs were in the next block except this time, someone had turned the "HELL" sign sideways to point down!  We chuckled over that. 

We found the road we were looking for and rode east out of town to meet up again with US Hwy 400 where we turned and headed south again.  The road had nice wide shoulders like yesterday so we cruised along toward Independence. Highway 400 turned east, but we followed Hwy 75 south to Independence.  After 27 miles we arrived in Independence around 8:45 and took a break at McDonald's.  We loaded up the bike, stopped at Walmart to stock up on bananas AGAIN, then drove down Hwy 75 a few miles to visit the Little House on the Prairie.  This is the location where Laura Ingalls lived as a child and the owners have made a reproduction of the house and brought in a school house & post office to the little museum site.  Looking across the landscape, you could imagine wagons coming across the prairie and hills. 

 Kinda small!  Hard to imagine a family living in this cabin.

 The schoolhouse, post office and wagon.

 Inside the little schoolhouse.

 The teacher most likely had to heat and clean the school.

After our sight-seeing expedition, we headed back to Independence so Russ could get back on the bike.  Independence is a nice town with a great downtown area.  We pulled off and parked and were almost ready to head out when we met Cindy.  She was walking down the sidewalk and stopped to chat.  It's always a blessing to meet such nice people!  Russ was back on the bike just after 10:30 turning onto US Hwy 160 East.

 After about 7 miles we turned south with US169 for a couple of miles, then US 160 headed east again, this time with NO shoulder!  Fortunately, traffic was VERY light and we enjoyed the nice pavement.

 We saw goats...

 cattle finding much needed shade (by this time it was in the upper 90's)

 Churches and fields of corn that looked dry and sun burned.

Around noon we took a break at the Mound Valley turnoff.  A truck slowed to ask if we were alright, it's comforting each time someone stops to check if we're having trouble.  People are very nice for the most part.  We had several "happy honks" and waves of encouragement today.  Some people were so busy looking at us as they passed that they nearly ran off the narrow road!  Whoops!

 Coming through Altamont, we saw a carved log in a yard that said "TO LIVE IS CHRIST".

What a great message for passing travelers!

We rolled into Oswego around 1:45.  The temperature was getting kind of warm and the wind was gusting in Russ' face so after 65 miles for the day we packed up the bike and drove on to Columbus, KS.  We are in the last county in the southeast corner of Kansas.  Tomorrow we will be crossing over into Missouri. 
As we were driving through Columbus looking for a motel (it is a fairly small town) we saw a dentist's office building that had some cute changing signs..."Smile, it increases your face value" and "Smile, sunshine is good for your teeth".
This morning in our encouragement letter, Psalm 143:8 was quoted in the sweet letter:

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift my soul."

Each morning the Lord brings new blessings and evidence of His unfailing love.  We are trusting Him to show us where to go, each day we lift our souls to Him.  Sounds like a message for us all! Blessings to you!

Until tomorrow,

Russ & Carol