Our next stop would be less “discovery”… and more “port in the storm.”

We’d come rolling in from Kansas on I-70… weather reports blaring… and honestly, we didn’t even need those. The road itself was saying it. Whispering… then shouting… find shelter. Find warmth. Find a place to stop this big metal box before Mother Nature really decides to test our commitment to the road.

By the time we hit Burlington... just 170 miles from Hayes Kansas, the skies were already bruising over. Temperatures dropping like a rock. Snow flurries doing that sideways dance they only do when the wind is in one of its moods. And this time? Oh the winds.....they were in a full-blown tantrum. Gusts punching us at 75 mph. Vacilando shaking just enough to remind us that yes… we are small… and Mother Nature’s NOT.

So we parked. And honestly? Felt lucky to have made it to a place where safe parking was even possible.

We’d spend the next two days tucked in tight… letting Mother Nature get whatever this was out of her system. And there was something almost cozy about it… warm lights on inside Vacilando while the wind tried to peel the siding off every structure within a mile radius. Movies. Popcorn. That very specific sound of wind slamming into aluminum. You feel it in your ribs after a while.

And outdoor exploration? Yeah… that wasn’t happening. We ventured out for a couple of brisk “just to say we tried” walks… but mostly… we stayed in. And I read this place called Burlington Colorado.

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Podcast written and recorded by Dougie, Billie, and Craig.

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Our next set of discoveries would come a few hundred miles up the road from Platte City… in a place called Hays, Kansas.

Once again, we found ourselves driving into an endless horizon. This one belonged to the Kansas prairie. The scenery around us in constant change — fall… to winter… then back again — but somehow, the faint scent of harvest still lingered in the air.

We pushed west, leaving behind Platte City, Missouri. The landscape morphing slowly but surely as you cross into Kansas. The grasslands are wide here, skies wide open… deep blue… in between those brief temper tantrums winter kept throwing our way.

And yet again… We would manage somehow to turn an over night stop… Into a week of exploring, learning, and meeting new friends.

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The drive into Platte City from St. Joseph is a slow one... a short one... just 30 miles or so. The rolling hills of northwest Missouri stretched out in front of us, the landscape framed by tall trees and farmland. It’s late fall, or maybe early winter, depending on how you want to look at it. The temperature fluctuates from one day to the next, and the golden hues of autumn are barely holding on. The occasional gust of wind sends the last of the dry leaves scattering across the road.

You’re not prepared for Platte City until you’re right on top of it, and even then, it’s easy to miss the heart of it. There’s a freeway sign that marks its existence, but beyond that, not much to suggest what lies ahead. You exit off I-29, and the choice is simple—head left, and you’ll find yourself at Platte Falls, part of a wildlife management area. Or turn right, over a small hill, and down into a town that’s quietly marked a piece of American history for nearly 180 years.

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A twist of fate landed us in a quaint Nebraska village named Western. It’s small-town America at its finest. We pulled into town with the singular objective of finding a spot to plug in so we could ride out an incoming cold front that threatened to bring a few inches of snow with it. Little did I know we would not leave Western for nearly 2 months!

Full transcript available on Substack and YouTube video versions of podcast.

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Made the 98 miles drive from Craig Missouri to Lincoln Nebraska in good time. We found a subdued Lincoln... the pandemic takes a much larger toll on larger cities than it has in the small towns we've spent the last several months in.

We spent 3 days in Lincoln... working and learning about this part of Nebraska and beyond.

A typical midwestern cold snap chased us out of Lincoln a little ahead of schedule... and on with the adventure.

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Our last night in Honey Creek saw Thunder storms moving in. And one of those late night light shows that make you wanna just watch. Things seemed to be clearing up as we headed out the following day.

Our zig-zagging around the heartland would take a turn south when I spotted a sign stating that we were some 60 miles from... and yep....another…Craig.

This one in Missouri, some 60 miles from the Iowa border and 90 miles north of Kansas City.

The rolling hills of Iowa's Loess region quickly gave way to corn fields, soy beans and ranches… at this point... all feeling pretty familiar.

We rolled into town late in the afternoon... not hard to spot the only RV parking available in a town of 100 folks.

Once parked, all hooked up and ready to stay for a few days... Dougie and I would take our first walk...

We could see it.. felt it... right away…

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In true Vacilando fashion… todays drive would involve some backtracking. Around 40 miles from Tekamah Nebraska...across that Missouri River and back into Iowa.

The road twisted through the Loess Hills of Iowa, a landscape so unique it exists in only a few places on Earth.

I couldn't wait to learn more about this truly unique find. I was also looking forward to a couple of weeks of working on a family farm… here in the heart of America’s midwest.

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The drive from Craig to Tekamah... short. Just 9 miles. But the two-lane Highway 75 stretching between the two wastes no time retelling the story of this part of the country.

It cuts through fields that seem to roll on endlessly... this time of year, a patchwork of light green, gold, and brown. Cornfields standing tall but dry. Soybeans crisping under the autumn sun.

Farmhouses sit back from the road... some with towering silos... others with barns painted in shades of red that have long since faded. Grain trucks rumble by continuously... the hum of diesel engines blending into the subconscious... carrying the season’s harvest to storage.

We spent a few days in a pretty awesome city park… full hook ups and long walks around Tekamah. Learning about another American story.

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Intro/Outro music by Audio Jungle and used with permission and acknowledgment.

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