Southeast Kansas & Missouri

I’m off on another road warrior adventure! That is if road warriors stop for comfy beds at night with indoor plumbing and AC.

The Maine goal: to eat a fresh caught Maine lobster on a picnic table next to the boat. And of course see all my people, learn some history, and discover hidden gems in between.

Days 1 and 2 are mostly driving. I did get some good eye candy at least!

Southeastern Kansas Surprises

Day one was a long haul across southern Kansas into Missouri—and wow, Southeast Kansas is prettier than I expected. Rolling hills, big leafy trees, and small towns that look like they’ve been plucked from a postcard.

Town to Remember: Winfield. Adorable main street, plenty of shops, and a highway lined with massive old trees arching overhead a nd historic homes behind them. Instant charm.

Things to note:

• Winfield, KS → Land Rush Museum + cute shops.

• Dexter, KS → birthplace of helium.

• Pecan Capital of Kansas → yep, Kansas has pecans.

• The vibe here feels a bit like driving from Fort Worth to Houston with more hills.

Morning Mass in Springfield

At sunrise, I slipped into Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The tabernacle’s unique enclosure had architecture pointing upward—a visual nudge to keep looking toward heaven.

Coffee Meeting

Then on down the road to a small town with a coffee shop to meet Anthony Klosterman, a fellow member of the Catholic business community SENT Ventures. What I figured would be a 30 minute hello turned in to two hours of making a new friend. He brought one of his daughters, Charlotte, along as well to join us.

Anthony is a business coach who supports businesses in consecrating their companies to Jesus and living it out. Because we all know… saying we follow Jesus is one thing but it’s a whole other ballgame to actually do it.

He even gave me the inside scoop on the Finger Lakes in New York—his old stomping grounds.

He's the third person in two days, who mentioned the finger lakes in New York state. Anthony’s family just happened to have grown up there and only recently moved to Missouri the past few years. So he gave me a rundown on all the places I need to see in New England!

A Tomato-Inspired Detour

Anthony mentioned Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, famous for specialty tomatoes. Still dreaming of the chef’s kiss Caprese salad I had in Colorado Springs a few weeks ago, I punched it into my GPS.

The route? Highway → blacktop → narrow dirt road → narrower bridges. The destination? A hidden frontier-style village surrounded by greenhouses.

Most storefronts were closed, but the blacksmith sent me to the seed store. There, a friendly guide whisked me through aisles of seeds, talking gardening like painting a Norman Rockwell scene.

“In the spring when these cherry tomatoes are ripe pick a bucket full. Fill the bucket with ice water and set it under a tree. Weed the garden for an hour then come back and set yourself up under the shade tree. Pop the tomatoes in your mouth…just like candy!”

I left with:

• carrot and beet seeds—fall crops you plant in late August, they’re hardy enough to withstand the first frost. Plant thick, thin after 30 days for a first harvest, then let the rest grow another couple of weeks for the big finale. I won’t be home in time to plant so mailing them to my mom for her garden.

• a few kinds of tomatoes I’ll attempt to grow in the spring including those candy like ones. I’ll need to look up instructions on these.

Highway 60: Antiques & Rivers

This stretch of Missouri is antique store heaven. I’ll need to come back with a truck.

Remind me later:

• Big Spring, MO → crystal-clear water, river floating.

• Van Buren, MO → hotels right on the river.

• Highway 60 → bring your antique-hunting shoes.

I crested a small hill that opened up into the longest stretch of straight flat road I think I’ve ever seen. Seriously. I’ve been across Nevada and you can always seen mountains in the distance. Or at least something. This stretch just faded into oblivion. And felt like forever to drive. Music pumped me up for awhile then a friend phoned and saved me from exhaustion. (Hands free of course.)

We were deep into a marketing co convo when…

Oh, I’m on a bridge. Oh, it’s a really big bridge. And it’s very narrow. It’s the Mississippi river!

Turn a corner and I’m on another bridge over the Ohio river. How these trucks do it I have no clue.

In less than a minute I think I touched three states.