Hiyas!  Dan here.  I noticed it had been 10 months since the last post, and we had left y'all hanging in Nebraska.  Believe me.....NO ONE should be left hanging in Nebraska.  It is flat and featureless with low speed limits and too many highway patrol officers.  Can you guess what happened in Nebraska?  That's right!  I got a speeding ticket.  Bad news:  I was stopped for 65 in a 55 when there were two cars visible, mine and the highway patrolman that topped the hill coming towards me.  Good news:  The ticket was only $85 and I was going faster than that before he clocked me.
      I was speeding for two reasons:  there is NOTHING in Nebraska worth even looking at, and we had a long way to go that day.  We had to get to Hoxie, Kansas.  My father, the unwitting patron of our excursion, was buried there, and we had a rock collection, from each of the spots we had stopped, to bring him so he could "travel" with us.  You see, Dan V had always said that, after he retired, he would grow his hair and beard out and travel the country "picking up aluminum cans" with his dog.  He didn't get to do that as he had family obligations and then passed a mere two years after retirement.  It was his inheritance and the statement he made that inspired me to take my family on an adventure. (Thanks again Dad!)

We rolled into Hoxie, KS (population 1244, SAL-LOU!) near sunset and headed for the cemetery, where we placed all twenty named and dated rocks as a border to dad's headstone.  We had some quiet reflection time at sunset and enjoyed the peaceful solitude of that beautiful town and countryside.


With the sun going down, we had one more stop to make on that day, Cawker City, Kansas.  What's in Cawker City, you ask?  The WORLDS LARGEST BALL OF TWINE!  After about an hours drive, we rolled into Cawker City at about 11 pm.  The stoplight was blinking yellow and the sidewalks were rolled up and safely stored for the night.  But there it was in all of its glory, 11 feet in diameter, on the town square, under a protective gazebo.  We paid our respects, took pictures and headed two hours away for the nearest hotel.


The next day was the final long drive home.  I look back on it as a great adventure.  There were challenges.  No one got hurt, nothing major broke, and we have memories from.....

                                   28 days and 6400 miles!

The rocks laid out at Dan V.'s gravestone

Lea powering through a long night drive.

Lea and Kaya (American Girl Doll) watching the Kansas landscape.

A Sinclair station in Nebraska

 

The vast expanse of Nebraska minus the highway patrolman. The only note I'd ad about Nebraska which is probably TMI - there are NO bathrooms. We peed outside in Nebraska more than we did camping!

Coming into Hoxie, KS

Dan V. Neal's gravestone

Neal family in the cemetery at Hoxie, KS

Dan B and Dan V

TWINE!

Cawker City's Ball of Twine — Thank goodness it was open 24 hours because we rolled in very late

The Neal family with the worlds largest ball of twine — who can have an adventure like this without seeing the world's largest ball of twine!

One last hotel stay

Everyone home safely

Thanks Dan for writing the final post, the one I couldn't seem to bring myself to write. I guess because then it was really over. What am amazing journey with the people I love.

Captain of our ship and our LEAmazing race team at the final stop.