New route

Last Friday we woke up early, as we usually do.  

I love to see the sunrises!

We finished packing our bags and took off for Arkansas.  Usually we will travel on 400 through Joplin and on south, but this day we took Highway 54 east.

I love going through the Flint Hills!

Often times when we travel, I ask Al to take a side road so we can just look at the scenery.

He loves it as much as I do.

We drove over Bachelor Creek 

(I wonder what the story is to that name?)

This is Verdigris river, a tributary of the Arkansas River.  Incidentally, in Kansas, we pronounce it Ar-kansas, which really is correct :)  - not Ar-kan-saw.

We drove through many small towns.  I love the porch on this house!  It was so inviting, I wanted to go sit on the porch and drink sweet tea!

Small towns have some unusual establishments also.

and sweet small churches.

We were on our way to see my son and his family, but were doing a day trip with a by-pass in Fort Scott, to visit the historical fort and cemetery (for our July cemetery post).