Scheduled trip: Colby, KS - St. Louis, MO
Actual trip: Colby, KS - St. Louis, MO (620 miles)

Kansas, the Sleepy State
It had rained a lot during the night. The next morning the potholes of the parking lot were filled with water, making it difficult to get to our cars without drenching our shoes. Colby was very quiet. Even the supermarket was deserted. It started to rain again as we left town.

Continuing through Kansas was a bit of a bore. Seemingly endless, flat prairie lined the Interstate. Every now and then we passed by a town but nothing made us want to stop and explore. A large billboard outside the town of Russell proudly announced "Hometown of Bob Dole!", the Republican presidential candidate. But even that couldn't get us off the road.

As the day progressed the rain let off a little. At one point Dave discovered a strange-looking airplane flying south of the Interstate. As it got closer we saw it was an F-117 Nighthawk, the supposedly radar invisible fighter-bomber.

Communication between cars was scarce. In stead we listened to music and quietly badmouthed the monotonic landscape. We passed through Topeka, capital of Kansas, and we entered Missouri not long after that.

Most motels we stayed at weren't situated in large cities but rather in a suburb, a little off the way. St. Louis was an exception. We found a place not too far from the city center. It was after dinnertime and we hadn't eaten yet. We discussed what to do next. Niels had noticed a Hardee's across the street and wanted to pay it a visit. Everyone else was more in the mood for an evening drive in search of nothing particular so we went our separate ways.

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