The train whistle at 5am brings excitement - ever since a kid I was fascinated by trains and train whistles were a calling.....adjacent to the motel, are large grain silos, an old American locomotive switcher is busy. In the states a driver is required to blow 4 long whistles before crossing a road, I'm sure the residents of Watonga are impressed with that rule as the locomotive switcher trundles back and forward across the crossing half a dozen times an hour!!

Today is a travelling day...where we concentrate more on the sights and the intriguing small town America...we are impressed by the murals. As we head east from Watonga through Kingfisher and Guthrie, we note the humidity levels have increased dramatically as Gulf air spreads back into eastern Oklahoma. Our intentions are to get into Missouri by Tuesday afternoon where deep Gulf moisture will interact with a low pressure system passing through Oklahoma today, and expected into eastern Kansas Tuesday morning. We continue north along Hwy 77 into Kansas and we scout a few small towns which included Marion, Hillsboro and Herington. We take a liking to Marion - these areas are economically depressed, real estate values have crashed......but Marion was the standout town, neat, tidy & clean. This area is also known as the Flint Hills area of Kansas, primarily the greater percentage of land here is utilised for farming, with vast areas of cropping. We eventually end up on Interstate 70 heading east for Topeka and then southward to our overnight stay at Ottawa.

Impressive bronze statue - rider & peace pipe - Oklahoma

Just about everything is for sale in Guthrie, OK  (retired stormchaser's vehicle)

Local police revenue sale, Guthrie

Coal train south of Arkansas City, Kansas

Another stonewall mural, Marion, central east Kansas

Impressive geology Hwy 77, north Kansas

Rock Island line restored locos near Ottawa, far east Kansas