Friday 29 May 2015

Travels to Oklahoma...

After leaving Hamilton on Friday afternoon, 24th April, we drove down through Missouri, crossed into Kansas, and then entered Oklahoma near Baxter Springs in Kansas. We spent two nights (Friday and Saturday) in Pryor, Oklahoma, for the family wedding a short drive away in Inola. Here are some photos of our drive from Missouri to Oklahoma via Kansas.

 The State Line - marking the border between Kansas and Missouri.
 Looking back at the leaving Kansas and entering Missouri signs.
 Historic Byway - Frontier Military.
 On the wide-open Interstate.
 USA Truck.
 Pretty train caboose.
 Crawford County Historical Museum, Kansas.
 About to enter Oklahoma...
 On Historic Route 66!
 Famous McDonalds stretches across the Interstate here!
 The Tall Chief at Big Cabin, Oklahoma.
 Storm clouds over Oklahoma.
 Holiday Inn outside of Pryor.
 Candace and my room in the Holiday Inn.
View from our room. :)

Monday 25 May 2015

Hamilton, Missouri...

We spent the first night (Thursday, 23rd April) in Cameron, Missouri, a short distance away from the town of Hamilton. We stayed at the Super 8 motel there - enjoying the inside pool - and then drove through to Hamilton the next morning. We went to an antique store based out of a large barn on the outskirts of Hamilton, before making our way to the main street where the girls enjoyed all the quilting stores there.

Hamilton is where the Missouri Star Quilt Company is based. It is also the birthplace and boyhood home of J. C. Penney. I enjoyed spending time browsing through various antique stores, the small independent supermarket, as well as drinking coffee at Poppy's Bakery. I also had a nice conversation here with a couple of locals about South African and US politics. There were many highlights from our short visit to Hamilton - one of the main ones was also seeing the quilts being made at the Quilting Department, housed in the old library. The whole process is computerised and is rather interesting.

We left Hamilton, bound for Oklahoma, in the early afternoon. Here are some more photos from our brief visit to this special little town.

 Cool clouds on the drive from Cameron to Hamilton.
 The antique store in the big barn.
 Really cool antique pickup truck.
 Hamilton main street.
 The library and J. C. Penney museum.
 The bakery and burger restaurant.
 Missouri Star Quilt Company.
 Inside the main shop.
 Hannah, Candace, Lavone.
 The old library which houses the Quilting Department.
 The Quilting Department.
 Large computerised sewing machines!
 Computer screen.
 The company ships to many places around the world.
 The antique store.
 J. C. Penney's Boyhood Home.
 Farming equipment.
School buses parked as we leave Hamilton.

Saturday 23 May 2015

Travels through Missouri...

After leaving the Azalea Path Arboretum we drove through Illinois, heading to Hamilton, Missouri - home of the Missouri Star Quilt Company and birthplace of J. C. Penney. We saw many sights as we drove along quiet country highways and through the occasional town. Here are a few of those sights.

 St. Louis, Missouri, skyline.
 Crossing the Mississippi River.
 Barge on the Mississippi.
 St. Louis' famous Gateway Arch.
 Top of the Arch.
 Derelict power station outside St. Louis.
 Southwest Airlines flight lands in St. Louis.
 Missouri Fire Fighters Memorial.
 Bench at the Fire Fighters Memorial.
 Main display.
 Republic F-105 Thunderchief at the entrance to Chillicothe Municipal Airport, Missouri.
 Fun traffic warning display on the highway.
Big sky over Missouri.