Day 99 Joplin,MO-Kissee Mills Public Use Area, MO

Day 99 Joplin,MO-Kissee Mills Public Use Area, MO
11.07.16
Spent nite at Joplin Walmart on Rangeline Rd which was essentially across the street from Discount Tire where we had an 8am appointment to get the rear leaking tire fixed.  It seem to be losing air faster now and when we woke up this morning it was flat. Kevin was able to inflate the tire with the 12 volt compressor which came with the Sprinter.  Finally one of those accessories that they throw in when you buy a car that was useful!  Discount tire discovered the rim was cracked near the valve stem.  So they swapped out the spare tire rim. And since it had been 10,000 miles since the tires had been rotated we decided to have that done too. Note we did have the tires rotated just before we left so that means that since July 21, we have driven 10,000 miles! WOW!  FYI I drove 6,500 of those miles while Kevin was riding his bike.  He says he rode 4,500 miles so that means that Jo and I managed to drive 2,000 more miles while they were riding. I guess we did go all over the place.  Discount Tires didn't charge us. The guy said you guys have bought a lot of tires from us over the years.  Yes, we have for all three of our cars.  So we will start looking for a replacement rim but at least we can get back on the road.  Before hitting the road a guy wanted to check out our sprinter. We enjoyed talking with Jed about the Sprinter and as it turns out he was a whitewater kayaker.  First attraction for the day is tri state marker.  Yes, you can be in three states at once - Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.   Back on the road to Longrun, MO which actually takes us east and south. Now you can understand how we rack up so many miles. On the way, we stopped at Mansfield, MO which is the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House of the Prairie) and where Carl Mays lived as a child.  And who is Carl Mays? Well he is best remembered for throwing the pitch that led to the death of Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman in August of 1920. But he also had a career record of 207-126 and a 2.92 ERA over fifteen seasons.  The things you learn when traveling. Continuing on through rolling hills to Longrun. What's in Longrun?  Kevin's grandmother Gladys was born there.  There is not much left in Longrun, but we did find some houses, a couple of churches and a graveyard. So of course, we set out searching the graveyard for Kevin's relatives and we found the graves of his great great grandparents -Elliot & Francis Stockton.  Pretty cool!  It was getting late so we starting looking for a place to camp.  We found one after about 30 miles of the windiest, up & down road we have ever been on. It was like riding a roller coaster. Jo was a little green after the ride-sweat beads on her forehead and dry mouth but she managed to keep it all in.  We have the Kissee Mills Public use area all to ourselves located along some creek with a view of the bridge.