I was driving when we left Osage Hills State Park, but after an hour on the hilly, very narrow road with strong cross winds and wide loads of heavy equipment going the other way, I pulled over and let Dean drive.
We continued on US 60 and stopped at the Turtle Stop to buy fuel from the Wyandotte Nation. When we crossed into Missouri, it was more densely settled yet still scenic with oak covered hills between the farms. Traffic was heavy in Springfield, Missouri so we tried an alternate route that turned out to be very narrow, rough and heavily traveled. Back on US 60 it transitioned from controlled access back to two lanes with no shoulders.
In Mansfield, Missouri, the home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, we stopped to use the public bathrooms that were filled with leaves and there was no water or lights in the mens room. Some of the downtown area was rehabilitated but there were still many empty buildings.
From Mansfield we drove up MO 5 to MO 38 to North E and parked for the night at Missouri Conservation Department Buzzard Bluff Access. Camping was allowed although there were no amenities. The hills and trees sheltered us from the wind that was still blowing.
