Lake Charles Trip, Day 1 – Monday, 22 June 2026, Warrensburg to Harrison
Planning this trip was a tad complex because I’m combining several purposes. One is, of course, regular sight-seeing, another is my 65th HS reunion on Saturday in Lake Charles, and the third is genealogical research in Opelousas, Abbeville, Gueydan, and (maybe) Jennings.
If I were to leave Tuesday, I could make it to Opelousas in two days, but too late for visiting records offices. My solution? Leave around noon on Monday and spend the night at Harrison. Here’s how the day has gone:
I first had to take care of some bank business for the Johnson County (MO) Historical Society, where I’m Treasurer. That accomplished, it was time for brunch and a caffeine charge at Mary Jane’s. I pulled out of town at 1104 hrs, heading south on MO-13. Henry County welcomed me with the first of series of Flock surveillance cameras. Traffic delays at Clinton’s lights weren’t too bad, only 5 minutes to go the mile or so from north to south.
South of Clinton Truman Lake is high but not flooding. As I cross into St. Clair County I note that Henry County is not part of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area; St. Clair & Johnson are. I guess the County Commission would rather deny their Historical Society and schools the opportunity to apply for certain grants than to sign off a pledge that has a DEI tinge.
MO-13 is fast, a divided highway with J-turns and Fantastic Caverns billboards. Humansville, home of the Barnwood Inn, has single-laning for bridge work.
I run into some heavy misting around Bolivar; I will be in-and-out of it the rest of the day. I turn off of the raceway onto WW hwy north of Springfield and pass the Roumanian Pentecostal Church. I don’t turn off to go to the gun club as I usually do. Instead I get on H hwy near Crystal Cave and head for the city looking for the cheap gas Gasbuddy.com told me of. Wait a minute! That sign says $3.49, not the $3.15 I expected – ah, there’s a sign at Walmart: $3.05/gal, and that’s where I stop.
Now I’m on US-65, 3 lanes of traffic going ‘hell bent for leather’ to someplace or other. For many, that someplace appears to be Branson. This road has its ups and downs, lots of long, steep ones. Just north of Branson a patrolman runs radar from the top of the hill, possibly to catch drivers who rely overly on gravity-fed momentum from the downhill to make it to the top of the next crest.
I’m ‘Flocked’ yet again as I cross into Arkansas and lighter traffic on worse roads at 1415. The hills are all green; this would be scenic if it weren’t for gray skies and intermittent drizzle. I stop at a Welcome Center staffed by a lady with a delightful Arkansas accent, then head into Harrison to find my HIE. 1st floor, near side exit – perfect. Supper is a friendly Culver’s next door.
No sight-seeing photos today, but here’s the hotel:
Tomorrow: To Ruston, LA, via US-65 and US-167.
For the day and the trip 189.7 miles over 3 hours, 41 minutes.
