For our final stay of our epic 2026 Snow Bird Trip, we had intended to overnight at the Strataca Salt Mine in Hutchison, Kansas after our tour there, since they are a Harvest Host. However, it was still in the upper 90’s and after running the AC in the van during our mine visit we decided we would be better off heading further north to recharge Usain’s lithium batteries in case we need the air during the night. Lisa found a nice Harvest Host in Emporia, Kansas — the Champions Landing. This is a very nice event space with a beautiful adjacent disc golf course located near the Emporia State University. We enjoyed a nice meal at the Champs Bar & Grill (although there wasn’t much on the menu for vegetarians, so Lisa settled for some pretzel bites and a salad).

Fortunately, it cooled off during the night so we didn’t have to sleep with the noisy AC running. We awoke the next morning all ready for our 4 1/2 hour trip home that went without incident. Our last stop was the Amish Country Store in Lamoni, Iowa. Lisa came back to the van with a wonderfully fresh homemade loaf of bread to share and a bag of kettle corn for me.

The Des Moines area hit the 90s on Saturday with temperatures expected to only hit the 50s on Sunday and Monday.

Saturday Homecoming – a day of unpacking, cleaning, and gradually introducing the cats back to their “big” house. We have used trial and error to find that leaving them in Usain for a bit, then bringing them in one as a time, Catnip first and then Primrose, works the best. This is the least stressful transition for all.

And now, we will fill the calendar with family and friends events until we head out on our next adventure.