Sedalia, MO

We decided to do some sightseeing in the area, so we headed south to Warsaw.

Our first stop was the Harry S. Truman Dam and Power Plant. Started in 1964, it wasn't completed until almost 10 years later. It got sidetracked due to lack of funding during the Vietnam War. Once it was complete it took only 21 days for the lake to fill.

 

One of the few suspended bridges still left in the area. This bridge spans part of Lake of the Ozarks, just downstream from Truman Dam and Lake Truman. This part of Lake of the Ozarks was once the original streambed of the Osage River. This suspended bridge was originally built in 1904, destroyed by a tornado in 1924, rebuilt in 1928 and dedicated as a historic site and walking bridge in 1974. It has 720 strands of cable.

The restaurant next to the bridge where we had lunch. When we arrived and got out of the car, the tornado sirens were just going off. We had spent the last hour at the Truman Lake and Dam Visitor Center waiting for the tornado watch to end. A tornado was spotted just a few miles down the road, but luckily it never touched down.

After lunch we headed towards Clinton, but passed through Tightwad on the way.

The site of the MKT (Katy) railroad depot, built in the late 1800s, destroyed by fire and rebuilt, then remodeled in 1944. It is now the visitor center and chamber of commerce. Clinton is the start of the Katy Trail. 

After Union Pacific merged with the MKT Railway, it no longer used the MKT line from Clinton to St. Charles and they donated the property to the state where it is now a multi-use trail for bikers, hikers and equestrians. You can go the entire 244 miles, staying at bed and breakfasts along the way. I was hoping to ride some of the trail in this area, but the weather isn't cooperating. I guess this is a reason to come back!

 

This was like going back in time. This station looked just like it would have back in the 1950s and the name was "Time Flies, D-X, Mid-Continent Petroleum, established 1930".

But then we returned to Sedalia, where a tornado destroyed parts of the town while we were out sightseeing. Luckily our motorhomes were on the other side of town and there was no damage for us, but not everyone was so lucky as you will see in the following shots.

Notice the motorhome in the background. There was a restaurant next to the gas station. Maybe they had stopped for lunch? The tornado hit at 12:30.

I think he's gonna need a new truck.

This car lot lost every car on its lot to damage. Probably 50 at least were destroyed.

What you see was once an RV trailer.

I just heard on the news the weather service rated this tornado as an EF2. Lots of damage on the south side of town, and there were people injured, but no deaths as of this evening. In the Moose Lodge tonight, we heard several members lost their homes in the tornado. And my family went through tornados in Oklahoma City yesterday. Whew!

We were going to stay here in Sedalia for the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, but the weather has us rethinking the situation. I guess we will see what the weather brings over the next few days. And guess what, it's raining again. Hopefully no more storms tonight.