tasty

My fortune cookie today said " You have great physical powers and an iron constitution"  That is SO COOL.  I had no idea.  

Anyway, on with today's post:

This great country of ours is a bit like Baskin Robbins, a buffet, a veritable smorgasbord, if you will.  Each region has it's own flavor.

I have been able to have a taste of several different regions of this nation.  I have enjoyed them all.

I bring this up because I did not want to give the impression that I do not like Kansas.  What I don't like is driving across it in one day.  I don't think I like driving across any state in one day, except some of those little ones in the east.

I love The Heartland.  If you are someone who lives on the outer edges of our nation and you have never been to Iowa, Nebraska, or Kansas you are missing out on the meat and potatoes, bread and butter of the buffet.  I love the heartland.  I can't even explain why.  There is a feeling deep inside that is stirred in those places.  A feeling of belonging.  A feeling of being  grounded.  Of roots, growing deep into the soil, extracting and embellishing all of the richness it has to offer.

If you can help it, don't drive across Kansas in one day. (Wyoming, or Arizona, either)  But do go there.  And take the time we didn't.  Take the time to visit the history at Ft. Scott.  Visit the House Where Dorothy lived and see the World's Biggest Ball of String.  See the World's Biggest Hand-dug Well.  See the ruts of the Santa Fe Trail.  Have a steak in a Stockyard restaurant.  Go to Boot Hill in Dodge City.  Enjoy the farmland and the quaint houses on the quaint streets of some really lovely little towns.  Count cows.  

I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and hope that soon I can visit some of the regions I haven't tasted, yet.  Anyone have a vacation home in the Northwest?  Someone in the deep south want to put us up?  (Does GA count as deep south?  I've been there.)  

Wherever you are enjoy the flavors of where you live.  Being gone makes me appreciate more the things I love about CO!

how it went down

The trip was pretty much as I predicted, but different.

We didn't see any tornadoes, but we did see a lot of tornado damage.  I was surprised.  I've never seen that much damage - or really any - on any of my other trips across.

We went through two towns that were hit hard last year.

We saw a place that was hit just a week or so ago.  Lots of broken trees.  And we saw some flooding as well.

We had one sick kid.  We thought it was just nerves before we left, but more than halfway through the trip we discovered just how real the sick really was.

The van very nearly didn't make it all the way.  The engine light came on and the engine sputtered and coughed.  So we may be in MO to stay.  

We did see a lot of trucks and a lot of those feed lots.  And a lot of COOP silos.  Several turtles, a couple of pheasants, and an armadillo.

It is good to see family and we are planning on having fun any time now.  Some of us have started, but others hit their head really hard today and thus are still a bit grouchy.  I'll get over it.

13 long hours

This is what I've predicted my day to be like.  I've made this trip before.  If you've never driven across Kansas, well... try to keep it that way, if you can.  I have done it more than a dozen times.  Although south Kansas - which is the route we are taking, does have a little more interest than I70 does.

There are a few scenic highlights.

Hopefully nothing as exciting as this!