Missouri River at Fort Leavenworth

Standing near the banks of the Missouri River at Fort Leavenworth I could only imagine that Lewis and Clark were thinking as they continued their expedition that would take them ultimately to the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. No western settlements…only Indians to help guide their way. It was a vast wilderness which would on day become farmland.

At Fort Leavenworth our car was searched in order enter. Noticed a school, bowling alley, commissary, on base. Reminded me of what Ft. Campbell must be like. Colonels and their families got prime real estate with a view of the river.

I saw a piece of the Berlin Wall which was given to then former president Ronald Reagen in 1992. And example of forebearance to end communism to preserve the American way of life,

What have I learned about Kansas? It is a state where farming and ranching is so much ingrained as a way of life. During my travels I saw fields of corn and grazing land. I visited towns where folks are so far away from a Wal-Mart it makes me wonder how they maintain.

We (myself and my hosts) are tired. I’m looking forward to getting back if only to get back into the swing of things.

Aftermath of a Tornado in Greensburg

Ninety-five percent of Greensburg, Kansas, was devistated by a F5 tornado in May 4, 2007. You are looking at the remnants of what used to be a house. Words and pictures do not do the story justice. It is difficult to describe the subdivision which we found ourselves in today. The town is still trying to recover a mere two years after the destruction. Houses are completely gone. Only basements and foundations left. I can only imagine what residents must have felt. Many leaving town and choosing not to rebuild. Any building which is standing today was rebuilt after the tornado. This includes the courthouse.

Meanwhile Dodge City proved to be a unique town. There is a particular smell when you enter the town. I later figured out that it was cows. There is a meat distribution center in Dodge City which explains the smell. Also for a mere $8 you can relive the old west by visiting the Boot Hill Museum. Was it worth it? Kinda sorta. I found out more about the old west than what I ever knew, much of which was garnered from my Grandfather’s Time Life Book of Legends of the Old West. Boot Hill Museum had much of everything such as an old Saloon, General Store, Jail, Church etc. Good stuff. However I can see myself running into alot of these in my future trip to Yellowstone.

Along the way we stopped at most every significant town. Took a photo of the courthouse and post office. I have found that most all Kansas towns have a combination of these things – Wheat storage bin – usually 4 stories tall and right next to a railroad track. It shows [Name of City] Co-op on the side. Consequentally this is the tallest structure in town.
Other things include, post office, courthouse. business district, VFW, Veterans’ Memorial, and movie theater. And seemingly all these town look virtually the same. Change some names on the signage and it is the same. I noted that it is usually miles and miles of nothingness followed by these short urban areas. Which makes me wonder what these people do for recreation, shopping, health care, etc. Do they have to plan for trips to buy televisions 3 hours away in Witcha? Is going to town a huge activity? Are these people still living in the 1950s? Somehow I wanted to speak to a local, but I never got around to asking our waitresses or convience store clerks about local ways of life during my trip through south western Kansas.

Today’s subject was trains, trains, and more trains. We started out at Union Station which is somewhat like a mall, Amtrak Station, and childrens’ museum all in one. Managed to catch a view of an incoming train with a cargo of automobiles.
Ventured over to the Crown Plaza mall for lunch at Frtiz’s Railroad Restaurant where your food is delivered by model trains (someone’s video is here). Interesting concept. The food wasn’t all that good, but you’re really paying for the atmosphere so I can’t complain.

Afterwards we saw a Lego’s exhibit, visited a candy store, and then drove to the Plaza. The Plaza is like Rodeo Drive with alot of rich shopping centers.
Drove down State Street which the Kansas and Missouri borders connect.

Tomorrow we go to Wichita, Greensburg, and Dodge City. Long drive, good weather predicted…

Lecompton, Kansas, was the setting for today’s post. I recalled my high school history class about the prelude to the American Civil War. Kansans would tell you it started in their state several years before the confederates’ attack on Fort Sumter. Southern slave states wanted Kansas admitted to the union as slave state. This was to continue the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
What really amounted to a mini civil war on a much smaller scale happened in Kansas prior to statehood. Pro-slavery Missourians fought with radical abolutionist like John Brown in a period of time known as Bleeding Kansas. All of this makes me want to watch the History Channel more when they’re not broadcasting faux history shows like Ice Road Truckers and UFO Phenomenon.

We visited the oldest wooden building in Kansas – Constitution Hall – which was the setting for the pro-slavery constitution was was never to be put into place. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. It’s hard to believe that had Kansas’ history gone another direction, we’d be talking about Lecompton in lieu of Topeka as the capitol. At this point Lecompton is just a wide spot in the road with a bit of some Kansas history to it. However after Topeka as selected everyone moved out of Lecompton and on to Topeka. Lecompton is virtually a ghost town now.

In Topeka the state Capitol building was under construction. I had really wanted to see the mural of John Brown. This portrait of John Brown is the only known person convicted of treason featured in a state capitol.

Then onto Scanton, Buringame, Strong City, Cottonwood Falls, and Emporium. All nice towns of varying sizes. Each having their own downtown area with a few shops – always the hardware store, gas station, and cafe.
And if you’re intersted in more photos, Mark has some photos on his page which gets posted in real time as we visit.

I’m in Kansas. Olathe to be exact. I haven’t seen much of the city. It was dark when I landed. Didn’t see much of the airport either. Kansas City airport has the terminals behind glass, so that people who haven’t gone through TSA screening can venture right up to the gate and greet you when you exit the plane.
The plane ride was uneventful. It was a full plane. I managed to snag a window seat in the back. Behind me was an older bearded gentlemen who talked nonstop to the person next him about religion, the environment, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, etc. And I’m pretty sure the guy next to him didn’t know him. I was only glad to have an iPod available to listen to without the distraction of this guy talking. I’m pretty sure he was a premillienalist the way he talked about Revelation. He did know his Bible, or at least the verses in his Bible that he needed to proof a point (no matter how warped).
We’re just off of 159th street. Streets can number into the 300’s depending on how far you are from Kansas City’s center, with the center of town being 1st street.
We’re in a cookie cutter house in a planned community. Nice house, although everything around it looks the same.
Tomorrow is more of Kansas including Lawrence, Topeka, and a few other places I’ve never heard of.

I’m going to Kansas City over Labor Day weekend. Probably going to Dodge City one day. The thing that I am fascinated with is western Kansas. There is a vast amount of nothingness out there. Where do these people go for groceries? Is a shopping trip an whole day affair? Two or three hours to the nearest Kroger? How do they get their television stations?
This is an area where you have to plan on where you want to eat, get gas, or sleep. There is no restaurant or gas stations at every exit. Most of the large towns in western Kansas are no more larger than my hometown of 25,000 people. And most are much smaller. Take Goodland, Kansas – population of around 5000. And yet it is the one of the larger cities between Topeka and Denver.
This vast nothingness is fascinating. Why hasn’t it been settled? Is irrigation a concern? Most cities in eastern Kansas are situated along major rivers. And so the population stays in eastern Kansas. Western Kansas, according to the population pyramids is full of old people. The age group of the 18-22 year olds are small, most going to college or technical schools.
A friend of mine told me of another friend of his who would strap his stering wheel down with a belt and read a newspaper with cruise control while driving in western Kansas. And I would tend to believe him. No cars for miles. Roads without curves. Driving endlessly toward the horizon.
And yet I get the feeling that once I’ve seen western Kansas, I, like many of the others will think that it’s not a place to visit twice. We’ll see…