From the Flint Hills to the Springs

Today, we traveled through Kansas and into Colorado, with our destination for the night being Colorado Springs, where we are spending the night with Anthony’s cousin and saying goodbye to his mom for twelve days. I have traveled through Kansas before, but do not believe I came through Topeka, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful parts of the state are. First of all, we live in a beautiful country, with various landscapes, and while I do not prefer the plains, I also have to acknowledge that there is beauty in that as well. Also, Kansas is not all flat. We went through the Flint Hills, and there was much to see and admire. Although we did not take a photo, there were many cows on them thar hills and I still don’t know how they got up there. They are much more athletic than me for sure.

We stopped to rest, and I took over the wheel. Around this same time, we started seeing the many wind turbines, and I fell in love. I love those things because they look futuristic, and they power more than 37,000 homes in that area. What is not to love about alternative energy sources?  Anthony got this shot from inside the car, and I love the juxtaposition of an original windmill with one of the newer giants.

What I also love about Kansas is all the wind that makes those turbines work so well. Wind is my favorite unseen force. If I want to have a good hair day, it definitely works against me, but also gives me a perfect excuse when said hair was not going to look good anyway. My favorite thing about Kansas has to be passing all the Kansas Jayhawks basketball signs knowing that Auburn beat them in March Madness. War Eagle!

We finally arrived in Colorado Springs to spend the night with Anthony’s cousin and his family. If you enjoy wide open spaces, I have found your place.  These shots are from their back porch and yard. I asked about the wildlife, and was told there are antelope, jack rabbits and snakes. I did not spend much time outside. On our way downtown, their son showed us the original schoolhouse where the students in the area were taught. The land goes on forever and the Rockies make a nice backdrop. 

After eating a delicious home cooked meal, we headed off in our cousin Joe's truck that sits about 20 feet off the ground, so you can just conjur a visual of how ridiculous I looked getting in and out of that thing.  I will say, however, that we had an excellent tour guide and we enjoyed our time with him immensely, especially since I have not seen him since he was a little boy.  We headed downtown, because I have decided that I love the downtown areas of any city.  Downtown Colorado Springs did not disappoint, especially since almost every corner had a beautiful view of the Rockies.  

 After we left downtown, I asked Joe if we could go to Garden of the gods based on the recommendation of my sister, and off we went.  It was overcast and starting to rain, so we did not get to explore, but we did get to take a couple of shots, including the Kissing Camels.  It was a beautiful city and we were fortunate to get a great crash course.

We are in for the night in a place so remotely beautiful that Kira said she can actually hear the rustling of the leaves. 

The Show Me State, Burnt Ends, and Topeka

First of all, I am typing this at 8:54 pm and it is still light outside.  The sun has just now set and I am disturbed by this.  We are on the same time zone.  What is this madness?!?!?!  Secondly, I have been dreading driving through Kansas so much that I completely forgot that we had to get through Missouri first.  We left this morning around 8:30, and even though I had been up for three hours and been very productive, I was still the last in the van.  Thankfully, Anthony had not yet turned the wheel over to me, because we had to drive through the winding roads of the Ozarks and I wish I had taken a photo, but the one below was all I managed to get, before putting my blanket over my head to keep myself from freaking out at all the dangerous curves, and the big rigs flying past us on the other side.  There was no median!

After surviving that drive, I started really looking at that part of the Show Me State and was in awe of how beautiful it is.  We were on a much safer four lane highway, and kept passing Amish people on their horses and buggies because apparently, there are a large number of Amish who live in that part of Missouri.  Their "share the road" sign has a horse and buggy instead of a bicycle and I thought it was very cool.  I was very impressed at how calm the horses were with all the cars whizzing by.  Shortly after we left Amish country, Anthony turned the wheel over to me, and I predictably took a couple of wrong turns.  We almost went to a zoo.  I would have loved to have gotten out and taken some photos of beautiful Missouri, but I had already cost us some time with my lack of attention to GPS detail.  Kira took this photo from inside the car.

 

We stopped at a service station and when I came back out, everyone had shifted seats and I was canceled as a driver....for today anyway.  We stopped in Kansas City to eat at Q39 on our way to Topeka on recommendation from Kira, who had eaten there during her recent road trip to Omaha and Chicago, and it was well worth the slight detour.  I recommend this place to anyone who loves a good brisket, because it is the most tender I have ever eaten.

We got there at 3:30, and it was packed.  Our waiter predictably called it the best BBQ place in Kansas City, and I was more than ready to agree with him after taking my first bite.

Anthony had ribs, pork,baked beans and fries.

I had burnt ends, brisket, and a delicious apple slaw.  Also, Kansas City knows how to make a good sweet tea. 

If I had known burnt things were a delicacy, I could have opened up my own restaurant years ago.

We finally got to Topeka late this afternoon, and after checking in, Anthony, Kira and I headed downtown.  We stopped first at Gage Park, where we wandered through a rose garden, complete with a frog actually sitting on a lily pad, and then into a playground that had some weird balance equipment that Kira finally mastered and I did not even try.

 Downtown was pretty, and most importantly, in the shade, since it is quite hot in Topeka, even after 8:00 p.m.  Kira had some fun with some of their impressive statues, and I got a shot of the capitol building in the distance.

Today was a pleasant taste of The Sunflower state.  Tomorrow will be a total immersion, and I have a feeling, I will be behind the wheel again.  How lost can you possibly get driving through Kansas anyway?

Away We Go

Day One:

We have arrived in Jonesboro, AR for the night.  Our drive was a pleasant one, even if the photo on the left does not portray that.  We rented a mini-van which has been the highlight of this trip so far for me, because I have never owned a mini-van, and they are so cool.  There are so many compartments and everything is at your fingertips.  Plus I got to bug this one for the last hour, so that was fun. I can already tell that renting the mini-van instead of a car or an SUV was the right choice for us, especially since we have Anthony's mom with us for the first and last three days.  We will be dropping her off in Colorado Springs, where she will spend almost two weeks with her nephew and his wife. 

Jonesboro is a nice place, and we have enjoyed our short time here.  Shortly after checking into our hotel, we headed to Main Street to eat at Skinny J's.  It was very good, and all three of us (Anthony's mom wanted take out) enjoyed our dinner.  They have a huge menu and are known for their steaks and burgers.  Anthony and Kira got their quesadillas and I got a burger melt on Rye which was really good.

Main Street itself is really nice and walkable, and is probably even nicer at night because they have string lights and those give every downtown street a special touch.

After dinner, we headed to Andy's Frozen Custard for an after dinner treat, and Kira made her mark.  The place is really cute and retro, and Anthony and Kira both were pleased with their choices of concrete flavors.

After dessert, we headed back to our hotel where we will rest for the night.  I am looking forward to settling in with my book and the A/C for a bit before drifting off to sleep.  I started the Morning Sidekick Journal from Habit Nest 17 days ago so that I can become a morning person---something I have never been before, and I want to make sure I keep it up on this trip.  According to this journal, studies show that it takes 66 days to form a habit, so I have many days to go, but already feel that this is changing my life.  It is amazing what you can accomplish when you set goals and get up early enough to achieve them.  I have not yet mastered getting to bed the night before on time, but I will try to do that tonight since I will be driving tomorrow, and we are going through Kansas, and if you have ever driven through Kansas, I don't need to tell you that I will need to be fully rested and caffeinated.

Until tomorrow......