Beef: It's what's for dinner!

Cumulative Miles: 4,186

Number of Speeding Tickets: Just one

States Visited: 19

Lesson Learned: "Marbling" of steak has nothing to do with your glass marbles

Friday morning we packed up early to leave Wichita. Again, a great city and I encourage you to visit. Next stop is Kansas City--Kansas City, MIssouri to be exact. Ironically, Kansas City, Missouri is a lot bigger and lot nicer than Kansas City, Kansas. It's less than three hours from Wichita and we were on the road by 9:30. I wondered what we would do if we got there by 12:30. We really didn't have anything planned or scoped out, except for the hotel I'd booked.

After about an hour on the road, going roughly north and east, I saw a sign for a "scenic byway." Of course I took it. Rt 177 was a two-lane highway through the Tall Grass state grasslands of Southeastern, Kansas. We drove through tiny towns, enjoyed watching a train that ran alongside the highway for some miles, and surveyed the open prairie in general. We stopped at a scenic overlook, not sure what they was going to be to look at on the rather featureless plain and soon found out that the stop was dedicated to the simple prairie itself. As soon as we stepped out of the car we were met with the dual songs of crickets and grasshoppers. It was only 11:00 am but they were happily making their music. The good folks of Kansas had built a circular pathway through the grasses and provided signage which identified all the native flora. The grasshoppers were quite abundant, sunning themselves on the warm concrete of the path, and they hopped and flew out of harm's way as we approached them. The gentle breeze rifled through the grass, reminiscent of the fabled amber waves of grain, but these grasses were more reddish and green. It was anything but boring. It was very peaceful and pleasant and kind of magical. If you've got a lot of prairie, might as well make the most of it. Well played, Kansas, well played.

Onward we went on this scenic route and as were passing through a small town called Cottonwood Falls, we saw a sign beckoning us to visit their "historic courthouse." This tall, handsome, Italianate Victorian structure is the oldest courthouse in Kansas still in contemporary use. It sits at the intersection of two streets paved with bricks, with a downtown of maybe two blocks long leading away from it. We walked the downtown and noted it was not desolate or forlorn like some towns we've recently seen. Rather, it was small-town vibrant. Not fancy, but utilitarian. The town's museum invited passers-by to see the "Knute Rockne Accident Exhibit." Now, I know who Knute Rockne was, but the "accident" part intrigued me. Turns out the early football great died in a plane crash in 1931 just on the outskirts of this town. Talk about a somewhat dubious claim to fame....

We went into a charming antique store, bought a toy tractor, and the proprietor suggested we visit a waterfall at the end of town. Conveniently, there were only about two blocks away, so we walked down to take a peek. Turns out, the "falls" were really just the spillway for an old mill pond, but still worth the short walk. Then we lunched at the local, old-world, main street hotel. I had a salad and "steak stew." As you might guess, it's a variation on beef stew, but OMG so much richer. I honestly could eat only half the bowl.

Back in the car, we got serious about reaching Kansas City and took the interstate the rest of the way. Now that we're here, we are splurging a bit and staying at the Crown Westin. I know this hotel because I was here 20 years ago for a work conference. I recalled it was impressive, so I chose to book us here. There are several neat things about it. First of all, it sits atop the brow of a hill that overlooks downtown KC, which has a handsome skyline and some really cool retro electric signs. Second, its built directly onto and back against the bedrock of the hill, so there are places in the lobby where the back wall is just the natural stone. Also fun, at least for me, is the proximity of the hotel to the train station and trainyards. Several different sets of tracks run about 150 yards in front of the hotel, between it and the aforementioned downtown. All night we heard various train sounds, which I find so comforting; The rhythmic clack clack of the wheels, the occasional singing of the rails, the low throb of the engines, and of course the train whistle when it approaches a crossing. All of these sounds I love, especially when they aren't overpoweringly loud, which they are not here.

(Our Hotel)

We asked around for a dinner recommendation and people were happy to share their opinions. We ended up at a chophouse (it is Kansas City, after all) and oh boy! Truth be told, of all meats, I enjoy poultry the most. I could eat chicken seven nights a week. I like beef, but having red meat only on special occasions is fine with me. However, as they say, when in Rome.... The server took our drink orders and then reappeared with a huge tray of raw steaks. They were wrapped in cellophane, but it was a bit startling to see these cuts of raw meat being displayed like sweets on a desert cart. The thing is, most of them were HUGE. We're talking 12 and 14 oz cuts. I will admit they looked quite ... robust? We listened as she patiently explained each cut and what made them special, like a sommelier extolling fine wines. Unfortunately, it was all lost on me. I rather meekly ordered a six ounce petite filet with peppercorn sauce. Did I feel her disappointment in my anemic show of beef blood lust or did I just imagine it? I don't know, but in all sincerity, it was quite good. I still couldn't finish it.

Beyond sated, we waddled back to the hotel, contemplating our exploits for tomorrow. There's a new trolley to downtown that I think we'll try out. I'll keep ya posted!