Cathedrals of Grain

Cumulative Miles: 3,871

Number of Speeding Tickets: 1

States Visited: 18

Lesson Learned: "I brake for Hurricanes"

When I think of middle America, I think of Kansas. It's not too north or too south, not too east or too west. Seems to be right in the middle to me.

We started our day in Oklahoma and are ending it in Kansas -- Wichita to be specific. It was only about a three hour drive, but we took our time, stopped often, and had a delightful mexican lunch in Pratt, Kansas. The further east we travelled, the greener Kansas got.

We've established that the land here is flat. One thing that punctuates it, however, are the grain elevators, which rise up as the highest points for miles, in small towns and at crossroads. They're kind of monolithic and they remind me of cathedrals in Europe, where small towns huddle the base of their church while the towers and spires of the church rise to impossible heights above them. I began thinking of them as cathedrals of grain. Maybe that's a stretch, but to me they seem very central to these communities and are where all the labor of farmers and all that the land produces ends up.

We hit Wichita about 3pm, found a hotel and a spot for dinner later. We saw that there was a riverfront walk near downtown where the Arkansas River and the Little Arkansas River converge (is that like my brother Darrel and my other brother, little Darrel?). It was a really pleasant late afternoon walk, clean, nicely landscaped, and with a riverfront park honoring all Native American communities. This statue, called "The Keeper of the Prairie," was donated to the city by the artist in 1974 and has become the most recognizable symbol of Wichita. We walked up one side of the river, crossed over and walked back the other. Definitely got our 10,000 steps in today. After that, we scoped out the botanical garden, planning a visit tomorrow morning.

After a quick shower hit went to dinner at George's French Bistro. It was excellent! We've decided to stay in Wichita another night. By now I'm sure you all know there is a big hurricane barreling toward the southeast and it is predicted to come roaring up into the midwest. We're going to pump the brakes and not rush eastward, in hopes of letting the storm (and the inevitable cleanup) clear before we move past the Mississippi.