Well, maybe not "love", but I don't mind Kansas. In this post, I'm taking issue with one of our beloved bloggers, who shall remain nameless, but lives in Oklahoma, and her husband is Ted. She's a sweetheart.

Kansas. I've been in and out of this wonderful state numerous times, mostly East to West or v.v., headed somewhere else. It's like Indiana in many respects--the "Crossroad of America". People pass through, but stop only for food and gas. Kansas, especially, is flat and monotanous.

But that's only if you allow yourself to perceive it that way. True, Kansas has no mountains--few hills, for that matter. It has no national forests, national parks, national anything! It just sits there in the middle of the country, ignored by most, loathed by many. True, crossing the state via Interstate 70 can be mesmerizing and "forever taking".

Still, I like Kansas (Nebraska, too, for that matter). I've tried to make the most out of my driving trips to my destination (which usually seems to be Utah). There are many neat and interesting places to visit. I can't possibly list all the "museums" I've seen. I put the word in quotes because of their quaintness: places like Pony Express Station, Little House on the Prairie (several of them!), Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum, Carry Nation House, World's Largest Hand-dug Well (which is in Greensburg, the town that was leveled by a tornado several years ago, and which I've seen both before and after the devastation), Decatur Co. Last Indian Raid Museum, and on and on.
Every little community has something to brag on and show off. I love it!

Many of these stopping places are history related--cowboys and Indians, forts, and settlers (The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum!). There are many state parks and wildlife areas, mostly on reservoirs. I've camped out in some, with nary a soul in site.

I think the closest thing to a national park (and is run by the park service) is the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (East of Emporia). I've been there twice, camping out both times (alone). That place, and the far western grasslands, are spectacular--if you like wide open spaces, where you seldom meet another person (nor discouraging word!). I DO feel at "Home on the Range".

Who would believe that in Hutchinson, one will find an incredible museum, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center?! Amazing. One could easily spend a whole day there. I'm sure the university cities of Lawrence and Manhatten, not to mention Topeka and Kansas City suburbs, have great tourist attractions. I usually avoid big cities in my travels.

So in its own unique way, the Kansases of our country deserve attention and respect. No eye-popping scenic vistas or major tourist attractions. But to me, the plains of the Midwest are beautiful and wondrous. I'm looking forward to my April trip (to Utah), when I have the honor of crossing the "flatlands" as the lone vehicle on the blue highways.