The Last Leg: Kansas

We’re not in Kansas anymore. But we were for a while. Kansas is among the less exciting sections of the US and we’ve crossed it quite a few times on our way to CO or back to NC. Nevertheless, we always find new things to explore.

On our way through Kansas, we stopped off at the Brown v. Board of Education Museum in Topeka. The museum was small, but really interesting and well put together. For those who do not recall this from their high school civics class, Brown v. Board of Education was the Supreme Court case that outlawed segregation in schools. In some states, segregation was already outlawed, in others segregation was the law, and in many it was optional. You can probably guess which states were which.

One fact that I didn’t recall was that Brown v. Board was really just one of 5 similar cases that were brought to the Supreme Court and were argued together. I was also surprised to learn that the Supreme Court ruled unanimously to eliminate segregation in schools. It is a shameful part of our history as a country, but I am proud of those who fought so hard to make this country better – and it’s a reminder that the fight continues for many marginalized communities to this day.

Another stop along our way was the Greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene, Kansas. This more lighthearted stop started by sharing the history of the breed, who’s speed and agility made them excellent hunting companions. We learned about the Greyhound’s modern history and also how dog betting works. We walked the halls, lined with plaques immortalizing the greatest breeders and hounds, but the most interesting part was the ‘ancient’ history.

Greyhounds’ ancestors seemed to have been universally beloved: over 4,000 years ago the ancient Egyptians saw the hounds as royalty, treating them as such and often depicting their gods with the heads of hounds. Thousands of years later, the hounds still had such a reputation and were prize pets of the Persians (and the only pets allowed to ride on camels, along with their owners). In England, the aristocracy forbid their ownership to the lower classes. To this day, these hounds are treated like royalty — they even have their own hall of fame!

While we usually spend our nights at wineries, breweries, farms, distilleries, or other attractions; we often stay at truck stops, which was the case for two nights heading through Kansas. We rarely stay at RV parks, as our camper is fully self-sufficient, and Walmart/Cracker Barrel are way over rated (too crowded and not always welcoming). Honestly, truck stops are great: we feel safe with the other truckers (the hum of their idling engines is actually quite nice), there is often WiFi, they have coffee for the morning (and usually a restaurant), and we feel no pressure to leave by a certain time the next day.

After Kansas, we did stay at an RV park for our final night in the camper in Eastern Colorado. The park made it easy for us to winterize and prepare for storage. On our final leg of the camper portion of this trip, we drove to just outside Denver and parked the camper in its home for the next ~4 months. Our good friend, Sammy was kind enough to offer us her place in Denver for the night (while she is partying in the warm Bahamas). We got to check out the local scene at Central Market, which was really fun.

We’ve made it west! Over 20 ski days into the season and we finally get to tackle some big mountains. It’s shaping up to be a good new years!