Kansas - Day 1

Well, we got going a little later than I thought, but it worked out fine. Long day, about 530 miles on the car. Here's Mr W ready to walk out the door. He wanted to be able to hold all his stuff. He is a really good traveler, although he spends too much time on the computer. He alternated with reading, and it's vacation, right? I worry about eyestrain - hey, I'm a mom. 

One of the informative maps at a rest stop on I-70. The bathrooms had A/C, which was nice because it was almost 100 degrees outside - Phew! 

We rented a Versa, and it's really easy to drive. I normally drive my trusty 1995 Civic, and there was a bit of a difference between the two. It's funny, Mr W's dad has two old cars and the kid rarely rides in anything close to a new car.  He kept saying how nice it was - and it was. I don't get the big car thing. This little car did everything I needed it to do and it was comfortable, too. 

I don't remember the last time I was through Kansas, but there was a stretch of about 20 miles with lots of wind turbines. It was neat to observe the transition between what it looks like above, with grassy croplands and few trees, to what it's like in eastern Kansas, which must get more water in general because there's more trees here. That said, we took a little walk around a nearby park after dinner and the grass is really dry. They don't look like they're set up to water the grass in parks.  People's lawns were dry, too.

Mr W in our room. He was duly impressed by the desk and the little refrigerator. We're getting up early-ish to visit the prairie before it gets wicked hot, but I suspect it'll still be plenty hot. That's OK, we'll bring our water and be able to turn on the A/C in the car when it's done. More pictures tomorrow.