Oct. 16, 2013

Flat land

Kansas is flat.  So is eastern Colorado.

Yesterday was sunny and bright all day.  Nice change from the day before.  The wind was also different.  Instead of from the southeast it was from the north.  20+mph. Gusts to 35mph.  We were going west.  That equals 200+ miles of steady crosswind.  My right arm got a cramp from holding the carbus against the wind.  Stayed in a campground in a small town on the Kansas prairie.  Winds eventually died down which allowed the temperature to drop to 35 degrees last night.

This morning was overcast but no wind.  Stayed that way through western Kansas and eastern Colorado.  Long straight road through the flat prairie but good road and no wind.  We are now on the west side of Pueblo, CO.  Still flat but can see the Rockies.  They had a dusting of snow last night (since gone) and possible inch tomorrow night.  Plan to stay in Denver area a day or two.  Will have to watch weather and road conditions a bit closer as we plan to head west.

Oct. 14, 2013

Layover in Central Kansas

Extreme southeastern Kansas has ‘hills’.  More like rolling prairie but there is visible elevation change as you look around.  Shortly though as you go west you realize that the ‘hills’ have flattened and everywhere you look is flat broken at times by rows of trees between farms. 

One aspect of flat land is that wind has nothing to stop or alter it.  As soon as we hit flat country the wind started and did not stop or even diminish much.  Yesterday the wind was from the east so we had a tailwind and easy driving.  Today the wind is from the south, steady 20+mph with gusts to 35mph.  Driving a big box in a crosswind (with possible thunder storms) is not much fun (been there).  Tomorrow is supposed to be better so we decided to have a lazy day.  This park has good WIFI internet and TV reception so we are just sitting here watching trees move.

We did stop in Wichita yesterday to visit our first home and take a walk to Dairy Queen for a cone.  Something we did many summer evenings when we lived there.  Same little DQ is still there.  Everything around it has changed but this bit of nostalgia (for us) remains as it was 47 years ago.

We lived in the basement.  Entrance in rear.

We both took some courses here when we lived in Wichita.

This ladder is hanging on the back of a RV.  Looks like neither has moved in a while.

Park we are in has several of these ponds.  Each with large toad population.