October 2022.
I admit a bit hesitantly that I spent most of my time in Kansas trying to get through Kansas. Not until I hit the eastern part of the State did I feel comfortable though probably because the area looks like any other suburban area in the East Bay of California. I saw a lot of Kansas but much of it from my car window. I do recommend getting off I-70 and taking some back roads. You won’t find the awe inspiring beauty of Utah or Colorado, but you do get to drive by and through tiny towns off dirt roads and a lot of fields in slightly rolling (not entirely flat) and rocky terrain. Also, windmills which was a pleasant surprise given all the obstacles to this alternative energy source in places like California.
There are some other things that struck me about Kansas. The people, while nice, are not talkative or very approachable and may or may not return a hello or good morning. I thought maybe this was due to the bitter cold rolling through where you had to walk with your head down to avoid the biting wind but also learned from a guy I met camping who is from Nebraska that people just don’t walk in Kansas or Nebraska (which used to be one territory and have a strong history in the civil war). Kansas is also a very religious state, if you are of a Christian denomination (Evangelical Protestant being the largest in Kansas) – though there are some changes with a small percentage increase in non-believers. There are not as many churches as you find in southwest Missouri (there are a lot!), but lots of Jesus signs about.
MONUMENT ROCKS
I began my journey by driving out to see Monument Rocks, a free monument on private land. I picked random roads to get there. Though I would not necessarily recommend driving far out of your way to see these, I was glad I did. These rocks are sandstone so different from what I was seeing elsewhere and had bat caves built along the top (I think that is what they were). It was also one of the quietest places I have been. Were it not for the strong wind drowning out the quiet and which made it seem like I was riding downhill on a bike, I would have just sat there and chilled.
HAYS / MCPHERSON
From there, I thought I would stay in Hays which was ranked as having one of the nicest downtowns in Kansas, but as I drove through I was put off by all the Jesus saves signs and pro-life billboards and hand signs. It felt very unwelcoming as did the completely closed downtown (which I would put as average at best) – ah it was a Sunday, and its Kansas. So, off I drove east and ended up in McPherson, a nondescript suburb but with lots of lodging and it was now pretty late. Like other spots in Kansas I ventured, there were not a lot of people on the streets other than the homeless. Yep, a not insubstantial number of homeless in Kansas which surprised me given how cold it gets and there seems to be plenty of land to build shelters.
WICHITA
The next day I resumed my search for great spots to see in Kansas so drove down to Wichita to explore. I enjoyed Wichita as a day trip. Park for free near The Keeper of the Plains, check it out and then walk along the river, which was nice to explore even in the mid-30s windy weather I encountered. Turn onto 11th Street and head into town a bit toward the historic district to see some beautiful buildings, many churches. Here you may also encounter a number of homeless. Not San Francisco level, but several encampments around (men and women) and several men wandering on the street – though none screaming at me which was nice. It was a bit strange to have so few people on the streets walking around which I found common in Kansas. On your way back to the car check out the outdoor Korean War monument at Memorial Park near the river which felt very applicable today with the same players and Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also, if you make it on a Saturday there is free entry into the Wichita Art Museum.
For a SF style coffee shop, stop in at Reverie Roasters. The coffee was good for Kansas, average for the West Coast, but the baked goods rocked! I had a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin and the chocolate was solid. The other items looked like a professionally baked good should which is not an easy find.
TALL GRASS NATIONAL PRESERVE
From Wichita, I resumed east and stopped at the free to park and enter Tall Grass National Preserve. Here you can hike for quite a while though I had to call it quits as walking on loose rocks was not working out for my still injured ankle. It is worth checking out if not too far out of your way. It is also on the way to Topeka which was my next stop and after driving around I decided it was best to just keep going. I drove various spots, including the arts district, but not much was going on other than three 20 somethings standing in the middle of the street for a photo shoot. Again, maybe it was due to the cold weather but mostly saw a few homeless meandering around, and not much was open.
LAWRENCE
So, I made my way to Lawrence, home of Kansas University. Lawrence is centered around KU. Most everything worthwhile to see is in the very large campus or just near it. If there, definitely check out the campus as it is quite beautiful and houses a free art museum (small but they are going to reopen the 2nd floor in a couple of weeks), the Bob Dole Political Institute (not yet open when I arrived), beautiful buildings and views. I also went to the free to park and enter Prairie Park Nature Center which had some cool snakes (and sadly caged large birds including a bald eagle) had hoped to see the sunflowers at Grinter’s Sunflower Farm but alas, a few weeks too late and many degrees too cold to catch the bloom.
The other highlight in Lawrence is Massachusetts Street though even at 11am, I found myself outnumbered by homeless – one of whom was a bit aggressive. Apparently per capita, Lawrence is one of the places in Kansas with a larger homeless population. The only other people out were a father walking his two kids to school and two women setting up their corner with religious materials. The waitress I met at my dinner spot the night before moved from LA and said here quaint views of Kansas were disabused after moving to Lawrence as there is plenty of crime and sketchy neighborhoods.
OVERLAND PARK
After my stay in Lawrence, I made my way to Overland Park near Kansas City. Overland Park looks like San Ramon in California (or pick any other similar suburban town – wide streets, trees, nice houses). The highlight here is the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens (free to park and $3 to enter) which would have been better had I arrived a few days before it turned to freezing temps killing all the flowers, but still worth seeing and in the back past the gates was some lovely hiking in the woods outside the back of the gardens.
I did make sure to eat my mandatory KC BBQ dinner at the tourist spot, Joe’s Kansas City BBQ (in Overland Park, Kansas) and then a second night at Q39 (in Kansas City, Missouri). The best thing I had at Joe’s was the street corn and the spicy red beans and rice. The ribs were good, but I can’t say better than any I have had in California. At Q39 I had a mediocre mac and cheese topped with brisket. The brisket was very good when dipped in BBQ sauce but did not think the mac was good enough to finish – but try the brisket if you are there.
And that concludes Kansas. Off to Missouri.