Heading Home

We didn't leave Lindsborg until about 8:00, and headed right for I-70 and home. Along the way we stopped at a couple local attractions. We ate in a small restaurant in Wilson, KS, then traveled to Ellis to see the boyhood home of Walter P. Chrysler. After that, we went to Oakley, KS to see a huge statue of Buffalo Bill. A small fossil museum there was closed for lunch, so we passed on it. Then, after lunch in Colby, KS, we pushed on for home and made it around 5:00 pm. Very weary but it was a nice little trip ... now we have to get back to business.

Pushing Through to Hutchinson

After waking early and eating a quick breakfast, we drove north from Dallas and worked our way to Kansas. Along the way we made stops in Oklahoma City and Arcadia on Route 66.

In Oklahoma City we visited the memorial to commemorate those that died in the Murrah Building bombing on April 19, 1995. Ted and I walked the length of the memorial, visited both gates, viewed the chairs that represented those killed - large chairs for adults, smaller ones for children. Then we quickly visited the survivor tree, a tree in the middle of the area that somehow survived the blast. After reading the plaques and making our rounds, Ted wondered why we went to so many places where people died (The Murrah Building and Dealey Plaza).

In Arcadia, we visited a special gas station/restaurant that sells a huge variety of bottled soda. Other than paying homage to Route 66, not much historical here, but it was fun to get several bottles of gourmet soda for friends. Very cool architecture as well.


Then, pushing on to Hutchinson, we arrived at the Cosmosphere (an aerospace museum associated with the Smithsonian). My folks dropped Ted and I off so my mom could go to a nearby quilting exposition and Amish community in Yoder. Ted and I scrambled through the exhibits and saw many interesting artifacts including reconstructions of V1 and V2 rockets, replicas of the first Soviet and American satellites and rockets, reproductions of launch pads, the white room, and mission control. I was interested to see the actual control module Odyssey from the Apollo 13 mission and the capsule from Liberty Bell 7. An SR-71 spy plane was hanging from the ceiling at the entrance of the museum as well. Ted's interest in rockets was piqued a bit, although he probably liked the film showing the several initial failures of the U.S. civilian rockets a bit too much.

We ended the day in Lindsborg, KS at a small hotel. Very quaint, no WiFi connection so I had to wait to update this blog from home when we returned. Tomorrow we head for home.

Dallas Day

Another early morning and a bit more than a half-day trek through North Texas. We arrived in Fort Worth around 12:30 and took a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. Interesting stuff, although my Dad had a big problem getting through security (had to take off his medical ID bracelet, belt, shoes, watch, etc.) He had a heck of a time getting his shoes back on since he doesn't get around well, walking with a cane. Watching the presses and packaging of all the notes was pretty interesting - they print about $92 billion a year through orders from the 12 Federal Reserve Banks, 95% of which is to replace worn bills. That's about $360 million a day, or $16 million an hour.

From there we drove through some of Dallas (looked at Cowboys Stadium from the outside, Rangers Stadium, and Six Flags) and ate at Twisted Root Burgers. It's a bohemian burger joint near downtown, shown on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Really good burgers, but definitely too hip for septagenarians.

My folks then dropped Ted and I off at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza while they found a motel for the night. They are generous enough to book separate rooms for them and myself/Ted. The museum was interesting, although it's a disappointment that they don't allow photos. We went outside to take photos of the shooter's window, the grassy knoll, and a homeless guy lectured Ted in the death of Jack Ruby and told him that he should consider me his best friend. I gave him some change from my pocket.

Then, after roaming downtown for a bit (we drove past the townhome owned by our neighbors' son, an ex VP for Fluor) and then had dinner and a show at Medieval Times, a renaisannce re-inactment dinner theater with live jousting and horsemanship (and no food utensils allowed ... although they did allow photos). My allergies acted up, but made it through. Hoping to blow through Oklahoma tomorrow and get home Friday.

Spring Break 2011 - Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas with the Folks

Ted and I are joining my folks on one of their exploratory roadtrips. Since snow was falling in Salina, KS, my Mom decided to drive through New Mexico to Texas. We decided on visiting Dallas/FT Worth instead of following historic Route 66, so we stayed in Childres, TX for the night.

Other than snow in Trinidad, CO and Raton Pass, the weather was clear and cool. Our first sight-seeing stop was Capulin Volcano in NM, and Ted and I traveled into the caldera (but not the rim ... too high and cold). The rest of the way was continuous driving through north Texas on our way to Fort Worth to see the Mint and Dallas to see the Cowboys stadium and the 6th floor museum in Dealey Plaza. Hopefully we'll head back north tomorrow.