Blogs from Kansas, United States, North America

v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Off the well-worn highways of Kansas lies a beauty that most travelers may not get to experience. For some, Kansas is just a place to drive through to reach other destinations. Those who take the time and are willing to tread off the beaten path will find an experience that is more enduring than the usual tourist spots. The real treasures are made by nature, not man. Some have taken millions of years to sculpt into the alluring landscapes that take a willingness to leave the paved roads to procure the awe that will inspire you. Among the treasures of Kansas are Monument Rocks and the area around Castle Rock. Both geological features were formed from Niobrara chalk millions of years ago when an inland sea covere... read more

Just outside of Topeka, KS is the small community of Overbrook. The American Legion Post located here has agreed to let me use their UH-1 Huey helicopter on one of my photo-shoots. This will be the third image in the Veteran’s Burdens series and will focus on what our service members left behind in Vietnam, of themselves and the friends made and lost. After spending about an hour there taking test shots and looking at angles, it was time to pack everything up and head to Topeka. We head west out Highway 56 but instead of taking 75 north, we took a side road that ran parallel to it. Glad we did because just south of Topeka we came across a small park called Wakarusa Park that offered some good photo opportunities and a nice break ... read more

Thursday, June 28th Arthur Austin's home in Midvale, Utah 77 degrees already at 8:15 this morning. Blue skies but smoky from fires burning near Saratoga Springs and EagleMountain about 40 miles south of SaltLake. 28,791 starting mileage. Meet with Art at 7:00 on his front porch to have breakfast at the Outpost Cafe, a nearby restaurant he frequents. After a neighbor took a group picture of the three of us, we said our goodbyes and headed to Interstate 215 that circles around Salt Lake City. After a smoky view of downtown SaltLake, we intersected with I-80 again, and headed due east and started our climb into the WasatchMountains. We couldn't help but notice a huge growth in the number of homes built around the ski resort of ParkCity that was the site of the Winter Olympics ... read more

Today is a traveling day with no sight seeing except out the window. Fourteen hours through Kansas and Missouri, staying just outside St. Louis. It was hotter in Kansas than in Death Valley at 110-deg! Don’t know how they do it!... read more

What do you REALLY NEED for a 6-week trip? (This list is to remind ME of how to cut 20 lbs. out of my luggage!) Remember, you must deal with the following weather conditions: Cold (below 60 degrees) Cool (60-70) OK (70-85) Hot (85-90) Hot Hot (90-100) Hot Hot Hot (above 100) Rain (snow?) Shoes: Great walking shoes (athletic) and 2 pairs of socks Sandal or flat airy walking shoe (for ... read more

Tomorrow, I leave early in the morning to make the 10 hour trip to Spearfish, SD. I'll spend the night in a hotel since they aren't expecting me on campus until the afternoon. I could've broken the trip up over two days, but decided I'm too anxious to already be in Spearfish and this will give me time to explore a bit more and just relax...and also use Monday morning to get a jumpstart on my 2 summer online courses which start on the 4th! :) I'm going to attempt to blog daily and add photos as I take them (once I find my camera...I was going to take pictures along the way but cannot seem to remember where I packed it or find it just by shuffling a few things around in my car). For ... read more

I leave for my travels in tomorrow morning, and will arrive in Malta on "Day 1.". Bills are paid, flowers watered, laundry in the dryer.... I just "checked in" with Delta, and enjoyed this part of the boarding pass: the boarding pass for Malta says "Malta, Malta, Malta," no seat information, time, etc. I hope that is not a problem. But, here I come. Next post will not be from Topeka Kansas!... read more