http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , United States , Kansas en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:10:53 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:10:53 BST July 19 2008 Overland Park KS The team spent the night what was left of it at the La Quinta in Overland Park after negotiating their way in. A good rest after the hiccups on check in. So what is this thing we call RAGBRAI RAGBRAI The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa is an annual sevenday bicycle ride across the state. In its 36th year RAGBRAI is the longest largest http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Overland--Park/blog-301812.html It was so good to see some messages from all of you We had a change in plans since leaving Branson MO. Chris had an epiphany on Sunday morning so he says and mentioned that he thought that the Kansas City Royals were playing a home game that day...hmmm. I think that he might be going through some baseballsports withdrawal while being on this trip. Sports radio doesn't seem to cut it. I ch http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Dodge-City/blog-299818.html We just picked up the RV at noon and are loading it up with everything but the kitchen sink. Pictured is the route that we plan on taking with stops in Manitou Springs CO Pike's Peak Garden of the Gods Bryce Canyon Nat Park Utah Zion Nat Park Utah Salt Lake City Utah Grand Teton Nat Park WY Yellowstone WYWe still have lot's of packing and prep to do but it's getting exciting Th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-298873.html Editors note I have one more travel blog entry from Vietnam to write called therdquo Library System of Vietnam. It will be a long blog probably done in several installments. I am not through writing it and I am home enjoying my place in this wonderful land Larned my home town Kansas in the good old USA. The following blog is on the 4th of July Celebration in Larned at the home of Clark and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Larned/blog-295915.html about 2 days and i'm off.this feels big and i believe it will be a big movement in my life. i am excited for change and the unknown even though sometimes i let my mind convince me that the unknown is scary not usually for too long though. i have felt my life is too stagnant for quite some time and am ready for that feeling to dissipate with visions of things i will be seeing for the first ti http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Lawrence/blog-292888.html I was born in 1947 so the first American President that I can recall is Dwight Eisenhower. I know that the British were very fond of him but didnrsquot realize that he had developed lifelong friendships with Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery. Eisenhowerrsquos Museum is located in Abilene Kansas which is in the middle of nowhere because he was raised here. He was actually http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/blog-289625.html I left Bridgeport Texas with everything going fine. As I pulled into Oklahoma City the motor home backfired and lost power then it picked up again and off I went. I figured I had got some bad gas petrol. I met up with Tony Neeves for a very pleasant afternoon in Guthrie which is about thirty miles north of Oklahoma City. Tony retired recently and has just bought himself a BEAUTIFUL Mercede http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Salina/blog-289623.html Ozawkie and Topeka KansasCouncil Grove KansasTallgrass Prairie National PreserveFort Larned KansasGarden City and the Sunnyland BBSandsage National Wildlife PreserveAfter our wonderful visit outside of Baldwin City we drove north through Oscaloosa and across Lake Perry to Ozawkie to see my Uncle Dennisrsquo place that he built with his wife Jolayne. She was very welcoming and gave us the f http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Garden-City/blog-288460.html Part of the reason I am doing this is to make sure that I don't completely lose every single bit of grammar knowledge I once had I need to maintain my habit of typing correctly. i don't want 2 get lazy and start typing everything like this and not now how too spell or use the right words or a period i also dont want ppl too get upset wme 4 not caplitalizing they're name so i will use this web si http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Lawrence/blog-280091.html So I've officially completed my first year of med school. It's a bit surreal having a year behind me being one step closer to having the responsibility of being a physician and knowing that I still have a lot of learning ahead of me. Our last exams were yesterday and I'm pretty sure I'll end up passing them. That said I can now focus all of my attention on preparing for going to Kenya. I'l http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-276961.html Powwow is a social and contest dance event held through out the US and Canada.It is a beautiful fun and unique event. I had been meaning to take some powwow pictures for my overseas friends finially got around to it.Hopefully I'll add some more as the summer goes on.It starts with the Grand Entry when all the dancers parade in following vetrans carrying national state tribal flags and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/blog-276599.html Toto I See Twisties The Poppy Poker Ride was a joint project of the women of the American Legion Auxiliary and the bikers of the American Legion Riders both of the Dwight Cowles American Legion Post 370 in Overland Park KS. I was the cooordinator as I was a member of both groups. It started as a suggestion that the Riders group help the Auxiliary with their annual poppy distribution. Bill Ch http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/blog-270688.html This is just a test blog preparing for my trip this summer. I'm going to try to use this again to communicate with everyone while I'm in Nairobi. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-265700.html Guess what I see when we wake up in the morning Roller Coasters There is an amusement park I am guessing a Six Flags in the distance probably less than a mile away We gots to stay here in the summertime and go ride some coasters WoohooAhem.Anyway we picked up some animal litter for a Petsmart in Dallas. We are cutting across some plains in Kansas. I wonder how many wagons travel http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-252481.html Went from Wichita to Kansas City today. I sent an email to a friend who lives in 'KC' to see if we could meet up. Unfortunately he was working and didn't get the mail until late. We talked for a few minutes he didn't know we were back on the road in the truck again. Maybe next time.The drive from Wichita was eventful. We saw two wrecks on the other side of the road. One had just happened http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Wichita/blog-252475.html 08 Installing Floorboards on my 05 883 Harley Davidson Sportster Effie. Finally a warm day itrsquos a good day for a ride but I wanted to put one of the new accessories on that I had bought over the winter. I had decided to try floorboards last year. I spend a lot of time on my bike and have found that it affects the way I walk. The story behind this is the bike is air cooled on hot days th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-251818.html What can I say about Wichita.......The town is stuck in 1995. The only radio that they play here is country. Mostly from the days when Garth Brooks was king and Diamond Rio was what Rascal Flatts dreamed of becoming.Seriously it's like I've stepped back in High School. Even the classic rock station plays 50s and 60s. Commercials are all from local businesses trying to sell carpet or used car http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Wichita/blog-248472.html Our American Legion Riders from Post 370 in Overland Park got together to go see the Patriot Chopper. The Patriot Bike is a National Guard theme chopper built by OCC Orange County Choppers. It was built on the show American Chopper.We met at 1130am on Saturday morning. I had to hurry as I needed to put in a couple hours that morning at work I work for that American Legion Post. But I got http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-246463.html I wanted to add a trunk to my Sporty Effie. I had a dual purpose need of a trunk for the back of my sporty. 1. I have a new laptop that has a 15rdquo screen. The old laptop would fit in a saddlebag but the new one is taller than the bag. I had researched waterproof crushproof computer cases that I might strap on the back rack but they were very expensive and would still leave the comput http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-246446.html I learned through the American Legion Riders group about the project of Extreme Makeover Home Edition they were going to be building a house for a wounded Marine in my area. Daniel Gilyeat a single parent with 4 children had lost a leg in Iraq and was in need of a better house.8 NOV 2007A DAY OF WORKVolunteers signed up actually a few blocks away and shuttle buses took you to within a block of th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-244972.html So it's Friday Feb 1. I'm still at work and getting pretty anxious for the trip. I leave in about an hour to go get Bob Brandi Ron and Pierce at the airport. I've been babysitting both dogs Barley and Zeus for the last month and they've been great but it's definitely like having kids unless you have kids then I'm sure you'd tell me it's nothing like having kids.I'm partially packed wi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Kansas-City/blog-241885.html So I decided to kick off this whole blog thing with a entry from...KANSAS I know pretty exciting. Anyway I am out visiting friends possibly you if you are reading this for a final farewell before I leave for Europe. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Manhattan/blog-236824.html Obfuscator writes We woke up at an approximately normal time but since we knew we weren't going to be able to meet up with our cousin and aunt until the afternoon we hung out in the motel for a while. Luckily our motel had a late checkout time so we were able to stay there uploading things to the blog until checkout. The strong wireless connection mentioned by Onaxthiel came in handy at this http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Wichita/blog-236342.html Posted by Onaxthiel I again found myself up before Obfuscator and D. this morning. I let them sleep for another few few hours before deciding that If we wanted to see anything in Manhattan KS we needed to get moving. Luckily they both woke up easily and we were able to drive out to the state nature preserve that D. uses to stay conditioned for running marathons. By reputation Kansas is su http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Manhattan/blog-236325.html Posted by Onaxthiel I've always had a hard time sleeping late. When I was very young this meant past three or four in the morning. In college that meant more like eight or nine even when I would stay up until the wee hours partying. In my postarmy months this has meant past sunrise. On this morning having stayed out rather late to explore all the night spots of a small Kansas city still http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Wichita/blog-235749.html Obfuscator writes We woke up to a lot of frost in on our gear. This didn't really surprise me much since by the time I had gone to bed the previous night a fine layer of condensation had already settled on all my stuff. Frost is always a big nuisance since it makes your stuff just damp enough that you have to dry them to avoid well general unpleasantness.I think I failed to mention in the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Manhattan/blog-235566.html I traveled to Leavenworth KS to meet an old friend with whom I served in Vietnam in 1965. Tom is a retired LTC and lives for golf. His wonderful wife also plays golf. We talked for hours then went to dinner. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/Leavenworth/blog-223460.html