Travel: Spring Break April 2007 - Kansas!

Thursday April 19

Arrived in Kansas City on a red-eye AA flight from LAX via Dallas-Fort Worth. Got a rental car from Enterprise. It was a Kia Spectra. Had breakfast at McDonalds.

Specifically ...
McDonald's at 1515 S 169 HWY, SMITHVILLE, MO 64089
A Drive-Thru and a Playland or PlayPlace Exists on the Site

Had second breakfast at Waffle House (I'm a hobbit at heart!) located at ...
6840 EAST FRONT ST.
KANSAS CITY MO 64120

I then drove to the Truman Museum!



The photo of Truman with the Dewey Wins newspaper is probably the most iconic image of his presidency.

Below is a replica of the Oval Office under Truman.



You got to give Truman a lot of credit for raising to the occasion. He became FDR's Veep in 1944 but was kept out of the loop on pretty much everything. I think I read on one of the displays that he had only talked to FDR twice as VP before he got the phone call telling him he was POTUS. He made the big decisions like using the atomic bombs to end World War II, opting not to fight the communist Chinese in that civil war, fighting for the South Koreans in that situation, sending aid to the Greeks and Turkish as the fought communism, agreeing to the Marshall Plan to help Europe get back on its feet and implementing NATO the the doctrine of containment against communism.

After the library, I hit the road and went into Kansas City to see the National World War I Museum.

Here is the famous tower that marks the locale.



There is a walkway that takes you into the exhibit area. This section is to commemorate the "Flanders Field" poem.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The museum helped shed some light on World War I which is not very familiar to me. The first thing that struck me was the brutal conditions of trench warfare. Some of the displays are devoted to explaining what it was and to show the difficulties involved. Quite sad was the part of the exhibits explaining how the war started. It seemed that everyone "backed into" the war because of treaty obligations that got invoked when one assassination occurred. Lastly, and understandably, there was a significant part of the museum dedicated to America's entry into the war in 1917. The fresh infusion of US forces helped bring the long war to a close.

After touring the interior exhibits, I went to the elevator to the top of the tower and the two exhibit halls that flank the tower on the upper plaza.

I then drove northwest away from downtown Kansas City to visit the Cabelas sporting goods store!









For those who don't know. Cabelas is a superstore (it is really huge - think Costco sized) for sporting goods! This particular store boasts the largest collection of mule deer on display!

For dinner, had a sandwhich at Bichelmeyer's Steak House ...

427 E. 4th Street
Tonganoxie, Kansas 66086

Friday April 20

Good morning Tonganoxie!



One of Kari and Brent's faithful watch dogs is in the bottom of the image.



Here is one of their faithful watch cats on the job.

My first tourist stop was Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site.



"Separate but equal" in public education came to an end with the Brown v Board of Education decision. The multi-media displays that chronicle the history of that decision as well as race relations in America are informative and moving and take about an hour to go through.

I then went to see the state capitol building.





In the capitol there is the John Brown mural. He was an ardent abolitionist who was a major player in the Bleeding Kansas episode before statehood when there was a struggle within the state over slavery.



There was an endless supply of school children touring the capitol building. I heard one of the groups was going to try to see the Governor as she was in the building. The legislature was in town but when I visited they weren't in session.

I think the photo below is of the State Senate chamber.



My next stop was the Eisenhower Museum.

The Place of Meditation is where Eisenhower and his wife are buried.



The home he grew up in has been restored. The Eisenhower's raised six sons in this home!



The famed general who lead the Allied Armies to liberate Europe in World War II became president and guided America to economic expansion, preserving the peace during the Cold War, the beginnings of the Civil Rights era and initiated the Interstate highway project.



I spent the night visiting and staying over with friends Christin and Mike and their little one and their little one on the way in McPherson.

Saturday April 21





For the morning, we went to Lindsborg and had breakfast at Swedish Country Inn.
112 W Lincoln St
Lindsborg, KS 67456
(785) 227-2985



Aside from highlighting its Swedish immigrant past, Lindsborg is also known for the World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov's International School of Chess.



I did some gallery and knick-knack shop browsing in Lindsborg's main street before heading off to see the Bison.
Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center
2660 E. Hobbs Creek Road
Assaria KS 67416
785-667-2707

No travelogue of Kansas would complete without some scenes from the wide open spaces of rural Kansas.







For the evening, I met up with Kari and her KSU fan friends Janet and Jeanne at the Kansas State spring game.





After the game, we had dinner at Hibachi Hut.
608 N 12th
Manhattan, KS 66502
785-539-9393

Sunday April 22

Went to church at Tonganoxie Christian Church and had lunch at the La Mesa in Lansing ...
710 North Main
Lansing, KS 66043
913-727-3309

It was a windy afternoon and the right pace for a viewing of this classic film.

I got to the airport and found the flight delayed. Arrived in Dallas-Fort Worth and had to sprint to the tram for a ride to another terminal building and then a sprint to the gate and was the 2nd to last person for the connecting flight. Got to LAX and filed for delivery of my luggage to my home as the baggage didn't make the connect. Rode the Blue Van Super Shuttle home and so ends my spring break.

Thank you Kansas friends for a wonderful time in the heartland of America!