Just a little road trip

I used to think Kansas was boring until I took a closer look.  If you get off the beaten path, there's plenty to see and do.  We made our first trip to the Flint Hills in 2013.  Even my stay-at-home husband enjoyed it to some extent: It's his policy to never enjoy anything that takes him away from home... and if he does enjoy it, he will be the last one to let you know.  I can't wait until he spends time at the Arlo Guthrie concert we're going to attend in May.  It'll probably be a new all-time low for poor Cliff.  

While our little girl was in Iowa, I wanted to pay my sister in McPherson a visit and decided to roll a couple of "places of interest" into the journey. 

Thanks to the "Visit Kansas" website for this picture.

We had spent a night at Manhattan, Kansas, on the last day of our Flint Hills experience three years ago.  My intention was to get up the next morning and visit the Flint Hills Discovery Center there.  However, we were both awake by six AM and didn't want to kill time until 10 o'clock, when the center opened up; so we went on home.  

On our way to visit my sister this time, we stopped there.  We learned how the area was shaped and changed over countless centuries.  We saw a film that immersed us in "reality" as we watched:  The fires burning on the prairie filled the floor ahead of us with smoke, and flashes of lightning came from above.  When the wind picked up, we felt it.  It was quite an experience!    

We had home-made pita bread, tuna salad and other items I took from home for our lunch; how convenient it was to see a picnic area right across the street as we exited the building at straight-up noon.  

Perfect timing!

We don't picnic much these days, and haven't since we sold the motorcycle.  It was kind of nice to do that again, and it saved us money, too.  

After our first stop, it wasn't long before we left I-70 and headed south.  Next stop, Abilene!