Wherever you go, there you are

I tend to travel a fair amount. Not only have I been to all 105 Kansas counties (most of them many, many times), but I’m also racking up a respectable list of other states, countries and continents.

As I travel, I often seem to run into bits of home. First there was the Keeper of the Plains statue that I was surprised to run across in Cancun, Mexico (one of Wichita’s Sister Cities). Then there’s the rock from John Brown’s Osawatomie cabin set in the wall of the Tribune building in downtown Chicago. Then I noticed the name of the Garden of Eden’s builder, S.P. Dinsmoor, reverently spelled out in mosaic on the wall of an outsider artist’s studio in Philadelphia.

Maybe instead of there being “no place like home”… every place is like home. And that’s not so bad.

- Michael

Halfway between Paradise and the Garden of Eden

There’s nothing better than a summer day in Luray, Kansas—my new favorite
vacation spot.

“Where’s that?”

It’s halfway between the small town of Paradise and the Garden of Eden.

While many don’t immediately think of a super small town in Kansas as their ideal vacation destination (I can walk from one end of the city limit to the other without breaking a sweat), I enjoy the complete feeling of freedom. I enjoy walking out of the house without keys or a purse and taking a stroll down main street and having a slice of homemade pie. There’s not a fast food restaurant in sight, but plenty of homemade cooking. My favorite things to do are reading on the porch—saying hello to friendly neighbors as they walk by, taking a peaceful bike ride all across town or spending the day watching wildlife and hiking at Wilson Lake. It’s a world to myself. Only friendly faces and relaxing paces for miles. And, of course, the Kansas sunset can’t be beat.

- Sara

A Kansas slide show

Click here to see a few of my Kansas photos in a slide show. Some scenes you might expect – others might surprise you!

- Michael

Feasting on Asphalt with Alton Brown

I don’t know how many of you watched Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt series on the Food Network but I really enjoyed the episode where he traveled through Kansas. His stop in Florence for the cake sale at the Spring Fling and the segment on the Harvey House Museum were great but I especially liked something else. As he and his buddies were riding out of Kansas and into Colorado, they made a point of stopping and showing how much better the roads were on the Kansas side. I think that goes for all of our surrounding states. You don’t fully appreciate Kansas roads until you cross that state line!

Here’s Alton in Florence, Kansas:

- Michael

flickr Kansas

Flickr is the most popular photo sharing website in the world. It’s also an online community that connects anyone to any place in the world. I did a quick search to see how many Kansas photos are being shared with the world. The search engine turned up 212,899 photos (and growing every second). Of course, many of the photos are posted by Kanans, but it’s fun to see what out-of-staters and foreign visitors see and shoot in Kansas. You can see all 212,899 flickr photos here.

Like to see some flickr Flint Hills photos? Go here.

I’m also a avid flickr-ite, and I post many photos from Kansas at blamfoto. My favorite category of Kansas photos is called “yonder.” You know, the stuff that’s over there or out there or over yonder. Check out my Yonder photos here.

-doug