Kansas!

We made it to Kansas! It felt like a big goal to drive over 1,000 miles in three days, but it happened without too much stress. We didn't get an early start on any of the days, and ended up pulling into the campgrounds just before sunset each night. We had general goals of where to get to each night, but we shifted these a bit, based on weather, which was not great. We joked about "following the brown signs" since we have stayed at state parks every single night. The first night we got a late start from Pittsburgh and even managed a last minute visit to M's parents on our way out of town. Not on the way at all, but it still worked out. We made it across Ohio and stayed at Hueston Woods State Park. The second night, we made it to Saint Louis and stayed in Cuivre River State Park. And then finally on Sunday, we pulled into Kanopolis State Park in Kansas, where we stayed for 3 nights, so M could work and we could rest a little bit. Just as we arrived, another homeschooling family pulled into our loop! They were traveling east, so it was fun to have playmates and someone to talk about curriculum and schedules. On Wednesday, they headed east and we moved over to Lake Scott State Park, still in Kansas, with a pit stop in Hays to do laundry and buy some beer from Defiance Brewery. 

State parks are definitely our preference. Being able to hike and run directly from the campsite is very convenient. It did require driving 20-30 miles off the interstate, which obviously adds miles and time, but state parks are pretty cheap to stay in, even if you get hookups (and super cheap if you don't). This time of year is great for birding and looking at wildflowers. Since it's before Memorial Day, sites were easy to come by. We gambled a bit with cell service, which is important for M to be able to work, but it was ok at each place. 

Kansas is beautiful....mostly flat, but with interesting canyons. It's very empty of people and sprawl. When driving we passed a lot of corn and wheat fields, cattle grazing, wind turbines and oil wells. I have never spent time in Kansas, so I really wanted to come here and check it out. The kids are unimpressed with the scenery when we're driving, but did like to hike in the state parks. Lake Scott has the northernmost pueblo ruin ever discovered and that, along with the 1890s homestead they have preserved here, helped us to answer our big question, "Who lived here before now?" The question always leads us to wonder why they came, what they did and why they don't live there anymore. Peeling back the layers of history is always a little complicated.

Having rested in Kansas, we're about ready to take off on another big drive weekend, going through Colorado to get into Utah, where we will hang out next week.