Our time in Kansas was brief but eventful. Would you believe we visited a space center, saved a kittens life, stood on the east/west dividing line, and finally got out of Dodge? Yes, we did. We did that and more!

Our trip through Kansas started with visiting family in Lawrence. Together we had a great day of fun at the World’s of Fun amusement park outside Kansas City. This is where Ryan got his shot at driving and both boys took on every roller coaster in the park. Collin was especially excited about this and didn’t miss a coaster no matter how intimidating!

The next day we got to visit the family (Davis) farm in Kansas and that’s where the kitten comes in. The nearly newborn was abandoned by her mom and found in the grass by the dog. That wasn’t going to end well except that we were there to save it. None of the kids wanted to leave without calling the kitten their own but we found a home for it just down the road.

The big surprise to me was the Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center in Hutchinson, KS. Wow! Really… a Space Center… in Kansas?? This place was truly impressive. The programs were first-rate. The facility seemed endless. The history and authentic artifacts on display were incredible. This photo shows Dawnie and the boys with the original command module from the Apollo 13 mission! This was just one of many impressive items on display.

From the Space Center, we continued west and found our way to Dodge City, KS. What a fun and educational place to visit. We snapped this photo of the boys and Dawnie with the statue of Wyatt Earp in Old Dodge City. This statue is positioned across from the old train depot in town but more notably exactly on the 100th meridian, considered in the US to be the dividing line between the relatively arid west and the more humid eastern US. We checked our GPS and sure enough, it was exactly at 100° longitude!

In Old Dodge City we also found this statue of a longhorn steer. Titled “El Capitan” this statue recognizes the Texas longhorn steer and the significant role they played in the town’s history. In the late 1800s steer were lead into Dodge City on a new route known as the Great Western Cattle Trail or Western Trail.  Dodge City became a boomtown, with thousands of cattle passing annually through its stockyards. Over four million head were driven up the trail to the Santa Fe railhead in Dodge City.

Kansas really had a lot to offer. More than many people might have guessed, myself included.