June 23, 2007
The first thing one notices traveling through Kansas if one really looks with eyes wide open is that Kansas bills itself as BIG.
The biggest this. The biggest that. The world’s largest. The world’s only. It does not matter what it is; everything is BIG in Kansas.
We set out to cross Kansas this summer for the umpteenth time en route to a vacation destination that was not Kansas. Rarely have we stopped for anything other than gas and food. This time was different. We made a conscious decision to actually “see” Kansas.
For those of you from Missouri, please forgive me for such a breach of loyalty.
Please understand this decision did not come easily for we diehard Missourians who have engaged in a lifetime competitive “border warfare” with sports fans from the State of Kansas. For those who do not live in these parts, just know the Missouri-Kansas rivalry is a way of life not a frivolity, especially if one lives near the state line.
So, deciding to really “see” Kansas was a bit of a stretch.
In case you do not want to see “big” things in Kansas and just pass through it, good luck. It is difficult to escape the idea of BIG in Kansas. The official state map says there are “big things waiting for you in Kansas.” The new Kansas logo touts their new slogan “as big as you think.”
From Kansas City westbound on Interstate 70, it does not take long before big things begin to attract the traveler’s eye.
Signs for museums and zoos dot the landscape from border to border in the State of Kansas. Big and plenty of them!
As one travels the interstate, there are numerous opportunities to veer off on state roads to see more “big” sites such those highlighting the state’s agricultural roots.
One can turn toward Goessel and see the Mennonite Heritage Museum where the early Mennonite farmers introduced “big” wheat to Kansas.
In McLouth, one can visit the Heart of America Threshing Bee, the largest of course.
Near Colby and Goodland, in late summer one can see millions of sunflowers, the most anywhere in the world, according to the brochures. We have seen them, but not on this trip as it is not their peak time yet.
And nowhere in the world, is there more wheat than in this land of plenty, Kansas. The harvest is a bit late this year due to winter and spring weather effects, but soon, probably by early July, the gigantic harvest will be well under way.
A scenic byway takes travelers to Post Rock Country, 100 “amazing” miles. This three-county area features 4,000 square miles of stone fence posts chiseled and drilled by hand by early settlers. These fence posts are called “post rocks”, not “rock posts”, by the way. Find them by exiting I-70 anywhere between Salina and Hays and accessing Highway 232, a Kansas Byway.
While in Goodland, take a look at the 80-ft. tall replica of the famed Vincent Van Gogh painting “Sunflowers.” It is the biggest painting of Van Gogh’s sunflower you will ever see, just like the promos say.
Toward the southeast and south-central areas of the state, one can see the annual ritual of pasture burning in the Flint Hills, an amazing and “big” visual event, unreplicated anywhere.
Drop down on U.S. 50 Highway to visit Dodge City, and one can see from a scenic overlook the largest cattle feedlots anywhere we are told, many with 20,000 or more head in a feedlot. In fact, Kansas Tourism says there are more cattle and horses in Kansas than people!
Large crop circles dot the horizon and were most definitely not caused by space aliens in case you were wondering. Farmers created these green circles by irrigating with a circular sprayer, huge equipment by anyone’s standards.
The world’s largest producer of elderberry wine is located in Mulvane.
The world’s largest hand-dug well is in Greensburg. The 109-foot-deep well was dug in 1887 and is 32-feet wide.
Most travelers through the Sunflower State are aware of the world’s largest ball of sisal twine, weighing in at 9 tons with a circumference of 40 feet. It is located in Cawker City.
Salina has the world’s largest grain elevator.
The largest prairie dog in the world is supposed to be in a zoo near Oakley, but we did not stop.
We did, however, make a rest stop to see big things in Colby. Our favorite was the biggest barn in Kansas, The Cooper Barn. It sits next door to the quite unique and Smithsonian-quality museum, The Prairie Museum that houses a “massive” collection of antique dolls. Twisters Bar is located in Colby, too, if the tired, parched traveler wants “big” refreshments.
Last but not least, the biggest and best plates of fried chicken anywhere are said to be located in Pittsburg, Kansas. There’s a big culinary feud in this town between “Chicken Mary’s” restaurant and “Chicken Annie’s.” You can’t miss the chicken-themed road signs along the way. We have only tried one so far, so I cannot tell you which is best. The jury is still out on this one.
There you have it straight from a “Show-Me” Missourian, the skinny on “big” things in Kansas.
Been there, done that.
