It was early February when I packed my bags to take a road trip to Kansas. Little did I know that this would be a one way trip, and go much farther than I expected. A friend of mine named Sarah called it, "I want a hug, cause we never know when you will actually come back." She must have known something I did not at the time.
I hit the road and made it to Independence, Kansas two days later. What a town it is. Yes, a cool town in Kansas, it exists. Ask the locals and they will sound like any other small town folk and say there is nothing to do there. However, they seem to have wool over their eyes. Independence has hands down, one of the coolest parks I have seen. It has a walk around zoo open to the public, in their park, for free. Whats not awesome about an island filled with monkeys, and one that seems to be more cranky than the others? There are peacocks that walk around uncaged, various birds, llamas, emus, wild pigs and buffalo. This park also has an outdoor amphitheater for shows, tons of picnic area and the largest playground I have seen outside of metropolitan areas. The only thing they were missing was a lake... oh wait, couple miles down the road, they got one. With some of the few hills in the state surrounding it. They have a water park and tennis courts all open to the public as well. My biggest recommendation about this town, bring your own woman, because I do not recall seeing any pretty ones.
Next town on my list was Hutchinson, Kansas. Much larger than Independence, it houses one of the best Rocket/Space Museums in the nation. Pairing it with one of the oldest IMax theaters, you could spend all day in this place and enjoy every minute if you enjoy history. You can stand in front of moon rocks, WW2 V-1 & 2 rockets (only 5 pairs in existence in the world) and the Apollo 13 Space Capsule. If you find yourself thinking Kansas is nothing but wheat and boring views, I encourage to check this town out. The Cosmosphere is hands down, one of the best things to see in the state. Afterwards, one of the best bar and diners is a few blocks down. Carl's Bar and Delicatessen, on Main St. has the best atmosphere and food in town. Carl's is a good place to start a night on the town after a show at the historical Fox Theater.
The last stop in this state was Coffeyville. A small, run down, semi deserted partial ghost town. So why would you stop here? Simple. History. This town has an awesome Old West past. The year was 1890, there was no law in the land for those with more guns and men. The Dalton Gang rode into town with big ambitions to rob two banks at the same time. Lass than ten minutes went by and they were out the door of both buildings with the town folks' money. This did not sit well when word spread that there was a robbery in progress. The town took arms and started a bloody gun battle with the robbers that lasted almost 20 minutes and killed 4 of the 5 robbers, 4 horses, a sheriff and 3 locals. One of the banks is still standing, with the original interior from the robbery. There is a walking trail that follows the paths of the gun fight, marking where victims and robbers were killed. The original jail is still there and for 50 cents, will give you a history lesson and show. Well worth the stop is you find your self in the area near the Oklahoma boarder. There is also a pool hall, which was the only sign of life I saw in town and they happened to be closed since it was Sunday.
So if you think that a state anywhere is flat, boring or has nothing to do... you should broaden your horizons and look deeper ion the town before you write it off. Keep in mind though, some towns are boring, dull and totally suck... but I find the good ones. Next entry, Oklahoma and Texas.
