Along the route, we passed the Rifle and Bible Church, and the world's largest prairie dog. It was here that I truly got the sense that we were in a different part of America.
Yes, the scenes were repetitive, but they were also pastoral, and I thoroughly enjoyed the 5+ hours it took to drive across the state. Here, you can just set the car on cruise control and soak in the beautiful rolling hills. You also see plenty of these (below) in the Sunflower State.
We made two quick stops in Kansas. The first was Wamego, Kansas, home to the Oz Museum and Toto's Tacos. Wamego had about a three block main street that resembles the classic image of Main Street America (not the Disney version). Here, people seemed so removed from the hustle and bustle of the northeast, and life is much different than what many of us are used to. Life is much slower here, and there are no cities or agglomeration economies to speak of. I'm sure Wamego residents care very little about bank bailouts and high speed rail investments, but they do care about agricultural grants and subsidies. Traveling through all these states makes you appreciate all the different views and concerns of Americans across the country.
Continuing on, I diverted off I-70 in Abilene to visit the Eisenhower Center. We didn't have time to go to the museum, but I was able to get a look inside the house where Ike grew up.
Unlike many other "historical" houses, all of the furniture used to be the Eisenhower's collection until Dwight's mother passed away and the house was taken over by the Eisenhower Foundation. Therefore, everything in the house is exactly how it was when Eisenhower was growing up. As you can see, it was a very modest home, for the World War II general and 34th President of the United States.
Ike ate on this table!
Moving on, the terrain didn't change until well over the Colorado state line, when we finally began to see some hills and mountains in the distance.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a skyline view of Denver, but perhaps it is because the city does not have a very distinct center city. While Denver was a frontier city, it has really only begun to develop in the last 50 years, resulting in a very sprawling metropolitan area. In many areas, such as Washington Park, Denver reminded me of West Hartford/Hartford, Connecticut. The neighborhoods are very walkable and little strips of retail and dining are mixed in with residential blocks.
Colorado State Capitol
Last night, Mike and I attended the Rockies-Brewers game at Coors Field. While I had intended on going to games in almost every city along the way, Denver was the first city where I actually did so. Coors is constantly rated as one of the best ballparks in baseball, and it certainly is.
The ballpark seems to be located in a area of redevelopment in the city - there were many old warehouses and fatories that have been turned into lofts, along with new construction (as a result of the ballpark's opening). The ballpark village reminded me a lot of the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia, except closer to the heart of the city.
The views around the stadium are great, and the concourses are very wide and spacious. Of course, there are also a lot of Coors around the stadium. The BBQ Chicken I had from the Blue Moon Smokehouse were suprisingly tasty for ballpark food, and prices weren't too outrageous.
Of course, there's also Dinger the Dino, one of my favorite mascots/colleagues out there these days. He's just one silly goose!
Overall, another fun and interesting day rocking across America - catch you all from Salt Lake City tonight.
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