Kansas City and points west

John, in 3 layers of clothing (and gloves)!!

Sunday (Nov 2nd) was the time change back to Standard time, so it's getting darker earlier now (not playing in our favour as we head west and change time zones to earlier... hard to get in the 2nd kitty walk of the day before dark!).  We have developed a system for stressless kitty walks... we head to schools on weekends, and to churches during the week - both of which usually have large grassy spaces (for Tawny) and bushes and trees on the perimeter (for Sammy).  In Kansas City, we needed those spaces as the RV park was very busy and there was no place for the kitties to walk (that wasn't under someone's trailer or truck).  The school next door was awesome, but Saturday it was non-stop cars coming and going due to back-to-back basketball games going on in the gym.  We kept the kitties at the far end of the field that day.  Sunday, on the other hand, there wasn't a car to be found in the parking lot and the kitties explored for over 90 minutes.  It was very chilly! (though no frost that day, thankfully).

We went back to the trailer and made hot tea to warm up, had showers and a hot lunch then headed back to the school with the cats for another hour of walks.  They really explored that place from one end to the other, and enjoyed the squirrels and birds in the bushes.  We never did see that little fox again after the very first day, but we were careful to not let Tawny go into hollow logs and tree holes, etc. She likes to explore those kinds of things... but not where we've seen a fox...

Double-decker sleeping arrangements

By the time we got the cats back to the trailer after the 2nd walk, they were tuckered right out, which was the plan.  They both crashed immediately and we were free to spend the afternoon with Kathy and Darrin.  They picked us up about 2 in the afternoon and we headed into Kansas City to go to 2 museums - the American Jazz Museum, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.  The former was very hands on and interactive - I mixed my own jazz song, balancing all the instruments in the orchestra... cool.  There were youths practicing in the "Blue Room" which is a famous jazz bar dating back to the 1920's, which is now part of the Jazz Museum.  Many greats including Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington played the Blue Room.   The latter museum was absolutely amazing and, unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to get through it all before it closed.  There is a lot of history there - and interesting photos and articles on the success of the black baseball league from the 1920's to the late 1940's when the (slow!) integration of blacks began into the all-white major leagues, starting with Jackie Robinson, then Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.  We could have spent the whole day in that museum...

Darrin, Kathy, Dawn (L-R)

We got back to the trailer and realized we hadn't taken any pictures of Kathy and Darrin and their family on Saturday night, so we attempted some pictures in the trailer, but unfortunately, they didn't turn out very well... I'm so bummed.  But we did have a nice visit with Kathy & Darrin, and loved seeing their new home in Kansas, and getting to know them better.  We hope to see them again soon - in Kansas, Denver, Chicago or Calgary!!

Darrin, Kathy, John (L-R)

A fuzzy shot of  Kathy and I... the best we got.

Sam trying to climb the fence to get away from the wind,
and Tawny with her fur blowing every which direction.

Monday morning (Nov 3rd), the school next door was of course a zoo with buses everywhere, so we put the cats in the truck and tried to find a church. Unfortunately, the ones we found did not have a lot of grounds - mostly large parking lots - so we headed to Shawnee Historical Village and found a large playground and green space near the Visitor Centre.  It was so WINDY that the cats stuck pretty close to the fences, though we did have fun in the playground... even John got in on the action...

John, trying to figure out the musical keyboard under the slide

We drove straight through from Kansas City to Assaria, KS (near Salina) in the middle of the state, and it was blustery and cold, with intermittent rain the whole drive.  We got set up at Lakeside Resort in Assaria and took the cats out, but it was still drizzling and Sam immediately sat under a picnic bench to survey the scene.  We did get them out and walking down the road where Tawny caught a grasshopper (I'm thinking that's going to be her last one of the season... he was barely moving anyway from being near frozen).


Tuesday morning (Nov 4th) we were out bright and early and there was no rain, no frost, no wind... it was heavenly.  The cats opted to go the other direction from yesterday and they explored the large water slide that goes from the top of the hill down towards the lake.  They pretty well walked it from one end to the other, so you could say they "did" the water slide...





This is a really pretty lake, with sandy beaches and boat docks, volleyball nets and of course the incredible water slide.  I imagine this place is packed out in the summer, but we are the only ones here this week...

Today we head out west again - and we will pass (south of) the "geographic centre" of the lower 48 states.  We are still in the "east" and "south" but by tonight we will be back in the "west" and tomorrow we will have crossed back into the "north".  We're on our way home...