No Toto, But Great Museum!

It's Monday Columbus Day, Toto still eludes us and now the Tin Man will rust away in some field. And, there are many, many fields in KS.

This was a day of firsts for us. It was the day of extended driving in the rain and we had lunch at a Sonic! Our first choice was a local original drive-in restaurant that could accommodate about 25 cars. We passed the drive-in while driving to the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

Quilts of Valor

Unfortunately, when we return at 2:30, they had closed for the day. The Sonic was across the intersection from the old time drive-in, so it became our second option. The food at Sonic was better than we expected. The rain began when we arrived at the Museum and continued until about 4 o'clock. This was the first time we drove in the rain, since we left on this trip. Not bad for beginners!

Tuesday began with a visit to the Kansas Museum of History located in Topeka. This is a definite MUST SEE! The staff was very friendly and enthusiastic about the Museum and extremely knowledgeable about the exhibits. A section of the museum is dedicated to special exhibits that change about every six months. By the luck of the draw, the current exhibit is about the various Kansas race tracks and drivers – The Need for Speed. Who remembers that the first NHRA Nationals was held in Great Bend KS in 1955? Paul – a trivia question for the Dominators! The exhibit covered drag racing as well as short tracks, midgets, NASCAR, and stock cars. Quite the display!. Leaving this area, you progress through exhibits depicting various time periods in KS history. The display cases were informative and interesting. Many antique weapons (including a Gatling gun), both military uniforms and NA implements and dress were displayed. This was a spectacular building and even more impressive is that it was built in 1984 using public funds.

Our last stop in KS was at the Moon Marble Company. Not the stone – marble, but rather glass marbles. This is one of the last US based companies that produces hand-made glass marbles! And, no, we haven't lost our marbles but maybe that's up for debate.

George and Nancy - on to MO