Day three was not to be that exciting. It was my - get from Missouri to Colorado day. On the agenda, a drive through Kansas prairie land and a quick clip of Nebraska so I could put it on my list of states visited.

I started out at sunrise from Lexana, Kansas and got a sky show on my drive across the rolling hills of Kansas. The sunrise was awesome, with many little puffy clouds to shade the land in dramatic fashion. As I was driving along the freeway, I found some cattle hanging out close to the road. So I snapped some pictures, although this fella looked a little irritated by the interruption.

No Bull (Emporia, KS)

Now, when I mention Kansas, what do you think of?

Flat land? Tornados?

Well, I was pleasantly surprised by my drive down to Emporia, Kansas. The area is full of rolling hills and beautiful green grasses. While it isn't Colorado or Newfoundland, it does have its own special character. The Flint Hills region and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve are a nice side-trip and state road 177 features some nice high points (one of which is not the picture you see below).

Is this flat enough for ya? (Highway 177, KS)

As you can see, the rain experienced on day two was gone.

I passed over I-70 and headed to Manhattan, the home of Kansas State University. While in town I decided to find the nearest Wal-Mart to add to my collection of university sweatshirts. Across from the store was the Manhattan mountain sign. I knew I had to get a picture to capture the moment, but I couldn't find an angle that was free of debris. The best angle I could find was right below it.

Next, I drove to the campus of the Wildcats of Kansas State. It is a lovely campus and the main building is of classic european design.

It Ain't Hollywood (Manhattan, KS)

After Manhattan, I made my way to Abilene, Kansas. My first stop was the visitors center. There I picked up information on Kansas attractions I was interested in - including the Garden of Eden (details to come) and Monument Rocks. I asked if the Eisenhower Center was opened and was given a positive reply.

The center is located right next to old Abilene (which really isn't much). The Eisenhower Center features a prominent statue of the ex-President and General, his library, his home and a chapel for prayer. I think Ike was probably the most interesting President of the 20th Century next to Teddy Roosevelt. I was interesting seeing the contrasting General's uniform and prayer chapel with messages of peace. The library and museum were closed for the weekend. I watched two squirrels get into a playful fight as I was setting up the shot of the homestead.

I Like Ike (Eisenhower Home - Abilene, KS)

As I returned to the highway, my car began to show signs of overheating again. This was truly frustrating, as I had many things I wanted to do in Kansas and I was getting worried about how the car was reacting.

I decided to skip Rock City and Mushroom Rock State Park and moved on to the Garden of Eden.

If you ever go to Kansas, you must visit the Garden of Eden. Mr. Dismore's vision of biblical proportions. The house, built in the late 1880's (when Mr. Dismore was 64), is surrounded by creative sculptures that tell individual stories that relate either to the bible or Mr. Dismore's political beliefs. One of the pieces shows a white man aiming to shoot an indian who is aiming at a wolf who is stalking a bird and so on, and so on. I took lots of pictures of this place and kept as many notes as possible on what each item represented. I included a front house view here, but I get some requests, I will post some of the other pictures of this fascinating place.

Garden of Eden (Lucas, KS)

Oh, by the way. Mr. Dismore is buried in the tower to the left (in the picture). It is an open casket and you are shown what is left of his remains (he is under glass)...FREAKY!

After taking the tour of the house and seeing the gardens, I returned to the highway and made for Wilson Lake State Park and Wilson, Kansas...known as the Czech Capital of Kansas. There was nothing special there, but it sounded interesting.

Because of the overheating car, I decided not to attempt Monument Rock which was way off the road. I figured I would see enough rock formations when I reached Arches National Park in Utah. I also passed up on seeing the world's largest prairie dog in Colby, Kansas. After the monkeypox scare in Wisconsin, it was probably a good idea!

As I drove down through Marshal Dillon's Kansas, I decided to read the Neon owner's manual to find out how to keep the car engine cool. It said, blow the heat out at your feet - full blast. So I did. And it helped. But my feet were chapping from the intense heat as it was already in the upper 70's outside and 120 degrees at my feet.

Welcome to Farmland (Nebraska Border)

My last stop of the day was to drive through the corner of Nebraska. My goal on this trip was to have every state but two conquered at completion, so I needed to find a way to get into Nebraska. So I drove up state road 27 in Kansas and rounded the very corner of Nebraska. While I was only there for about 10 minutes...I did have long enough to set the timer and snap a picture of myself. Proof that I broke ground in the cornhusker state.

After Nebraska, I drove into Colorado. The clouds that were only present during the late afternoon subsided and I chased the sunset to my hotel in Greeley (probably named after that guy that said...well you know what he said). Memorial Day would bring a drive through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and sunrise in Denver.

> Day Four