Celebrating Kansas & All 50 States!

Hello from Colorado! AGP and I have had an amazing time making tracks across this beautiful country of ours, although working from a tablet with only WiFi connections has made it admittedly harder to post from the road. But don't worry, I have been taking a TON of pictures. And you can always follow my Instagram or Twitter for daily updates on my location and adventures.

Its been only a week since we left Vermont and we have covered a lot of miles! From Albany to Buffalo through snow, wind, and dirty windshields, and then on through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri until, finally, Kansas! 

We took a day hike through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio (which you may remember reading about here) to the frozen Brandywine Falls - and even though the bridge was out, we were able to complete a short loop through the snow.

We also enjoyed the more touristy side of things like checking out the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, which is pretty damn impressive in person!

But why is Kansas so special? Because it means that I have officially been to every state in the Union! That is a pretty big deal for a girl who has pretty much devoted her young adult like to driving around the country to see all there is to see.

Congratulations to me!

And as for Kansas, it was everything I could have hoped for and more. Awesome, expansive, vacant, and with a sky so big it only really hits you until the eighth straight hour you've been driving through it. We hiked in the last remaining Tallgrass Prairie in the United States, drove through a million miles of rural ranch and farm roads, and made eyes at pretty spectacular geologic formations - yes, they have those in Kansas too!

Yesterday we finally landed in Golden, Colorado to spend some quality time with Kyla and Ben, our friends who have recently moved here. Aside from the Rocky Mountains rearing up and smacking us in the face, the best thing about being here is that it is 50 degrees outside!!! A wonderful reprieve from the near-Arctic conditions we have so far endured. Our spirits climb higher and higher with each mile westward we eat up, and as nice as it is to take a few days off from traveling, I am excited to get back on the road!

Winter Road Trip Ideas: Vermont to Kansas

Since I finally completed me and Nessa's travelogue to California, it's the perfect time to start planning another trip! In just a short month, AGP and I will be embarking on an ultra cool winter road trip from Vermont to California! We are going to do like snow birds do and head off to watch the cactus bloom while the rest of Vermont waits under a blanket of snow for mud season.

To compile a list of winter road trip ideas, I started with a quick search of roadside attractions on the way to Denver if we drove that interminable Interstate 70 people always complain about. You know, in all my time zooming back and forth across the country, I actually have never been on I-70. Oh, happy day! Right? I'm pretty pumped to drive through Kansas.

I used Roadtrippers.com to search for interesting places to take breaks along the way, so if you want to read more, click on the picture and it will take you back to the site. Don't worry, I'm trying hard to keep in mind that we will be traveling through the dark of winter. *Shivers*

Here are my favorite winter road trip ideas so far, in geographical order:

Cuyahoga National Park - Brandywine Falls: Sagamore Hills Township, Ohio

Geology, National Parks, and waterfalls, all in one. The step-like formation of these falls are made of sandstone, which was used to make many of the canals that crisscross the park. I looked up some pictures of the waterfall in the winter and it seems like it will still be worth a visit even when frozen. Plus, it's only a short walk from the parking lot so it will probably be a good place to stretch our legs. Besides, I long to cross this National Park off my list!

Statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger: Columbus, Ohio

I put this on the list mainly for Nessa, who is an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan! I would definitely consider a pit stop just to snap a picture for her (maybe hang from his guns?), but it would also be a perfect time to take a break from motorway grub and Waffle Houses and grab a substantial bite to eat and of course some of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.

Kaskaskia Dragon: Vandalia, Illinois

If you get a token from the nearby hardware store, then this dragon will breath fire for you. How cool is that?

Giant Concrete Teepee: Lawrence, Kansas

I would consider this a worthy roadside attraction and a great place to (probably) grab some gas, snacks, and coffee, not to mention the photo op. If I am going to budget in time for silly roadside attractions, then this has to make the list, right??

Konza Prairie: Manhattan, Kansas

The Konza Prairie is the nation's largest unplowed tract of tall grass prairie. As an admirer of the prairie and overall eco-nerd, that alone is enough to make it high on my "Must See" list. The majority of the reserve isn't open to the public year round, but there a few loop trails that can hopefully afford a glimpse of the 300 strong bison herd that live there.

Mushroom Rock State Park: Carneiro, Kansas

Yep, another geo-nerd location here. Give me some interesting rock formations and I'm your girl. I envision this stop as a way to take a break from the highway a bit, snap a couple of awesome photos, and stretch our legs for a bit. These toadstools were formed by nonuniform weathering, as the "cap" of the formation is a more durable material than the "stem". This somewhat nearby park also has some interesting rock formations too.

High Plains Museum: Goodland, Kansas

What better way to get a better understanding of prairie life than to visit a museum! This one interests me because it's free and features exhibits on life in the high plains region of the country - which has the lowest population density in the continental United States! 

Does anyone have any other winter road trip ideas in the area? My goal is to do a little live blogging and updating while we are away. From instagram-ing cheesy roadside attractions to carefully documenting National Monuments and campgrounds along the way, I hope to take everyone on our adventure cross country!

Ready, Set, Tulsa! > Photo-an-Hour

Nessa and I chronicled our epic 25-hour non-stop road trip from Vermont to our first destination in Tulsa, Oklahoma by taking a photo every hour... some are pathetic attempts to snap a shot from inside a moving vehicle, others are actually kind of cool. Please kindly mind the delirium. Onward!

1pm EST, Vermont > A rainy start to the trip.

2pm EST, New York > Glamorous, blurry, overcast fields.

3pm EST, New York > 151 miles down, 1,300 miles to go!

4pm EST, New York > More rain.

5pm EST, New York > Kale chips!!!

6pm EST, New York > To read or to stare out the window?

7pm EST, New York > Then the sun begins to set on us.

8pm EST, Pennsylvania > And the pretty lights come out to play.

9pm EST, Ohio > Time for coffee.

10pm EST, Ohio > Things will start to get weird.

10pm EST, Ohio > Construction zone in the distance or the depths of hell?

11pm EST, Ohio > Refuel.

12am EST, Ohio > The lights all began to melt.

1am EST, Indiana > Lost in highway hypnosis.

2am EST, Indiana > A very hasty packing job.

3am EST, Indiana > Still got my hands on the wheel.

4am EST, Indiana > Let go of the focus and blur out all the line.

4am CST, Illinois > 4am... again.

5am CST, Illinois > Stay focused, Zy.

6am CST, Missouri > Finally! A sign that points to Tulsa!

7am CST, Missouri > The long awaited glimpse of sun.

8am CST, Missouri > The sunrise chased us for a loooong time.

9am CST, Missouri > You know we stopped at Waffle House.

10am CST, Missouri > Ozark descent.

11am CST, Missouri > I'm about all out of captions... and energy.

12pm CST, Oklahoma! > So close I can taste it.

1pm CST, Oklahoma > Blue Dome District, Tulsa!