Let’s just get it out of the way: “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
This classic line from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is what non-Kansans say when the state comes up in conversation. The other thing they say when they learn you are going to Kansas is “are you from Kansas?” Nope. It’s the next state on my list. I hope they let in outsiders like me. Actually, it was surprisingly hard to plan the visit, probably because I didn’t know much about Kansas aside from Dorothy and her dog. When is the right time to visit? Is it crazy to make the trip from the DC area by car with the dog (who does not drive) or should I fly? Why are flights so expensive? Should I listen to a CD of In Cold Blood (happened in Kansas) on the trip or will it freak me out so much that I become paranoid about every hotel stay?
Ultimately, I got enough time off work to pair the trip to Kansas with a week-long stop in Iowa for some free writing, so the car and the dog made sense, and the trip happened in July. What I enjoyed there was mostly a surprise to me, as the lesser known states generally are. I encountered no tornadoes, but really hot weather. As usual, I wish I had more time. I would have gone to a ranch or a rodeo or spent more time in Kansas City. But it was the right move to leave Truman Capote behind. Nobody needs that kind of juju when you are driving the Kansas highways with a dog who thinks all strangers are friends.