Yankton, SD to Topeka, KS - Week 19

We spent most of this week in the Heartland of the United States, driving from South Dakota through Nebraska to Kansas.  Along the way I saw a few things, like the pro-life signs, anti-Obama billboards, prevalence of trash rock music, and the accompanying style of motorcycle riders that listen to metal.  South Dakota legislature was discussing a bill that would require pregnant women to have a 72 hour waiting period and attend pro-life counseling before getting an abortion.  Kansas was about to become the only state in the nation without any abortion providers.  (This week one Kansas Planned Parenthood center managed to obtain a license under new state regulations that  are being challenged in federal court.)  The Obama billboards called him a Marxist.  And I don't know how one acquires "cool" status in the Heartland, but I think it involves a really loud truck or motorcycle, cigarettes, and a tall boy of Bud Lite.

Other notes regarding the Heartland:  Fireflies!  Temperatures near 100 degrees with high humidity.  Mosquitos.  Swimming pools.  I am tan and dotted with mosquito bites.  We have almost emptied our first tube of sunscreen.  Terrible food.  The options are the supermarket are abominable: no organic anything, super sweet yogurt, lots of pre-packaged food and meat of questionable origin.  I have to stop reading labels and just throw it in the cart.  Great BBQ.  I had brisket for the first time since high school and it was tender and juicy just as I remembered it from all those Jewish holidays I attended, though the Heartland version had more of a vinegar tang than my ex-boyfriend's mother's recipe.

This week began in Yankton, South Dakota, next to the swollen Missouri River.  We visited the dam where workers have opened all turbines, hoping to prevent severe flooding.  The torrent of water over the dam was amazing.  We joined the crowd in the spray, watching the waves jump and crash against each other, then rush downstream over class five rapids until the flow settled down to wind around picnic benches and pull at tree branches.

After almost a week in South Dakota, we headed south through Nebraska toward Kansas.  Everyone I spoke with said to go fast through Nebraska and avoid it altogether if possible.  We ended up spending the night in Waco, Nebraska, just off the freeway in yet another RV park with a golf course.  It was an okay spot, kind of run down, but with a nice golf course.  There were quite a few local families there for the weekend, enjoying the pool and the factory ordered mini golf course.  The area was covered with fireflies, and mosquitos, too, so I retired inside to watch the lightning bug show from behind the screened window.

Nebraska is the fateful state where I completely lost my moral compass and shopped at Walmart.  I drew the line at eating lunch there, so we ended up at a Nebraskan Mexican food restaurant in a town whose name I forgot before leaving the city limits.  This is the first Mexican place I have been in where all the workers were white, with the exception of the main chef.  The food was gross.  My veggie burrito was just soupy refried beans with a sprinkling of cheese, like a Taco Bell burrito, only worse.  Oh, how I miss Pancho Villa, with its lard free beans and fresh ingredients.

Then, Kansas!  I had heard mixed reviews about Kansas.  Some had told me to avoid it, others had highly recommended it.  A friend suggested spending Fourth of July in Abilene, the home town of Dwight D Eisenhower, so we booked a spot at a nearby RV park for the holiday.  Kansas was pretty, more rolling hills and fewer flat plains than I had expected.

The RV park ended up being one of the worst places we've stayed so far.  It was mostly full time residents and the place was littered with trash.  There were geese in the pond, but on further inspection they were all in poor shape so I kept Lukas away.  At least there was a pool which was crucial in the heat.  Most of the residents were stand-offish, but one waved every time we passed, so we dubbed him the "Mayor of Four Seasons RV."  Brian eventually went over to chat with the Mayor and found out he used to have a BBQ business and makes his own sauce in bulk.  The Mayor even stopped by later with a cup of his special sauce and dang, was it tasty!  It really added that something extra to make our July Fourth burgers holiday worthy.

On Independence Day we went into Abilene for the Old Fashioned Fourth celebration.  It was held at a gorgeous playground and included mud volleyball, frog and turtle races, and a free hot dog feed.  In the afternoon we headed to Old Abilene, which has historical houses, a restored train, and dramatizations of gunfights.  The place has a Renaissance Faire feel with the actors in character all day.  We saw some old cabins, a hanging platform, and watched the train pull into the station.  The gunfight was too loud and violent for our little family, so we took off when the shots started.

Later in the evening we went to Junction City for the fireworks.  The British seventies rock band Foghat was playing "Slow Ride," Mike's Hard Lemonade was for sale at the beer stand, and Ed Hardy was the en vogue fashion.  I saw fireworks that have been banned in most states because they are often still burning when they hit the ground.  I could hardly pay attention to the fireworks because I was too busy people watching.  This was definitely not a San Francisco party, unless you count some of those white trash parties where people try to act like they're from the Heartland.  This was the real deal here, and I felt like such an outsider.

I had been worried about driving home on the Fourth in case people had been drinking, but that turned out to be the least of my worries.  The highway was empty and dark, the speed limit 70 mph, and the area has an abundance of wildlife.  On the drive to Junction City I saw a couple coyotes on the move in a nearby field and, on the highway shoulder, several roadkill deer and raccoons.  Speeding along in the Mini in the dark I was terrified I would hit a deer and kill all involved parties.

We survived the drive home, so the next day Lukas and I decided to visit Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Salina, Kansas.  The name sounded familiar, but we were out in the middle of nowhere so I assumed it was a roadside zoo.  We arrived in the heat to find a huge, beautiful zoo devoid of visitors.  After hunting down the ape keepers I was reminded that SF Zoo had received a vet and a male mandrill from Rolling Hills and thus had heard many stories about the place.

In our wanderings we saw a large joey poking out of red kangaroo mom's pouch, cotton top tamarins on their own island in the giant flamingo pond, a one horned rhino who rubs down his horn, and two female white rhinos with horns so long they were curving together.  Then we found the Wildlife Museum.  This was a separate building with thousands of taxidermy animals arranged into dioramas which included life-like hunter-gatherer types talking about animals and conservation.  It reminded me of Disney World, something between Pirates of the Caribbean and It's a Small World.  Half-way through there was an educational play room.  We did not see another visitor or staff member the entire time we navigated the building.  All that, and I was able to get a two snacks and a water at the cafe for less than three dollars!

Kansas Zoo pic for Lori

That night we stayed in Topeka.  We didn't see much more than the RV park and the BBQ place next door.  That's where I had my brisket.  I also took a drive in the warm night and checked out the neighborhoods.  One thing going for Topeka, there is more racial diversity than I've seen in quite a few states.  My heart is ready to leave the Heartland, and off we go to Missouri.

RV PARK REVIEWS


Double Nickel RV Resort, Waco, Nebraska: C+
  Nice golf course, run down pool and mini golf, highway noise.

Four Seasons RV Acres, Abilene, Kansas: D
  Dirty, run down, middle of nowhere.  Pool.

Deer Creek Valley RV, Topeka, Kansas: B
  Pool and playground.  BBQ restaurant next door.  Clean and well maintained.