Tornado Alley

Yep. We went to Kansas in April, the start of tornado season. We wanted adventure, and Kansas delivered. The first “sign” probably should’ve been the amount of wind we encountered just driving to Manhattan. Since Arthur has been consistently using his hideout when we drive, I can use the cruise control but not on I-70 in Kansas with 30-50 mph gusts of wind. Estella thought we were on a slippery road because of the wind, so we slowed down and took it easy.

I was inspired to spend some more time in Kansas after watching Somebody Somewhere, an HBO dramedy set in Manhattan, KS. I also enjoyed my stop through Topeka on my way to New Mexico in December. Our first stay was in Tuttle Creek Cove, which was a great location. (The showers were not as great, but I still got clean even if I spent half the time killing mosquitos. In my journal, I wrote, “Why are the mosquitos so big here?” LOL)

Our site at Tuttle Creek Cove was beautiful, but it may have been a poor decision to pick a spot on the hill – even though the views were lovely.

The wind definitely had us rocking on most of the nights we were there. 🍫🍫 There were also reports of semi-trucks and their trailers being blown over on the interstate. Previously, a co-worker recommended a weather guy on YouTube – Max Velocity, which we watched almost obsessively when we were in a tornado warning. I would also recommend the What County am I in website. It’s one of those things you don’t think about when you live in the same county consistently, but it’s been really helpful for me as I am traveling around and trying to figure out if the county I’m in is also in the path of some kind of severe weather.

The wind was so bad on one rainy night that rain started coming in through the seams on the slide-out, which I didn’t notice until morning when I noticed that part of the bed was damp. 🍫🍫🍫 I don’t think there was any serious damage, but I rigged up a containment system to catch the water as it dripped in. The last night that we were there, the winds picked up so much that I moved the slide-out in, and we just slept in a more cramped space. It was fine, and we didn’t have to worry about any unwanted water.

Prior to the tornado warning, we took a rare adventure without a rental car to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Historic Site. This was my first presidential library visit, and it was much better than what I had anticipated. While I enjoy historic homes, I would not refer to myself as a history buff. I probably spent less time there than the average visitor, but I’m still glad I went.

The chapel was the most moving part of the historical site. It’s a beautiful tribute to the former president and his wife. It was interesting to learn that Dwight Eisenhower was born D. Dwight Eisenhower; he changed it when he joined the military, which apparently was a common practice.

If you do go to visit the Eisenhower library, I would recommend a stop at the Russell Stover outlet store. The smells are incredible. There’s also a very cute gift shop close to the outlet if you want some Kansas-made goods – Wilkens Acres. I found some great Mother’s Day gifts at both places.

On a rainy Sunday, I was able to drive through Topeka again and have breakfast with my coworker and his wife. They gave me a tour of their lovely home, and then we had breakfast at the iconic Hanover Pancake House. It was delicious and a delightful chance to catch up with my friend and his wife. They made another great plug for Topeka, but I think that the tornado warnings might have put a damper on my desire to live in Kansas.