Day 3: The green, green grass of...Kansas?!

Our travels today brought us to the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve, a 41,000-acre remnant of what used to be 140 million acres of prairie across the middle of our nation. What a peaceful place...such quiet, allowing the birds and waving grass to become their own cacophony. The National Park ranger who lead the girls in their junior ranger oath began with, "I swear to...not drink, smoke or chew, or dance with boys who do"! We wish they hadn't stopped halfway through with laughter...that's a pledge we hope they'll keep!

Due to hot weather and some strategic planning (avoiding congested areas when we're hooked up to our rig, Teensie,) we next visited the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka. It's hard to believe the landmark ruling was just made in 1954. That's recent history, and the realization of the inequalities in our culture at that time (and unfortunately many years afterward) was very humbling and thought-provoking. The site itself is the former Monroe Elementary, a segregated school for African-American students. That ruling was essentially the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, and so it seemed appropriate that the site was the first of the Civil Rights National Park stops on our trip.

Some have asked about our rig and how it's working for us...wonderfully well, thanks. All systems are running smoothly, girls are sleeping well, and we're slowly adjusting to a smaller bed. We're having fun "playing house" and have cooked all of our meals (and prepared our picnic lunches) right here. We'll treat ourselves to a dinner "out" for Father's Day. Until then, we're not suffering...in fact, far from it! We even have a small "beer-ridgerator." :-)

Tomorrow, the long-awaited Cosmosphere, assuming our first foray into a campground laundrymat tomorrow morning goes smoothly. Pray for no lost socks, as well as continued safety and patience. We've been so blessed thus far.

A ranger-guided tour got us to the middle of the prairie, where we learned about the various grasses and the animals that depend upon it (including the baby bison, below).

The park's visitor center is housed in a beautiful farmhouse; the adjacent three-story stone barn features numerous exhibits and interactive displays.