Took an early a.m. flight to KC, in prep for Saturday’s Garmin Marathon in Olathe (oh-LAY-tha, ‘Beautiful’ in Shawnee).  I know what you’re thinking – what to do in Kansas?  Aside from KC BBQ, all I imagined was open prairie & tornados.

First destination: the Nat’l World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial.

Can tell ya, I previously knew very little about WWI – was only going ’cause it was lauded America’s premier WWI museum.  Exhibits retold WWI via film, photos, news clips, memorabilia & cars/planes/tanks of the era.  By the end of the Great War: Germany was left bankrupt; Russia erupted into civil revolution/end of czarism.  Last of the great wars to actively involve horses & the first to introduce aerial warfare.

Insightful, interesting, super impressed; museum well done.

Next stop, lunch at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.  Place came highly recommended by my boss, Jim.  Settled on KC’s famous Z-Man sandwich & fries – did not leave disappointed 🙂

With clouds rolling in (yesterday’s Colorado snow arriving as thunder & lightning here on the Plains), wanted to squeeze in a quick visit to Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm.  Located on the Santa Fe Trail, folks regularly stopped in Olathe during the 1860’s-1880’s while re-settling West.  Migration halted during the [pre-Civil War] Bloody Kansas conflict with neighboring slave state Missouri.  [Mahaffie was cousin to John Brown, the Harpers Ferry WV abolitionist.]  Sooooo much history here – LOVED it!

Stretched my stay at Mahaffie to closing time.  Draft horses, oxen, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens – everything you’d expect to find on a Kansas farm. Auntie Em & Dorothy’s life was no joke.

Gotta say, Kansas – not so bad.  Some of the nicest folks I’ve ever met.