The Family That Doesn’t Travel Together Stays Together: Day 1 of vacation, at least for Becky and Evan. Levi and I don’t join them until the next day. I joke with people that the best way to plan a family vacation is to not spend it all with your family. Truth be told, Becky has wisely realized that cutting a day of car time out at the onset of the trip and 2-3 more at the back end will make the trip much easier on our family member most likely to be dragged down by travel. I think Levi will appreciate the gesture as well.

Kansas Whiff: Becky and Evan set out about 8am, pretty much right on schedule. They spend the day driving across Kansas, which to me seems like the most unappealing possible travel experience ever. I am reminded of making the same trek 30 years ago with a church youth group in which we drove to Colorado. George and Sue Ann Greer, one of the sets of parents who planned the trip and guided us through our travels, both hailed from Kansas and tried in vain to convince 7 teens of the joys of the state. In fact, in the days before mobile phones, we had to communicate between the two cars via pads of paper and our most famous exchange launched with one car holding up a sign that said “Kansas stinks.” This was not just an opinion, but an actual declaration of fact considering the number of cow farms through which we traversed. This led to the term “cow whiff” and ultimately “Kansas whiff.” Suffice to say, Levi and I will sacrifice the joys of “Kansas whiff” in favor of another day lounging about the house.

Fick Museum and Flat Polly: Of course, Becky and Evan do have an enjoyable day together. They stop at the Fick Museum where they are astonished at the large number of shark’s teeth and prehistoric bones which have been dug up right there on site. Evan also does an art project, which is coloring in a parrot. Becky and Evan name him Flat Polly, intending to take pictures of Polly on every leg of the trip, much as is the tradition with Flat Stanley. The idea is better than the execution – Flat Polly flies the coop somewhere in Denver.

June 4: KS to CO