December 1 – 3, 2014: We left Colorado amidst a cloud of sadness. Sad to leave our good friends. Sad because we are now heading back east. Back home. It is the beginning of the end our epic 2014 Road Trip.
Kansas didn’t do much to lift our spirits – flat land and nothingness. Our stop in Topeka, Kansas involved some depressing reminders of the human spirit. We first stopped to view and donate to the Equality House. The Equality House is painted the colors of the pride flag and is the headquarters of a fantastic organization called Planting Peace. The organization promotes peace, supports worthwhile humanitarian and environmental projects, and advocates for LGBTQ and all human rights. This was uplifting and not depressing. However, it is located across the street from the hateful Westboro Baptist Church. I won’t do them the honor of linking to their website; they are hateful, disgusting, and despicable. It is sad that such ignorant people exist in the world today.
We then visited Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. This landmark is an old African American only school; and it contains exhibits documenting the landmark case, its controversy, and the progress (or, in my opinion, lack thereof) since the case. It was very sad to note the (recent) dates of some of the opposition. There are some brief summaries and timelines here.
Our spirits were still heavy as we consumed our BBQ dinner at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que (original gas station location) in Kansas City, Kansas.
The drive through Missouri was as uneventful as most of Kansas. We stopped at Grand Falls, Missouri – primarily because we hadn’t stopped anywhere in a while – and viewed the saddest man-made waterfall ever. But we stretched our legs and continued driving, crossing the border into Arkansas.
Accommodation: