Beyond Wichita: 20 photos of Kansas

Though I was in Wichita for less than four days, I took more than 900 photos. Yeah. Since whittling that pile down to 10 pictures was pretty much impossible, and would require me leaving out photos of pink (yes, pink) milk, I decided to share my 20 (20!) favorite photos from Kansas. Enjoy.

1. Road to nowhere.
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   I could have stayed in the middle of the road for as long as I liked. There were literally no other cars to be seen.

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2. Chocolate and strawberry milk in glass jugs, Dillon’s grocery store.
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   Harbinger of a city gal: I don't know that I've ever seen milk in glass jugs before.

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3. Jackson’s giraffe. I mostly took this photo for my friend Dan, whose love of the long-limbed animal is now well-known.
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   I named him Dan.

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4. Town of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas.
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   The streets were positively empty. It was 104 degrees.

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5. Old tombstone, cemetery near Strong City, Kansas
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   It was incredibly quiet and astoundingly hot.

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6. Railroad tracks near the now-defunct Strong City train station.
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   The station was recently placed on the National Register, and could use some TLC.

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7. My friend Christine and her son, at the Emma Chase Cafe, Cottonwood Falls.
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   I know. Adorable, right?

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8. Decorative stop sign outside Carriage Crossing Restaurant, Yoder, Kansas.
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   Moments after I took this, one gentleman backtracked about ten feet to hold a door open for me. I might have swooned.

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9. Roller coaster at the now-defunct Joyland amusement park, Wichita.
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   Yes, we went to an abandoned amusement park. Thankfully, it was during broad daylight.

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10. Tractor, Pioneer Bluffs Heritage Center.
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11. Beekeeping, near the Pioneer Bluffs Heritage Center.
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12. Self-portrait, car side mirror.
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13. Jason at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson, Kansas.
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    He was super excited that he actually got to touch some stuff, especially after they said "no licking the walls."

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14. Wichita in microcosm: TV at Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant.
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    Yes, that's a Shania Twain video playing.

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15. Outside the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.
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16. Free Love sign, downtown Wichita.
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    And to think, all this time I've been paying for love, like an idiot.

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17. T-shirt belonging to a friend of Christine and Jason’s.
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    I suppose if you haven't seen "The Wire", this will make little sense.

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18. Gelato from Caffe Moderne, Old Town, Wichita.
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    Reprieve from a Kansas summer.

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19. External temperature gauge in the car.
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    That's a joke, right?

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20. Artistic visions realized in the Kansas Underground Salt Museum.
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    The guide in front of me, as we took a train ride inside the salt museum.

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