2015--Day 11

An easy day for the first time in many days.  A late departure from Newton meant I could get some things done before we left, and that's a good thing.  All the best conditions appear well to our east (a tornado warning in Buffalo?), so the plan for today is to head west toward Greensburg, Kansas for the Big Well Museum.  It includes exhibits about the Greensburg tornado, an EF5 that literally erased much of the town from the planet. 

Another definition of irony: an empty gas station for sale that used to be called Lucky's.  I was trying to research this place, and in the process found that people leave Google reviews for gas stations.  This is what it's come to.

Driving through Pratt, I caught sight of a small building with a giant 'FOR SALE' painted on the front.  It used to be a Century 21 real estate office.  That's not just ironic, it's meta-ironic.

I'm always amazed at the tiny towns we pass through in Kansas and Nebraska.  Not much more than a crossroads and a coop.  I could never imagine growing up in one of these places.  It makes me appreciate the proximity to civilization we have in Brockport.  Quiet living with easy escape.

Arriving in Greensburg was interesting, to say the least.  As you drive into town, you see many young trees and new houses, along with concrete slabs scrubbed clean by the tornado.  Near the museum there is a set of stairs to a building that is no longer there.  Stuck in one of the steps is an iron pipe, like Excalibur. 

The museum was very interesting.  Prior to 2007, it was devoted to the world's deepest hand-dug well, 120 steps down.  After being rebuilt, there were artifacts and displays regarding the nightmare that obliterated 95% of the houses.  Amazingly, the death toll was rather small for such a powerful tornado, less than 20 if memory serves.  The residents had about 20 minutes' warning.  The siren sounded for 20 minutes before the power went out...and the siren was destroyed.  Speaking of, we stayed at the museum till closing time at 6 pm...when the siren went off.  It caught many of our students off guard, even though the skies were perfectly clear.  Apparently the whistle goes off at noon (lunchtime for the farmers), 1 pm (back to work), and 6 pm (call it a day).  I would think that in a town like Greensburg they would have a different signal for benign situations, but it was spooky if you weren't used to it.

To reiterate an earlier point, the lovely girl at the museum (she was a girl--17, 9 when the tornado happened) is staring college later this year at a local community college.  She's very excited because the college has dorms AND the town has a Wal Mart.

We tried to launch a weather balloon, but per the luck we've been having on this trip it only went up a short distance before it stopped calling.  I'm beginning to think it's us with the hare lip and the poor manners.  We've had exactly one good launch, and that was the practice launch back in Ellis, Kansas.

The day ended on a good note in a not-so-good town: Dodge City, Kansas.  The main strip into town was depressing (two huge factories, otherwise empty, rundown buildings, even another abandoned Lucky's).  We stopped into a local steakhouse for a celebratory meal (apparently it's tradition to have steak dinner after seeing a tornado).  The locally sourced strip steak was one of the best I've ever had, even before the teriyaki sauce.  Beef doesn't get much better than this.  Yay Kansas!  When we got to the hotel (rather nice place), we were greeted by Wyatt Earp and Marley, a little boxer and a short-legged beagle, respectively.  Wyatt had a tongue that came out well before he approached you, like he was licking the air before getting to you.  Marley would roll over so you could rub her pink belly.  It was perfect, as I have been missing Eeyore (and his other humans, too).

In sum: 168 miles (short by recent standards), no (local) thunderstorms, a very educational (and exertive) museum, and 19 very well-fed faculty and students.  Time to sleep off the Itis.