These parts of America are nothing but oceans of Soy and Corn, probably genetically modified by Monsanto. We try to take all the back roads and county roads and even then we see nothing but soy and corn plants. The bus is running good, although it still has its unresolved problem. I found an application for our phone called oh Ranger!and have located a few State Parks to camp in for the next few nights.
The first park we stopped in was called Clinton Lake. We thought since it was so hot, it would be good to find a place with water to swim. We arrived and it was pretty much a semi full RV parking lot with bits of wild grasses and forested areas. We parked and got our swim suits on and walked down towards the water, there were thousands of midges flying around and a steep staircase to climb down into the muddy forested banks of the reservoir. Luciano made sure to point out the giant spiders that were at eye level and Imogen and I made our way down very slowly. The forest smelt a bit like mold and urine and when we finally made it to the shoreline, it was composed of concrete pieces, rotten trees and the water looked absolutely toxic. So Imogen and I watched from the man made beach as Luciano and Nando walked slowly in and stood at shoulder height in the water. There are no pictures of this, as I expected to jump in as well. So instead Mona, Imogen and I headed back to the bus, where we hooked up water and took a shower. We kept the windows closed and ran our air conditioner since the midges were too much. We all slept sound, woke in a good spirits and kept heading West.
Good Night Kansas Clinton LakeKansas may seem so long because of the repetition in scenery, Nando and I imagined as some sort of survival technique, how would you escape those corn fields if you were dropped in their center. Then we speculated about crop circles, which led to aliens, which led to silent introspection on our spiritual evolution as human beings collectively. These discussions are always helpful when nurturing your own relationships. It makes the bonds between us as a family seem so much more rewarding. To be traveling together through this life, even though we all have our own separate experiences, we are bonded together, even Mona and Gorda our animal friends.
Sleeping Babies
Kansas is on a grid, the entire state has roads intersecting horizontally and vertically. I believe we took 40 pretty much all the way across. Which landed us in Kansas' capital of Topeka. It wasn't particularly memorable, except the capital building was being worked on . It was standard neo-classical with a gold dome, corithian columns and a hundred steps up to its doors. Juxtaposed to its state, it seems a little unbalanced. Kansas looked dusty, unfertile and impoverished with nothing to eat and no culture or education. But that said, folks were nice, some raised eyebrows, but generally good workin' folks.
The final night in Kansas we spent at Webster State Park. Another man made reservoir. Kansas is very dry.
We had a great breeze and no bugs. Luciano took a bath outside and Mona learned that she can swim. We chatted to a local who was an insurance salesman for farmers. He said that they insured crops, mostly soy and corn. I threw some questions at him, like what was the number one killer of corn crops, which turned out to be an insect that eats out the center of the stalk and causes the plant to fall. We asked him about organic farmers and how their insurance was particularly high and it was rare that they would even take out insurance against their crops. Farmers take out huge loans to get started, they have to pay for a huge amount of acreage to grow something like soy and corn, then they have machinery to plow the land, plant, spray pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation and harvesting equipment, then storage. It is a big investment. We then discussed the soil, which of course is very dry and contains very little nutrients at this point. This was confirmed as he informed us that the farmers think rotating corn and soy crops with each other on a piece of land with little then four months of rest between each. When we discussed other ideas with him about farming, it seemed to be that everyone is set in their ways and their own agricultural system that their could be no other way. I excused myself from the conversation after the explanation that pesticides and GM didn't matter since all these thousands of miles of corn was primarily for cattle feed. But Nando continued to discuss the ins and outs of insuring a corn crop, as I cut sweet watermelon for Luciano and watched the sun set.
At Clinton Lake Kansas
Our bus on the hill
View from the bed
Nando under the bed looking for something in our new storage he built in Macclenny.
Light Bug that Nando decided had a ticket to Colorado.
Later in the pale light of dusk Mona and Luciano discovered a box turtle, which never emerged from her shell once she saw Mona. We saw light bugs and when the sun was completely gone we saw the dust of the Milky Way and more stars then I have seen in a really long time.
We woke refreshed visited the shore one last time to look at a dead fish and watch Mona dive into the water for any size stick.
After a quick breakfast and securing of the bus we headed into Colorado.
Mona Fetching.
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