Day 2 - Hays, Kansas

I'm trying to get through Kansas as fast as I can (you can only look at farms for so long before you go crazy), so I've been traveling down I-70 toward Colorado. There isn't much scenery to speak of, and most of it just looks like more of Missouri, but flatter. However, I did pass some gigantic wind turbines, although there wasn't a good place to pull over and see them well.

To get a sense of scale, keep in mind that those turbines are freakin' huge.

I also saw this airplane caged up in a park in Grenola, Kansas (so named after the towns of Green Field and Canola joined due to the construction of a railroad). I have no idea what it is, so maybe somebody more familiar with old fighter planes could fill me in.

Last night, I was looking out over an open field, and noticed the lightning bugs out in force. What's curious is that, as opposed to the longer flashes that I'm used to, these lightning bugs would only flicker for a split second at a time. I'm not sure if this is a regional variation or what, but it was definitely curious.

Day 1 - Parsons, Kansas

My first stop on my trip was West Mineral, Kansas, home of Big Brutus, the largest electric shovel still in existence. It stands 160 feet tall, and weighs about 5000 tons. There are stairs leading up to the very tip of the boom arm, but they haven't been open since 2004, so I wasn't able to go higher than the control booth. Still, the treads that it moved on (with a top speed of 0.2 mph) were taller than me, and it could crush my car without a second thought. But really, the pictures should speak for themselves.

That shovel holds 90 cubic yards of dirt.

Those treads on top were 6 feet off the ground. I was standing under Big Brutus at the time.

See those people down there? Yeah, neither can I.

Day 1 - Embarkation

Since internships are hard to come by these days, I found myself without any plans for this summer. This could be my last summer without any obligations, so I’m taking the chance to do something totally reckless and irresponsible. I’ll be taking a driving tour of the country, visiting national landmarks, friends, and some potential graduate schools. The only rules are: no hotels, and no restaurants (unless they're culturally significant, of course).

My first stop will be West Mineral, Kansas, home of the world's largest electric shovel (11 million lbs.) still in existence. I'll be blogging about my progress and posting pictures at http://roadtripof2009.blogspot.com. Be sure to check back to see how I'm doing!