Last weekend, official Mindreader storyteller Andrew and I traveled to Kansas for a wedding. The wedding was in Wichita; since we arrived Friday morning for a Saturday afternoon wedding, we had a bit of time to explore some of the city.

Wichita has made an effort to create an attractive downtown riverfront, and part of that effort is a pair of eye-catching pedestrian bridges serving a city park.

On Sunday, we started making our way up to Lawrence.

At a scenic overlook in the Kansas countryside between Wichita and Topeka, there were signs explaining some of the vegetation. This particular sign made us curious about domesticated wildflowers.

The scenic overlook did provide a pleasant view. And yes, the sky was as gorgeous as it looks. In fact, it was that gorgeous all weekend.

To get to that view, we strayed off the highway, but our original purpose in leaving the highway was not to find that view. Rather, when I was looking at the map, a small town caught my eye.

Strong City, a small town southwest of Topeka, is the site of the Flint Hills Rodeo. Its heyday was back when railroads were king, but it is still home for just under 600 people (2000 population: 584).

Its downtown is a classic small town downtown; unfortunately, a number of the storefronts are vacant.

It’s always a joy to find a town that shares my name. (Observant readers will notice that I made an effort to represent my state while I was traveling.)

After our brief tour of Strong City, we made our way to Lawrence, the home of Kansas University. When we drove through campus, I was happy to discover that KU has a building that shares my name.

Strong Hall, located in the middle of KU’s campus, is a large building that houses a number of administrative offices. In fact, it is large enough that I suspect Strong Hall has a larger population than Strong City. But obviously, both are equally tastefully named.

Other notable sights:
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
Knute Rockne Memorial

(Full Kansas gallery.)