Rest Stop

[bojojoti]

Generally speaking, rest stops on the side of the highway are generally not places one looks forward to visiting until the Big Gulp or Starbucks begins pressuring the bladder into desperation.  However, there is a rest area/travel information center just outside of Wellington, Kansas, that is a pleasure to visit.  A simple concrete colonnade begins outside the building and completes its circle inside.  Inscribed at the top of the colonnade, inside and out, is Kansas' state motto in Latin and English:  Ad Astra per Aspera; To the Stars through Difficulties.  I'm not familiar with all of the other state mottoes, but I'm very fond of ours.




I like the low-slung look of the building; the architect was respectful to the open vistas of prairie and wheat fields.  I love the glass that reflects the wide open skies and repeats the deep blue of our state flag.  At the far left, a metal sunflower sculpture represents our state's flower.

The large door handle is a replica of our state seal.  The 34 stars identify Kansas as the 34th state to be accepted into the Union.  In the foreground is a farmer plowing his field in front of his cabin, symbolizing Kansas' agricultural richness and the coziness of home.  Covered wagons represent the pioneers who settled in Kansas.  In the middle of the seal, Indians hunt buffalo, representative of our rich heritage.  The steamboat serves to remind of commerce.  The hills are supposed to be indicative of the beautiful Flint Hills area, but I think the artist took a little poetic license with the color.  I've seen them gold; I've seen them emerald green; I've never seen them purple!

Inside, posters highlight different areas of the state.

The staff at the information desk are helpful and knowledgeable.  They are happy to locate a brochure or map to enrich the trip through Kansas.

I appreciate when buildings are more than utilitarian.  Thank you, state of Kansas, for an attractive stop on my journeys.
Amended to add:
Travel Information Centers are an excellent resource if you need maps, directions and brochures about attractions, events and accommodations or advice about the best places to visit in Kansas. Friendly travel counselors can also offer safety tips and weather information, and advise on where to expect road construction.
Clean restrooms, drinking water, free coffee, gift shops, picnic areas and pet exercise areas are also available at some centers.
...centers are open year-round except New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Comments

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

What a neat place!! It's like a free tourist attraction that you can pee at, too!

We have a really cool rest stop here in Vermont that has a Living Machine in it. It recycles waste and looks like a jungle inside.

http://www.vpr.net/community/gallery/41/

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/31/national/31toilet.html

http://www.nhpr.org/node/9217

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

That is very cool!

I find it interesting that they have to be concerned that someone might want to drink water from the toilet and post signs and dye it blue to prevent that from happening! Blech!

It really sounds like an excellent idea--the entire water purification and reuse system.

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

Well, Vermont is the land of stoners, so you never know what some of us will do. :)

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

I should have excluded myself from the "some of us." Those days are over. :)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Good heavens, I hate hemp! Scratchy material, gross bread. I'm allergic to yeast, so I used to try to eat hemp bread which doesn't contain yeast. Or good taste.

But, yeah, I lived through the '60s and '70s, so been there, done that!

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

I just bought hemp milk the other day for Zach....he said he liked it. :)

[mewsing.livejournal.com]

Not all hemp is scratchy! ;)

http://www.aurorasilk.com/yarns_and_threads/naturally_dyed/hemps/fawn_fine_2ply.html

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Very nice! Most hemp I've felt was like burlap on crack.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

If I ever pass through Vermont, I'll keep an eye out for people with blue mouths. LOL!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

What an excellent information centre - it must certainly be a pleasure to wee there!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

It's sparkling clean--even has a gift center. It is a pleasant break in a journey.

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

I would suppose it has to be.....isn't traveling through Kansas FLAT and CORNFIELDS all the way??

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

I'm just messing with you. :)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

At least you didn't say something about Dorothy!

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

Nah, that would just be lame!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Ahem, I meant, um, no, it's not all flat and cornfields.

WHEAT! WHEAT! We are the breadbasket of the nation, wheat capital of the world! Corn generally needs more moisture than we get, so we are actually behind Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, South Dakota, and Ohio in production of corn.

And, yes, much of Kansas is beautifully flat--on a clear day, you can see forever. There are no pesky mountains blocking your view--it's magnificent vistas of sky and land all the way to eternity. Never is such a feeling of freedom to be found in lands with obstructions to the view.

However, we do have splendiferous rolling hills. The Flint Hills are some of the most MAGNIFICENT lands in the world.





I'm not even a native Kansan, but I love this state.

Now, stop picking on me! :D

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

Haha! :) You're fun to pick on. If I knew this earlier, I would have started before now. :)

That picture is really pretty! I could definitely feast my eyes on something like that.

I went to Manitoba 3 years ago and it was very flat. Prairie land as far as the eye could see. Being a New Englander (and living in the mountains practically my whole life), it was the opposite of claustrophobia for me....but a different kind of phobia-ish thing. My eyes kept scanning the horizon for something....anything above ground to focus on. It actually stressed me out after being there for 5 days. I couldn't wait to go home and see mountains. I honestly couldn't take it anymore. I felt the same way when I went to the bottom of Michigan and all there was around us was strips malls, flat highways, grid like streets and suburbia. It drove me nuts.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Picking on one another is our family's favorite sport! We give as good as we get.

I know what you mean. I've grown up on prairie lands most of my life. When we stayed in the mountains a few years ago, I was overwhelmed with the beauty the first few days. They were grand and gorgeous. But then my eyes kept bumping into the mountains when I'd look around, and it was unsettling. It was like being locked in somewhere! My view was gone. The windows to the world had been boarded up by mountains. When we left, I actually felt a sense of relief when we got out of the mountains, and I could see for forever again.

People is funny critters.

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

Isn't it weird how we get accustomed to our habit? Just like critters. :) Mountains feel cozy to me. They're like a comforting quilt gathered around me. I feel too exposed and open in the flat lands.

I find that a fascinating part of the human psyche.

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

Oh.....and I'd really like to see a tornado some day. :) Zach would, too. He's fascinated by Tornado Alley.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

We had a very mild year for tornadoes, which is just as well, because the year earlier we had Greensburg and Chapman mostly wiped off the face of the earth. So, next year should make up for it. Come see us in spring!

[erikaerin.livejournal.com]

Zach is a destructive weather buff. He can tell you all about hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc. He loves storm chasers.

[brendamom.livejournal.com]

This is very cool. I must stop there sometime.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

It's a very attractive facility. You may find some brochures of places to visit of which you were previously unaware. We're always looking for "new" places nearby to visit.

[mewsing.livejournal.com]

♪♫ For purple mountain majesties... ♫♪

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Those are in Colorado! We have no mountains. Beautiful rolling hills, yes. But they aren't purple!

[mewsing.livejournal.com]

They'z purple now! haha

[advoir.livejournal.com]

:) Lovely.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I love it when buildings look as though some thought went into them.

[advoir.livejournal.com]

I love presentations like that. Things that have some meaning. :)

[frodo-esque.livejournal.com]

Funny, I was hoping to see a picture of the stalls/sinks to see if they were fancy too. =) I love checking out bathrooms in fancy restaurants. =)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

This is a rest area, so the restrooms are merely functional! They are sparkling clean and have plenty of stalls and sinks but nothing fancy.

The fanciest restroom I ever saw was in Branson, Missouri, at Shojii Tobuchi's theater. It was opulent. I just Googled it and see that those facilities were chosen the best restrooms of 2009. LOL
http://www.bestrestroom.com/winnerpics.html
The pictures don't do it justice. Fresh cut flowers everywhere, lots of attendants dispensing lotion--amazing.

[frodo-esque.livejournal.com]

That is quite the bathroom, and in Branson Missouri of all places. =)

Some of my favorite bathrooms were in Las Vegas (have you been?) and in certain upscale restaurants in Atlanta.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I've never been to Las Vegas. Generally, our vacations are in August, and that has never appealed! However, we are considering a vacation in December this year, and we've discussed Las Vegas. We'll have to see how work/time off comes together.

Branson, Missouri, is a phenomenon. When Mr. Bojo and I married, we honeymooned in St. Louis and then dropped down to Branson for a couple of days. It was such a redneck little place! I think it had two ramshackle theaters back then, and we didn't go to the shows--they were hillbilly affairs--I think the Baldknobbers were one of the acts. Anyway, we went for the gorgeous Ozark hills, and we did visit Silver Dollar City. Branson was a sleepy little town back then with a few rundown motels.

Fastforward a couple of decades, and we took our children to Silver Dollar City. What a surprise! There were grand theaters built everywhere. Resorts! Restaurants galore. Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. And crowds! That's been about ten years ago, and I hear that it has continued to grow. No longer a sleepy little hill town!

Last I heard, Las Vegas had about 80 showrooms and Branson had 150! I know when we went, everyone in the family chose a show to see, and we enjoyed the great variety. It's definitely family friendly, which was important when the kids were younger. They are old enough to enjoy Las Vegas now, though.

[lorelei-n.livejournal.com]

Wow!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

An attractive place to make a pit stop!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Isn't it wonderful? Someone actually put thought and style into the building.

[jazzyglo.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm impressed! It's lovely.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

So many public buildings are so yawn-worthy. It's nice when a little effort is made.

[epol.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's amazing! What a great looking place. I'd like to tinkle there. ;)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

You made me laugh out loud!