"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."

Yes, I've been waiting to say that for a couple days. Incase you're wondering, that's the sentence I was implying before, which I thought was so clever, but no one else thought it was funny. Now that we've traversed the entire stare, I only have three more words to add: Red Pickup Trucks.

Anyway, now that we've left Kansas, I am dying to go back. It's one of those states I've been told I'm not supposed to like, but I'll tell you, it's a helluva lot better than where we are now! I guess I only have a lot to say about the places I don't like. Maybe instead of finding words to describe it, I just let Kansas do the work, seeping itself into my soul, tucking the sweet energy of the cornfields away for a rainy day. So...if words fail me about Kansas, they're just tumbling out about it's neighboring state.

Missouri sucks (see prior post) for lots of reasons. The people in Kansas were the nicest people I have ever encountered. There's only been one nice person in all of the state of Missouri so far; the girl who sold me the 24 hour internet card inside the TA, Jess. She was also periodically going to the microphone and calling out Driver ID numbers, as their turn was up for the showers. How cool! I always wondered what the logistics of trucker life were. Now I know they go to these little TA (Travel Centers of America - I asked Jess while I was waiting for the thingy to formulate my pin number) for showers, load up on supplies, use the internet (probably not), and sleep in the parking lot. The last in that list is something we won't be doing, because I don't like standing there next to the people inside, let alone sleep in the parking lot by them. They smell, have missing teeth, stand too close (a big pet-peeve of mine) and look at me the whole time I'm standing in there. And they smoke inside the building! I am definitely sheltered. I didn't know there were still states of this union where it's ok to smoke inside!

Yup. I'm a clean, pale-white girl from the northeast with braids and shiny red shoes and I don't know shit about the rest of the country.