Searching for Proper Barbecue - Colorado to Georgia

Quite literally in the middle of Kansas, 600 feet below the surface of Hutchinson, a Strataca Salt Mine tour guide asked me if I enjoyed Roy's BBQ for lunch. Bemused, I learned that Roys has such a distinct smell and the salt mine is devoid of smells, so tour guides quickly learn this approach with tourists. Strataca and Roys, or odd sites and barbecue were the treats on this road trip but the underlying purpose was for a move.

Michael at the Strataca Salt Mine.

My father-in-law (Michael) and I were in Kansas because our calling was to relocate one of our cars from Monument, Colorado to Atlanta, Georgia. The four-day journey was punctuated with a handful of museums and a superb selection of barbecue joints.

We set out from the Denver airport in the late afternoon and drove four hours to our first waypoint in Colby, Kansas. En route, we enjoyed a picnic dinner at the surprisingly well appointed Limon Railroad Park (by donation).

Day two's first stop was the Fort Hays State Historic Park. The buildings and exhibits are very well done. For young visitors, there is a 'bison herd' across the street (with bison numbering just a few). Plan 1-2 hours at this attraction. From Fort Hays, we drove to Hutchinson, Kansas for the Strataca Salt Mine. This was a major waypoint during the trip planning: where else can you descend 600 feet into the crust of the Earth to view an active salt mine? It turns out that the salt vein stretches into New Mexico, but this is the best way to get up-close to the operation.

An industrial elevator carries both workers and tourists down under. The tourist portion of the mine is sectioned off for safety. Tourists get to see dioramas containing mining equipment and the blasting techniques used to excavate salt from the mine - the salt is used mainly for ice removal. The underground gift shop has free wifi and there are a couple of add-ons for your visit. Tourists can ride the mine train in a loop that shows more of the mine or you can book a seat on the tram tour, which also shows more of the mine.

BBQ is an American treasure.

The Strataca Salt Mine was such a great stop that Michael and I decided to check out the other local Hutchinson attraction: the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. We expected a couple of planes and some cheap displays but we were instead treated to a plethora of rare air and space artifacts. The museum's motto, "Out of this World. Right in the Heart of Kansas" is an appropriate saying. Aside from the Smithsonian collection, the Kansas Cosmosphere impressed me more than any air and space museum I have seen (including the National Museum of the USAF, Seattle's Museum of Flight and many others). To quantify my claim, know that the museum collection contains a spacecraft from Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 10 and Apollo 13).

Ending a big second day of the trip in Wichita gave us the opportunity to ride the free downtown tram to Old Town where we enjoyed excellent pizza and local brews at Public.

Day three was a 450 mile push from Wichita to Little Rock but we found time for a few diversions. The first was Fort Smith National Historic Site where Michael was able to purchase his National Park System Senior Pass. Ten bucks gets you free access to all National Park properties for the rest of your life (seniors include those 62 and over). The Fort Smith prison, gallows and courtroom are all available for viewing. Kids love romping around the grounds to see the out-buildings and the neighboring Arkansas River. Tip: Pick up lunch at the Garrison Pointe Market, which is walking distance from Fort Smith (it is in a gas station, but those who know of the Whoa Nellie Deli know the deal). In Little Rock, we tried Sims BBQ but were thoroughly disappointed. 

Elvis's Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Day four's drive was from Little Rock to Atlanta. The main diversion was Elvis's Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi. Most fans visit Graceland but I found ticket prices there to be obscenely expensive. The Tupelo museum and home were small enough to visit in 1-2 hours and were right on our route to Atlanta. In Tupelo, we tried and liked BBQ by Jim. This joint was a meat and two sides type of place with excellent sauce and a family-focused orientation.

TripTips:

1. Stock the car with cold beverages and healthy snacks.

2. Plan activities in cities between your lodging locations. Most attractions do not open until 9am or 10am, so you will lose lots of drive time if you stick around in a city to do something there.

3. Picnic when you can to save costs.

4. A newspaper or magazines in the car give you something to chat about with your trip partner(s).

International Travel with an Infant in Arms

This was our first experience with international travel with an infant in arms. I wasn't sure what to expect from the procedural side and had read enough blogs to know it was going to be a mess.

When we checked in for our flight in Denver we had to pay taxes for our little one for each country we were traveling to. I was unable to do this before hand, so it had to be done at check in. This took no less than 45 min for the Delta agent to call the mysterious office of children or whatever and figure out what we owed. (It ends up being about 10%of your ticket cost.) We were issued paper tickets for little H, which they need for accountability. 

If you decide to check the car seat and/or stroller you can ask that they wrap them in plastic. We have travel bags for both but asked that the stroller be wrapped. On the way to the UK we checked the car seat and we checked both car seat and stroller on the way home (who wants to carry that stuff around the airport!?!) 

Security in the US is as expected, see my post on traveling. Wear the baby through the metal detector, pack baby food in a bag, etc. 

Once we arrived at Heathrow and collected our gate checked stroller, we were skipped to the head of the line to get through immigration. (I'm assuming due to the fact that H is so cute...and was getting cranky!) We had our passports ready and the guy had a good chuckle about the passport photo taken at 3 months old. 

Just like in the US the Car Seat and Stroller came up on the oversized item carrousel, so don't wait around the other one. 

Luggage trolleys are free at LHR, so grab one and use it if you need it. Plus then you can pretend you are in Love Actually.

On our way home we had the documents stating we had paid the taxes, but the check in process still took 30 min. Again, the mysterious child office had to be called. I think in this case it had to do with us being on several skyteam partner airlines. Regardless, arrive early.

Getting through security in the UK was actually really quick. I was allowed to wear H in the ergo carrier and walk through the metal detector. There was no hand scan required. 

The sealed baby food posed a bit more of an issue. I've been told a number of different things in the US. Depending on the size of the pouch, sometimes it is done, sometimes I have to open it for the magic strip to be held above it. At Heathrow I was required to open 50% of the pouches and taste them - yep, put them in my mouth and eat them. Haha. 

Meanwhile the rest of security was very strait forward. It is mostly automated. You scan your tickets barcode to get into the security area, which is immeasurably faster than having someone else do it and sign their name on if and stamp it....you get the picture. Shoes stay on. All electronics (including iPads and kindles) are unpacked. The conveyer belt is also automated so if your item is flagged it gets pushed into another lane for an in depth search - which keeps you out of the way of travelers not needing a more in depth search. Everyone was very peasant and we moved through very quickly.  

It is certainly exhausting, but so worth it to travel with your little one!