the real kansas

I'd like to think of my self as a pretty well rounded traveler. I've been to several states but mostly I've kept to around the tornado alley region.  The one thing that really gets me is when someone finds out where I'm from, from Kansas, nearly everyone comments on the great state of Kansas as the "boring" state.  I beg to differ, there is so much to Kansas that even people who have lived here all their lives have not experienced.

The other day my dad and I went out west to Pratt, Kansas where the Department of Kansas Wildlife and Parks headquarters are located to get our fishing and hunting licenses for the year when I begin to think this through.  I've thought about this several times before but never in this much depth.

I've noticed a lot that society tends to look and live for the material things in life.  Whether it be nice hotels down to five star restaurants and even having the most up to date technological devices.  I think things like these is part of the reason why several people think Kansas is boring.  Yeah, we're a flat state but there's more to us then that and a bunch of wheat.

Every where you go there's one thing in common but it varies from place to place. A little thing we call nature.  I've been extremely blessed to have been born into such a good family that has let me experience nature in it's many forms, whether it be through traveling, camping or even just a walk down the road.  Our family, especially when I was younger would go camping frequently, we've nearly always had some form of camper that we would take out nearly every weekend to various locations around the state.   I never appreciated it then, but nature is great.

Kansas is great.  People generally have a name by association thing they do when they hear about Kansas.  We've got wheat, lots of it.  We have that famous or infamous depending from where you're at, Kansas vs. K-State rivalry, and a lot of other stuff that frankly I'm too tired to really make my mind remember at the moment. I'm sure though that you, the reader, probably have other things that you associate with Kansas...Oh and tornadoes, lots of those in the summer.  What I'm trying to get at, is that people, don't take the time out to really get to know a place.

When I was out in Pratt earlier this week, I stood on the edge of a stock pond at the KDWP and I couldn't believe how connected I felt to nature, probably more connected feeling that I have felt in a very long time.  I'm the type of person that I would probably change my major to marine biology just to be able to work with the state of Kansas and get to work hands on first glance with the land that I love.

This probably seems like a lame blog, but when I was thinking about it, it seriously sounded better in my head then what it turned out to be.  Nature is a wonderful thing that many people take for granted.  It'll always be there but many people never really get to experience it first hand.