Traveling Like Dorothy

We entered Kansas this morning and like Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, the wind continued to blow - but not at the force of a tornado! Over night the wind switched directions, coming from the north. We were glad we weren't pulling a fifth wheel as gas mileage would have been low. Speaking of low, gas/fuel prices are low in KS.  We filled for $3.29 this afternoon and saw one station advertising $3.23. NICE!

We got as far as Salina KS tonight. Not many miles and not many geocache finds. Here are the highlights:

Many people are familiar with Mardi gras celebrations on the day before Lent. But in Liberal, Kansas, the day before Lent means just one thing – it’s Pancake Day.

On Shrove Tuesday the race gcommences, with the overall score standing at 37 wins for Liberal and 26 for Olney. In 1980 the score didn't count, because a media truck blocked the finish line in Olney.

It all started in 1950 from a magazine picture of the Olney women racing each other to the church. Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete contacted the Rev. Ronald Collins, Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul's church in Olney, challenging their women to race against women of Liberal.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back more than 500 years to 1445. A woman engrossed in using up cooking fats (forbidden during Lent) was making pancakes. Hearing the church bells ring calling everyone to the shriving service, she grabbed her head scarf (required in church) and ran to the church, skillet and pancake in hand and still apron-clad. In following years, neighbors got into the act and it became a race to see who could reach the church first and collect a "Kiss of Peace" from the verger (bell-ringer.) The kiss is still the traditional prize in both races.

The friendly little competition between Liberal, Kansas, and Olney, England, with women running down the streets of each town flipping pancakes, has been going on for more than 60 years now. It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.

Racers must still wear a head scarf and apron and the runner must flip her pancake at the starting signal, and again after crossing the finish line, to prove she still has her pancake.

One of the more unusual geocaches...

3 golf balls in a nest with a note:

 Don't Let the Roadrunner Scare You

The cache log was under the straw/grass in the nest.

We were 'sent' to a tree to find a cache.

As we moved the branches, we saw this bird.

It startled me as I was expecting it to fly out, in my face,

until I realized it was plastic. The log was hidden inside

 the bird which was clipped to the branch.

I gotta get me some of these!

The weather is changing up north. Tomorrow might be our 

last day of geocaching until summer as it looks like winter

continues to make its way through the upper mid-west.

By the way, I am 23 shy of my 1000th find!

Hubby is a couple hundred short of 2000.