Just North of Kansas City, Actually

I ended up spending most of the weekend in Atchison, KS, stopping in Kansas City only to rent a car and then to drop it off at the airport.

If you're old enough, you probably know Atchison from the song, On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe. When I told the 30-something rental car clerk in KC that I was going to Atchison, she gave me a blank look. I said, "You know, like in the song -- the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe." Another blank look, then she drawled, "Well, I got a map to Topeka. I can get you there OK."

If you're an aviation buff or knowledgeable about feminist history, you probably know that Atchison is the hometown of Amelia Earhart, the world's sexiest aviatrix.

Atchison also has block upon block of mid-19th to early 20th-century houses, a lot of which are in decent to excellent condition. And I forgot to bring my digital camera.

I know you're all just broken up that I don't have pictures of old houses in Atchison.

Hah! Don't despair. I bought two disposable cameras, and will have pictures for you soon! -- not only of the houses, but of a really nice mid-century modern Benedictine church done by one of Frank Lloyd Wright's students, and of the Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge across the Missouri River.