1027.2 MILES:Nothing breaks up a long drive like a quick game of 80-mile-per-hour chess. I told John if he won, he could drive the next leg.

1,000 MILES: Rather than another picture of a long straight road, here’s a shot of the OTHER thing that pulls us off the road. (see earlier posts for the first thing) Creamy and delicious. John gets the chocolate because he knows I won’t ask for a sip. Tricky boy.

977.3 MILES: You gotta love a state with a 75 mile an hour limit. The discrete differences from state to state are interesting. Looking back, the word that best describes Kansas is “tidy.” Everything was just so nicely done. Here in Colorado, it’s just a long narrow strip of concrete slicing across the plains.

880.5 MILES: Skipping across Kansas, I saw a set of spires rising on the horizon. Then, a sign confirmed my suspicion: a Catholic church. A magestic sanctuary, Sacred Heart Church in Park, Kansas was built in 1921. I am such a sucker for a big, old Catholic church. So, the kids waited while I snapped a bunch of shots on the Nikon and will post them later. For now, here’s the view that lured me off freeway and timeline. I hope this reallllly wide shot communicates the isolation of the place.

831.0 MILES: Look in any direction and you get the same view. While we’ve seen many beautiful rises and bluffs, we’re closing in on the Colorado border and the terrain is flattening out. Just to mark this important moment we pulled over for a quick pic. Just another 374 miles to Cheyenne.