Wichita, Kansas

 

 

click photo to enlarge		 In Wichita we quickly learned that Wichita proudly calls itself the Air Capital of the World, and for good reason — it’s been a major hub for aircraft manufacturing for nearly a century. Companies like Beechcraft, Cessna, Learjet, and Boeing all built planes here. One of Boeing’s old plants is now owned by Spirit AeroSystems, which still builds fuselages for Boeing and Airbus. We drove past the Spirit plant one day, and it was absolutely enormous — easily the largest manufacturing facility I’ve ever seen.

click photo to enlarge		 While in town, we visited the iconic Keeper of the Plains statue, which stands where the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers meet. It’s an impressive sight — especially with the river flowing below and the surrounding walking bridges. Right next door is the Mid-America All-Indian Center, which features some beautiful Native American artwork and exhibits. Another highlight was Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, a stunning botanical garden filled with flowers, trees, and pollinator gardens. I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with my new phone camera on this trip — especially for close-ups of bugs, butterflies, and plants. It’s amazing how well it zooms in; I don’t even need to lug around my heavy camera gear anymore to get good shots!

click photo to enlarge