Day Two

Sly's Trip to Denver
Powered by E-85

Overland Park, KS to Hays, KS

270 mi | 4 hours 8 mins

The second day of my trip is kind of an interesting one because my next two cities, if combined, would equal Madison. I first entered Lawrence, KS, which is home to Kansas University. A big University that also has a great Ag School like so many in Wisconsin. My firstfill-up was at Zarco 66 not to be confused with Phillips 66 which was next door. This was the Rosetta Stone of gas stations. Not only did they have E-85 but every other possible boutique fuel, even bio-diesel. I even used their environmentally conscience car wash, they probably don’t see many Suburbans venture through there. Again the fuel was much cheaper than standard petroleum. The E-85 website has been a big help finding these great stations. Most of them are convenient to the interstates or major highways.

My next stop was to the Kansas’ State Capitol in Topeka which is only about twenty miles west of Lawrence. I decided to visit their State Capitol, which I’ve been to before but I wanted to see if the National Media was hanging out watching for Governor Kathleen Sebelius. As it turned out she’d been at the Capitol early that morning so I must of just missed her. They offer a tour of the Capitol which includes a climb to the tiptop of the dome. I’m kind of a big load to be climbing up winding, tiny steps but Carl my tour guide was very reassuring and the view was worth it. As I looked out over the Kansas horizon and saw the grain, soybeans, and corn silos I realized how important agriculture, including ethanol, was to the Kansas economy. After I left Topeka, with my knees still shaking, I continued my drive west, topping off the tank in Salina at the Bosselman Travel Center which I believe is a division of Sinclair. As I was filling up my tank another woman filling her suburban with E-85 saw my Brewer t-shirt and asked me how I liked E-85. She was about to take a trip herself and wanted to know how to find stations around the Country. I told her about the website e85refueling.com. She mentioned that ethanol had been a godsend during a tough economy. As the sun was setting, I ended up in Hayes, KS where the next chapter of my trip to the Democratic National Convention begins.