By Billy Planer

We finally made it to the booming metropolis of Dodge City and had time to swim and hang out before dinner, and then we did what everyone does in Dodge City…we went to Dairy Queen for dessert.

We ended the night with our second discussion and this was on education
reform to prepare the students for their discussions on this topic with both
sides of the necessity and viability of teacher unions. We had watched the movie “Waiting For Superman” earlier in the day and this helped prompt much of this
discussion.

We are on our way to Denver tomorrow!

We started our Independence Day with a discussion on gun control and the second amendment. Rachael, one of our staff members, introduced some news articles about the pros and cons of firearm possession. From there, we expressed our own opinions and concerns regarding the regulating and deregulating of guns.

After the discussion we left Oklahoma City to delve deeper into the heartland of America. We drove a few hours to Dodge City, Kansas. Along the way we watched the documentary “Bowling For Columbine.” This movie discussed the topic of guns which we were concerned with earlier. A few hours later, we stopped in the middle of a wheat field to stretch our legs and take in the vastness of middle America. We played frisbee and football in the field.

When we arrived at the hotel, we had some free time to relax and swim. We also brought in dinner and then went to see the big fireworks display. Unfortunately, it was storming and the city’s fireworks show was canceled but we were able to stand underneath an overhang and watch fireworks being set off by some locals.

On Sunday we drove from Oklahoma City to Dodge City. We began the day by having a group discussion on health care in America to prepare ourselves for the meetings we have coming up in Denver. We hit the road and drove for about 45 minutes before stopping for lunch. Then we continued the drive and watched the movie “Sicko” about the health care industry. At some point we stopped on the side of the road and just walked around the wide open space that is Kansas and Middle America. It was a sight that many of us city kids have not experienced before.

a quick stop to see the wide open land in the middle of Kansas

making wheat angels in Kansas

Once we got to Dodge City, we went swimming and had free time for a while before we had dinner. After dinner we went to one of the main attractions of Dodge City…the Dairy Queen. When we got back to the hotel one of our staff members, Nat, led a discussion on gay marriage to prepare us for our meeting with the religious right in Denver.

Today we woke up and went to breakfast and hit the road from Dodge City.  It was a bit of a trip but nothing that we can’t handle.  Many people, including myself, were sleeping.  It was a good time to catch up on some of it.  I was woken up for lunch at Subway, another thing that we are use to.  For the rest of the trip we watched a controversial movie about gun control called “Bowling For Columbine.”  This movie was FAR to the left.  We finally got to Colorado and the Second Harvest Food Bank.  We got a tour and some insight into the inner workings of the organization. We also learned some of the disturbing statistics of how many people in the United States are going hungry. Many of us were shocked that a country with so much could have so many in need. They told us that 1 out of every 8 people is food insecure in America. We also learned that they can feed a family for $1 a day at the food bank.

Later we had free time on Denver’s 16th Street Mall.  The area was basically a tourist attraction.  There were a lot of interesting shops and I bought a few souvenirs.  For dinner we went to, in my opinion, the best grill we have ever been to.  I enjoyed the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich for my meal, it was the best I ever had.

Lastly, we went to an amusement park for a few hours.  At first glance the park looked like it was geared towards little children, but after one trip on the drop tower, it was apparent that there was more to it.  I went on a variety of rides and some made me feel sick because of the gravity’s force.  After my stomach settled, I went on the bumper cars for the rest of the time.  I was able to get Nat, one of the staff, to help in the sandwiching of the car of another camper.  We all lost track of time so we had to run to the bus.  By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted so we all went to bed, but not me, I had to type this journal.

This morning wake up was at 9 AM which is a little later than the usual time. At 10 AM we met with Ezra, our staff member, to discuss the issue of gun control in America. The discussion reviewed many of the key points for and against gun control. The word “freedom” was brought up frequently throughout the discussion.

After our meeting we boarded the bus for the ride to Dodge City, Kansas. After a fast paced first week today was going to be a low key and relaxed travel day. Something we were all looking forward to.

We stopped for lunch at IHOP and then got back on the bus to watch the movie “Sicko,” a Michael Moore documentary about health care in America. The purpose of watching the movie was to prepare us for our meeting with Kaiser Permanente in a few days in Denver to hear their side of the debate.

A few hours later we arrived in Dodge City, cleaned the bus and then went swimming as well as had dinner. After dinner we went to Dairy Queen where we all enjoyed ice cream which was delicious.

When we got back to the hotel, Amy, another staff member, led a discussion in which we debated the issue of should America have universal health care. The discussion was very informative and made the issue easy to understand.

It is hard to believe that we have been on this journey for a week now and that last week at this time we were just meeting each other for the first time!

Tomorrow we continue on the road and head to Denver, Colorado.