I woke up and it was -6 degrees, which is very unusual for Kansas.  Just when I thought I had my route planned to avoid the Midwest winters.  I had to rush from my car to the door of my new job because it was unbearably cold.  It was no longer than 2 minutes of being a Meatpacker that I observed slaughtering of a cow.  “I can’t believe I’m getting myself into this,” I said to myself.  It was something that I didn’t want to witness, but it’s a career that people have.  I just saw the cow dangling by two legs upside down and was speechless.  I didn’t want to get too close, so I observed from the window.  The head was cut off to drain all the blood and there was lots of it.  The limbs were next to go and then the skinning was done by three butchers.  Then they split the center of the cow with a saw to take the intestines.  It probably takes about an hour to treat each cow at Farview Farms, but bigger plants can treat 500 an hour. 

Once they are treated, they are brought into the freezer waiting to be processed to eat.  Most of the meat is processed for individuals who submit their own cattle, hogs, or deer.  This is the busiest time of the year because of the hunting and holiday seasons.  There’s much more to learn and experience…….

December 21, 2008

Driving to Kansas was a day to remember.  I left Albuquerque early in the morning to explore Santa Fe.  Who knew there were first-class ski resorts in Northern New Mexico?  I heard Taos is one of the best ski valleys in the country.  I didn’t have time to check it out, but many people suggested for me to come back.  Taos will probably be my next ski destination. 

I also heard that I should check out the Wizard of Oz Museum in Liberal, Kansas.  If I stopped to eat something, the museum would’ve been closed.  I drove 350 miles without stopping to just to catch the last 10 minutes of the tour.  It’s only worth driving 350 miles without stopping to eat if you’re a huge Wizard of Oz fan.  I wish that I would’ve stopped to eat something. 

I continued driving even though I wanted Liberal, Kansas to be my resting point.  I heard the weather was bad in the Midwest, so I took advantage of the sunny drive that I was having.  As I kept driving east, I noticed the temperature rapidly change.  I remember leaving Albuquerque at 48 degrees and by the time I was in the middle of Kansas, it was 9 degrees.  I started looking for places to eat along highway 54, but nothing.  There were lots of small towns, but they had no places to eat.  I actually heard one of the larger cities; Greensburg was demolished by a tornado a year ago.  I had to keep driving until I finally found a town called Pratt.  There was one place to eat and it was a bar.  It reminded me of my days in Wyoming.  There were not many menu options, which reminded me of my days in Iowa.  I had my first Kansas hamburger, which was really fitting because I am meatpacking this week.