By Ron Moore
Stafford County truck driver and columnist
Special to the Tribune

A few Saturdays ago, I had to attend a company safety meeting in Sabetha, KS. My wife and oldest granddaughter, Aspen, went with me. Normally, after the meeting is over, we go to the Cracker Barrel in Junction City and then go shopping in Salina.

I asked Aspen if she would like to visit the center of the United States. To clarify, this is the center of the lower 48 states. She was eager to go, so we drove two and a half hours to Lebanon, KS.

I’ve driven past the road sign north of town many times and always wondered if a semi-truck could make it down the blacktop road. I would never try it, but the thought was intriguing. The farther west we drove, the less traffic we saw.

Aspen asked, “Are we the only ones out here?” She had noticed that we rarely saw any oncoming vehicles.

We finally made it to the center of the United States. This isn’t a place where you stay for long. You look at the monuments, read the plaques, and step inside the small church.

With a preacher and six people, the church would be full. If you added a piano or organ, the service would have to be held outside. A sign nearby reads, “Restrooms are at the Lebanon City Park.” I have no idea where their park is located.

I told my wife that once we passed Seneca, KS, there were no McDonald’s restaurants until Bennett, CO—458 miles away. The same goes for Walmart; the nearest ones are in Marysville, KS, and Aurora, CO—452 miles apart.

There is a vast stretch of land in northwest Kansas, eastern Colorado, and southern Nebraska that lacks the stores we take for granted. Dollar General seems to be filling the gap in many towns.

I asked my wife if she would like to move up there. I already knew the answer, but she didn’t hesitate: “NO!” She’s hooked on Walmart, and the granddaughters would definitely miss McDonald’s. You can’t get a Happy Meal anywhere close to the center of the United States.