Cupcakes and Kansas

Today marks the start of my last week in Kansas, so my mom and I decided to be tourists. We drove through the Kansas landscape listening to ABBA- lots of corn and hay, and ended up in the charming little town of Weston, MO. We went hiking in Weston Bend State Park, had a picnic lunch of cupcakes, and shopped around historic Weston. It's a fantastic day trip, and for me it was a great little goodbye to my state.

We went to Fou Cakes Bakery in Leavenworth and picked up a couple treats. We chose Butter Pecan, Lemony Lemon, Strawberry Rhubarb, and Maple Bacon. They were absolutely delicious! We brought them to a little picnic area in the state park and snacked in the sunshine. I couldn't pick which one I wanted to try first!

Bacon, obviously.

Then we headed up to the scenic overlook, on the bluffs over the Missouri River.

The park was full of dragonflies, butterflies, and these cool little iridescent green bugs.

The trail was beautiful and not too difficult. We took the West Bend trail overlooking the river, and lucked out with the best weather of the entire summer! It took about an hour up and back, I would definitely recommend it.

After the hike we blasted our air conditioning and drove over to the main street of Weston, a gorgeous little town that feels like it was plucked right out of the fifties. It's a great place for antiques and food, and right around the corner are some vineyards and breweries with quaint bed and breakfasts all around. The town would be great for a weekend minibreak.

My favorite store was The Celtic Ranch, an Irish themed shop full of treasures! There are whiskey tastings, kilts, beautiful jewelry, and Celtic music plays as you peruse the various themed shot glasses, rings, and hand-tooled bracelets.

The biggest surprise was walking into the back room and finding the most adorable mini-horse in the world! His name is Half Pint McGee (although I keep thinking of him as Lil' Sebastian, anyone?) and he was just munching on hay surrounded by racks of earrings and necklaces.

The staff was so friendly and helpful! If you're ever in the area you should definitely go check the Celtic Ranch out- I escaped with a boot-shaped shot glass and some Cupid's arrow earrings although I could have easily spent my entire paycheck.

After shopping, we headed over to the Main Street Galleria. They have a retro shop full of vintage tin signs, funky jewelry, the biggest selection of fudge I've ever seen, and an old fashioned soda fountain. I got a cherry malt and brought it upstairs to their restaurant, which looks over Main Street, where my mom had a pulled pork sandwich and I stole bites of baked beans.

It was a wonderful day, and a great new discovery! Too bad I'm leaving in 7 days... Apparently the town has a great activities all through the year, from a pie festival to wine tastings, ice cream socials, and an Irish festival with beer and bands! Head on over when you get the chance.