Kansas

 

Mushroom Rock State Park

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

K.S.A. 2019 §§22-4901 through 22-4913.

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial reg., visitors and updates. §22-4905.  “Reside” defined as 3 “consecutive days or parts of days” in one location, or 10 days in a period of 30 consecutive days.  §22-4902(j). Transients must register every 30 days. §22-4905.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None, and local residence restrictions are expressly prohibited by K.S.A. §22-4913.

Duration & updates:

15 years to life.  Updates are required quarterly in specific months per. K.S.A. §22-4905.

One of two well-preserved 19th Century houses at the Mennonite Heritage Museum

Most recent visit: June 2023

Kansas and Nebraska’s laws both trigger their registration requirements on the third business day in-state, which is a very short time period, and as in many states partial days also count.  In Kansas, however, the law also specifies not more than 10 days in a period of 30 consecutive days.  

There is some good news for registered travelers in both of these states – neither has statewide presence or residency restrictions, and both have statutes preempting local residency restrictions (except in certain narrow circumstances in Nebraska only).  That means you can visit these states without fear of tripping over any state or local laws.

In June 2023 I passed through Kansas on the return leg of my trip to Houston, TX where I attended the annual NARSOL conference.  Entering the state from the south on I-35 late in the afternoon my first priority was to find an off-brand motel to stay overnight, but in doing so I knew that partial day would be counted against me in Kansas, leaving me with just the following day to see whatever I could and get out of Dodge (so to speak) without triggering an obligation to register.

The next morning I noticed a place called “Mennonite Heritage Museum” in the little town of Goessel, KS.  The museum itself wasn’t much – but! – surrounding the museum is the best collection of relocated local historic buildings I think I’ve ever seen. Two barns full of antique farm equipment, two houses filled with period late 19th and early 20th Century furnishings, a bank building in much better shape than the one I’d seen at the Chisholm Trail Museum the day before, and two schools(!).  All meticulously maintained.  I now consider this to be a Must See stop for any Kansas traveler, registered or not.

From Goessel I moseyed across rural Kansas until I came to Mushroom Rock State Park, where I ate lunch at a picnic table among the strange rock formations.  Then it was an afternoon of roadside attractions – World’s Largest Czech Egg in Wilson, Garden of Eden house in Lucas, and World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City (very close to the Geographic Center of the Coterminous U.S. in Lebanon).

Before heading northeast into Nebraska on U.S. 81 I made one last stop at the Pawnee Indian Museum.  I arrived just as the one employee there was locking up at 5 pm but he very kindly re-opened for a few minutes so I could walk through the museum, then trusted me to walk the outdoor educational trail by myself while he went home.  Not the best Native American museum I’ve seen.

Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, KS

In 2022 I embarked on a one week adventure to see two states – Nebraska and Kansas – which I had driven through before but never slowed down enough to really see any of.  When I did slow down I was pleasantly surprised.

To get around the three day limit (with 3rd day trigger) discussed above, I planned my trip to include Memorial Day weekend, which meant I’d have three non-business days to split between the two states to lengthen my stay in each.  I entered Kansas near its remote northwest corner from Nebraska early on the Memorial Day holiday, so that day didn’t count.  Tuesday and Wednesday would count, and Thursday would trigger my obligation to register so I needed to be gone by then.

The first point of interest I came to was the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center in the town of Oakley, but unfortunately it was closed on Memorial Day. Continuing south I came to Monument Rocks, an interesting outcrop out in the middle of nowhere.  

One of Kansas’ more famous Wild West towns is Dodge City, which has done everything possible to play up its notoriety for tourists.  I visited the “historic downtown” and the Boot Hill Museum, which includes a reconstructed Old West Main Street, church and blacksmith shop and a small part of what they claim is the original Boot Hill Cemetery. Turning north on Us 283 I eventually found a campground with bathroom and shower facilities at Cedar Bluff State Park.

Massive barbed wire exhibit at the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

On Day 2 (business day #1) my first stop was in the small town of LaCrosse, where they have four little museums all next door to each other – most notably the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum(!).  Strange but interesting.  Also a Post Rock Museum, where I picked up a brochure that offered a guided tour of Kansas’s “post rock country.”  This tour took me northeast through tiny towns until I arrived at Rock City, a geologic curiosity just outside the town of Minneapolis (KS).  Worth the stop!

From there I traveled to Abilene, where a brochure promised a train ride on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad … but unfortunately this train only runs on weekends and it was a Tuesday.  Right across the rail line, however, sits the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home.  It was late and closed for the day, the boyhood home was fenced off for renovations, and this wasn’t the type of site I’d normally be interested in, but I walked around the grounds and took some photos.

Day 3 (business day#2) began with a stop at Alcove Spring Park, just outside the town of Blue Rapids. The spring was an Oregon Trail watering hole.  Then on to Marysville and the Pony Express Barn & Museum, home of “the only remaining Pony Express station building.”  Then on to Topeka, and north again on my way to Omaha.  I was out of the state as planned by about 2:00 pm.

  Oklahoma

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

Oklahoma Statutes 2021; 21 Okl. Stat. §1125;57 Okl. Stat. §§581 through 590.2

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Three days for initial registration.  Three business days for address change and other.

Visitors NOTE: Oklahoma is a “dual registry state.” Per OK Notice of Duty.pdf: 

(1) ODOC registration required within 2 days of entry into Oklahoma if intending to remain in state for 5 consecutive days or longer (includes arrival day), employed more than 5 cumulative days in any 60 day period, and/or enrolled as a student.

(2) local law enforcement registration required within 3 days of entering jurisdiction with intent to reside for more than 7 consecutive days or 14 days in a 60-day period (includes arrival day), employed full or part-time, and/or enrolled as a full or part-time student. 

See sexoffenderregistration@DOC.OK.gov “Notice of Duty”

Shorter registration periods apply to out-of-state registrants with spouses residing in state.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction: 2,000 ft. from school, “educational institution,” campsite used for children, parks, and day care facilities.  §57-590.  Registrants are also banned from living in the same dwelling.  §57-590.1. 

Per OK Notice of Duty.pdf, residence restriction applies to persons “subject to registration due to an Oklahoma sentence or due to entry into Oklahoma,” 

implying that this restriction does not apply to visitors not yet required to register. See sexoffenderregistration@DOC.OK.gov “Notice of Duty”

Presence restriction: may not loiter w/in 500 ft. of school, child care center, playground, or park if convicted for offense involving a minor.  “Habitual or aggravated sex offenders” may not enter park.  §21-1125.  Certain exceptions exist to loitering restriction.

Duration & updates:

15 years to life. §57-583(C). Petition to remove – 10 years.

My favorite art at the Southern Plains Indian Museum, called "Our Monsoon Dazzler"

Most recent visit: June 2023

Before you visit Oklahoma please the Visitors Note above.  Oklahoma is unique among all states in that it is a “dual registry state.”  And what exactly does that mean?  It means that if you enter Oklahoma you will be subject not just to the statewide registries that apply in all other states but also to a “local registry” in the city or county in which you find yourself.  Any failure to follow the many requirements of either of these two registries is a violation that could land you in prison.  Therefore you should be careful not to exceed the number of days that would trigger a requirement to register in either of these two registries.  

Per OK Notice of Duty.pdf: 

(1) ODOC registration required within 2 days of entry into Oklahoma if intending to remain in the state for 5 consecutive days or longer (includes arrival day), employed more than 5 cumulative days in any 60 day period, and/or enrolled as a student.

(2) Local law enforcement registration required within 3 days of entering jurisdiction with intent to reside for more than 7 consecutive days or 14 days in a 60-day period (includes arrival day), employed full or part-time, and/or enrolled as a full or part-time student.

Therefore the two most important numbers to keep in mind are:  Five, which is the number of consecutive days (including partial days) in Oklahoma which would trigger an obligation to register with the state; and seven, which is the number of consecutive days (including partial days) in any locality which would trigger an obligation to register with that locality.

However, as horrible as those numbers are, Oklahoma’s statewide registry sets no limit on number of days per month or year, so in theory if you need more time there you could leave the state after four days, stay out for one day and two nights, then return and restart the clock – as long as you stay in a different locality the second time (unless you don’t intend to stay in that first locality more than 14 days in a 60-day period).  Confused yet?

In June 2023 I traveled through Oklahoma for my very first time, on the return leg of my trip to the NARSOL national conference in Houston, TX.  Entering from the south on I-35 I stopped at the Visitors Center to pick up brochures and maps.  I figured, as many of you might, that this must be a good state to do Reservation Tourism.  

I was surprised to learn that there are absolutely no reservations in Oklahoma – not one!  However, each tribe has a fairly meaningless “designated area” and many tribes own big tracts of land in their own names – and that of course has more meaning than anything else here in America.  There are also a lot of tribal visitor centers, cultural centers and museums to visit, so I made it a point to stop at those.  

One thing I could not do is go to any state or local park, because my offense was an internet offense involving minors.  But even if it wasn’t I still would not be allowed to “reside” within 2000 feet of any “campsite used for children” (whatever that means) or park.  Now, as noted above, per the publication OK Notice of Duty.pdf, residence restrictions only apply to persons “subject to registration due to an Oklahoma sentence or due to entry into Oklahoma,” implying that this restriction does not apply to visitors not yet required to register.  

I was feeling pretty cautious about testing any of these laws out, I was only planning to spend two (partial) days and one night in Oklahoma, and the temperature was over 100 degrees and thus completely unsuitable for camping, so I didn’t have to anyway.  Out of an abundance of caution I did not visit Turner Falls State Park, “home of Oklahoma’s largest waterfall.”

Stafford Air & Space Museum, Weatherford OK

Places I did visit included:  Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center, Anadarko National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians, Southern Plains Indian Museum (very cool), Chisolm Trail Museum, and Cherokee Strip Museum.  I also visited the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, OK, dedicated to local boy and Apollo moon-landing astronaut Tom Stafford, home to all his personal papers and space memorabilia as well as a whole lot of really neat air and space exhibits.

By the time I left the Cherokee Strip Museum it was late in the afternoon of (partial) Day 2.  I crossed over into Kansas, where it was still over 90 degrees and way too hot for camping.

 Texas

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

Tex. Code Crim. Proc. 2020 §62.001 through 62.408

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Registration required for residence of “more than 7 days,” and must register by the 7th day.  Updates after 7 days.  §§62.051, 62.055.

Transient registrants must report every 30 days. §62.051.  Resident registrants making three or more visits of 48 consecutive hours duration to a TX municipality or county other than place of permanent registration must report to local law enforcement. §62.059.

Visitors must register by “the 7th day after the person’s arrival in the municipality or county.”  §62.051(a).  Per the Texas SOR office, this means a visiting registrant who never remains in any one locality more than six consecutive days isn’t required to register. This SOR office info confirmed April 2021.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

No state-wide restrictions, but local residence and presence restrictions, where applicable, do apply to not-yet-registered visiting offenders. For example, San Antonio has a presence restriction applying to parks.  This means you will not be able to set foot in the Riverwalk during your visit.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Annual updates.

An eclipse epic fail: April 2024 

If you read about my June 2023 visit (below) you might notice I mentioned an old friend who lives in Houston.  Well one thing we agreed upon while having lunch was that we should go together to see the solar eclipse the following April.  I let my old friend take charge of finding a hotel room for the night before and the viewing site itself – which turned out to be Uvalde, TX.

On this trip I flew from Orlando to Houston, and while in Texas my friend did all the driving (he is a terrible driver but I’m relieved to say I’m still alive).  NO, I was not required to give my sheriff’s department in Florida any flight info at all.  That only applies to international travel.  Also NO, I was not required to give them any information about my friend’s name or his car.  It’s out of state so it’s none of their business. 

However, YES I had to register my friend’s Texas address as a “temporary address” and destination.  Some registrants I speak to are concerned about the consequences of registering this information.  In the case of Florida’s registry, his address temporarily appeared on the FL SOR public website on my day of arrival, and them magically disappeared when I left.  The good news was my old friend didn’t freak out about that.

The bad news was that on eclipse day it was cloudy and threatening rain all over Texas! Where we were in downtown Uvalde the sun peaked out momentarily just about 30 seconds before totality.  It was impressive but not total, and then it was gone and a few seconds later it got dark but we couldn’t see anything.  Uggh!

Previous visit: June 2023

June 2023 was my second trip to Texas since I have been a registered citizen, and both times I was there for the same reason – to attend the annual NARSOL national conference being held in Houston.  This was my third conference and second in Houston, and by this time all the conference organizers and NARSOL board members know who I am.  I set up my display table near the registration desk to distribute handouts and advertise this travel blog and answer the travel questions of conference attendees.  I was also the featured speaker at a breakout session on travel.  And as always I learned a lot at the conference and had the opportunity to meet some of the most prominent registry reform advocates in the U.S.

Oh well! You can't visit Riverwalk while you're in San Antonio.

Texas has no statewide presence or residency restrictions, but like so many other states it has local residence and presence restrictions, and where applicable they do apply to not-yet-registered visiting offenders. For example, one conference participant pointed out that San Antonio has a presence restriction applying to parks.  This means if the NARSOL conference had been in San Antonio none of us registrants would have able to set foot in the Riverwalk during our visit.

I assume the conference organizers did their research into Texas’ laws applying to visiting registrants to assure that no one would be precluded from attending. The conference lasted from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon, so four days total including partial days which as I have said many times you should always assume are included.  Fortunately Texas law allows up to six days in any municipality or county without triggering registration (the seventh day triggers).

There is a quirk in the way Texas (or at least the Texas state SOR office) interprets its law that registered travelers should be aware of.  Texas is one of quite a few states whose registry laws are written to say that visitors must register by “the [insert # of days here] day after the person’s arrival in the municipality or county.”  §62.051(a).  Quite a few states have this type of language because, as you can imagine, state legislators don’t invent their own statutes out of whole cloth when writing registry laws. No, they look at what some other states are doing and copy what they like best.

In reading this language you might feel justified in believing that what starts the clock ticking towards your obligation to register would be your arrival in a specific municipality or county, rather than the simple act of crossing the state line.  But NO.  Every state (other than Texas) that has this type of language interprets it to mean the clock starts ticking when you arrive in their state, and continues to tick for as long as you are in the state no matter what municipality or county you happen to be in.  That’s why, for every other state, my advice to you is to assume that the number of days stated in the statute applies statewide.

However, I have called the Texas SOR office to ask this specific question twice, nine months apart, and spoken to two different people (I know they were different people because one was a man and the other was a woman) who both gave me the same answer:  Texas interprets its statutory language exactly as written. The clock starts when you arrive in any given county or municipality.  If you move on to some other county or municipality before your six days are up, the clock starts again.

Dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Valley State Park.

Obvious, yes, super impressive, no.

On this trip I entered Texas (from Arkansas) on Wednesday afternoon and that started the six day clock.  Texas was in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave and it was way too hot to camp, so after visiting Dinosaur Valley State Park I stayed at a cheap motel in Kilgore.  The next day I had a lunch date with an old friend of mine (we first met in 6th grade) who now lives in Houston before proceeding to the conference hotel.  According to the information from the SOR office, my Kilgore clock had stopped at two (partial) days, and my Houston clock now started. 

The NARSOL conference lasted until Sunday morning, so that was four days on my Houston clock, but five days (including partial days) since entering the state of Texas.  Upon leaving the conference I hooked up with my old friend again for lunch, this time meeting his wife for the first time, before heading off into the Texas countryside.  Because of the broiling heat wave I again stayed at on off-brand motel, this time in the little town of Lampasas. 

According to the information from the SOR office, my Houston clock had stopped at four days (including partials) and my Lampasas clock now started.  However, when I woke up the next morning from my restful night’s sleep I was starting Day 6 since entering the state, and the question still arises whether you or I should believe anything two random people at the Texas state SOR office told me.  Do you or I really want to be the first registrant to test these statements and risk getting a much different interpretation from the next Lampasas County sheriff’s deputy that pulls you over for having a blown taillight? 

My answer to that question is definitely not.  That’s why, after stopping near Fort Worth to have lunch with my son and his new wife (who I was also meeting for the first time) I zoomed north on I-35, jumping from the frying pan of Texas into the fire of Oklahoma before the afternoon was over.

  Arkansas

The "Grand Canyon of Arkansas" near the town of Jasper

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

A.C.A. 2019 §§ 5-14-128 through 5-14-134, §9-27-356, §§ 12-12-901 through

12-12-926, §12-12-1513, 004 00 C.A.R.R. 002, 172 00 C.A.R.R. 014.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residency” includes 5 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  §12-12-903(10) & state policy. SOR office says 6th day triggers obligation to register. Updated Aug. 2024.  If relocating within state, register 10 days before or 3 business days after an eviction or natural disaster.  Homeless registrants report every 30 days. §§12-12-904, 12-12-909.

Sexually Violent Offenders report every 3 mo. All others report every 6 mo. §§12-12-909, 12-12-919.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  L3 & L4 offenders: 2,000 ft. of elementary or secondary school, public park, day care center, youth center, also 2,000 ft. of victim.

L4 offenders: 2,000 ft. of a church.

Presence restriction:  L3 & L4 offenders: may not knowingly enter a swimming area, water park, or playground in a state park. §15-14-134.  May not enter schools in certain circumstances. §§5-14-132 through 5-14-134.

NOTE: Per Arkansas SOR office, visitors aren’t bound by these restrictions until required to register – because that’s when they will assign an offense level.

NOTE: Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED. (per Rolfe Survey and confirmed by state SOR office). $250 one time registry fee.

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition after 15 yrs. except SVP

Most recent visit: June 2023

Arkansas, home of the Ozarks, Hot Springs and many historic sites, has much to recommend it as a travel and vacation destination. However, as a registered person you’ll need to be careful about planning your trip there because you only get five days aggregate per calendar year before you have to register. Furthermore, if you re-read the language above you’ll see that it says “‘residency’ includes 5 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.” In other words, the 5th day triggers the registration requirement, so you really only get four days. And as always, one should always assume that partial days will count toward the total.

Last but certainly not least, Arkansas is one of about 15 U.S. states where, according to the Rolfe survey and confirmed for me by the very friendly lady at the state SOR office, if you screw up and wind up on their registry, YOU ARE NEVER REMOVED when you leave. And like most of those 15 states, Arkansas is a LIFETIME registry state no matter your offense or tier level. So please plan your trip to Arkansas very carefully.

The silver lining is that, because Arkansas’ onerous presence and residency requirements apply only to “Level 3 & 4” registrants, and because these tier levels are only assigned after registration, they can’t very well apply them to you as a short term (four days or less) visitor, now can they? This was also confirmed for me by the nice lady at the SOR office.

I passed through Arkansas most recently in June 2023 on my way to the NARSOL Conference in Houston.  Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas are cave and cavern country, so I left I-49 while still in Missouri looking for a candidate cavern from among those in a brochure called “Explore the Caves of the Ozarks” available at the Visitor Centers of both states.

Hot Springs National Park

I decided on Cosmic Cavern, which is on the Arkansas side.  Sadly, if you want to see how stupid people have been with our natural treasures Cosmic Cavern could be Exhibit #1.  Discovered by Europeans in 1835, their first impulse wasn’t to preserve it but to mine it (for Onyx, so Henry Ford could make cool-looking gear shift knobs), so most of the formations have been destroyed.  Early souvenir hunters broke off most of the stalactites.  They chased the bats away by throwing flaming barrels of oil down into the cavern, barbequing what was left of it.

However, at the far end of cavern you will see what they call “the OMG room,” only discovered in the 1990’s.  It really is stunningly beautiful.  But then you realize that’s what the entire cavern must’ve looked like before we humans got our hands on it.  I wanted to cry.

The following morning I took scenic byways through the national forests on my way to Hot Springs and it was amazing.  Hot Springs is a Late Victorian Era resort town based around the idea that bathing in hot mineral spas was healthy for you.  Now it’s a national park and many of the buildings, walkways and mineral pools have been restored for your enjoyment.  It’s great! but then it was time to hop on I-30 and head for Texas.

In late March 2022 I spent most of two days in Arkansas.  Entering from Mississippi I stopped at a Welcome Center on US 65 and picked up a bunch of brochures as I always do.  The first thing that caught my eye was the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff.  Yes, if you’ve been reading my blogs you already know I’m a big historic train ride and railroad history buff. . This museum is real stand-out, housed in an enormous railhead warehouse.  Lots to see, but no train ride.  Be careful though – it’s only open Thurs-Sat 10:00-2:00.  I showed up at 1:20 pm!

Next stop was the Arkansas River Trail in Downtown Little Rock.  Here I ran into a problem – it’s very long.  The Main Loop is 16 miles all together.  I’m sure it’s beautiful, and I’m sure there must be somewhere to rent a bike for the day, but it was late afternoon so I was out of options.  Note to self: If you want to try that again, get there in the morning!  Once I left Little Rock I camped at Lake Sylvia in Quachita National Forest.  Beautiful, close to the city and has hot showers! Yey!

My second day on that trip I was lured up to Witt Springs, home of the Richland Waterfalls Welcome Center.  Supposedly they have 35 beautiful waterfalls in close proximity, but the problem is not one of them has a trail going to it nor any sign telling you where they are.  Instead the brochure gives you GPS coordinates and you are expected to bushwhack!  Well I didn’t have time for that so I had to bail. 

Mammoth Spring State Park

Instead I proceeded to the Ozark Folk Center, which is a state park in the town of Mountain View.  It includes an educational Craft Village, or at least it must be educational except that it was not scheduled to open for the season until April 15.  Oh well.

Time to go find a campground out of state.  But in the last town in Arkansas I found Mammoth Spring State Park, home of its namesake spring which flows 10 million gallons per hour into Spring Lake, and the Spring River.  I spent a waning hour of daylight on that second day walking the interpretive trail which includes a historic train depot museum (but it was closed). 

Then POOF!  I was in Missouri.