Larry Hornbaker's Travel Notes

A Day Visiting Historic Places

2011-08-20T23:01:00.001-05:00

My wife Karen and I are doing several quests around Kansas now. This year, we have been wanting to find 150 historic sites, buildings, places, signs, etc within a 150 mile radius of our home in Wichita. This is the 150th anniversary year of Kansas statehood, so we call this quest 150 times 3 (150X3).

Due to work schedules and some health issues, we have not been able to do as much towards this quest as I would have liked to this point in the year. Recently, on July 31, we headed out on a day trip south and east of Wichita to add some sites to our completed list.

Tornado memorial in Udall

We began by stopping at the city park in Udall to see the memorial to the people who lost their lives in the massive tornado on May 25, 1955. The tornado struck with almost no warning and killed 87, and injured another 200. Out of this destruction and loss of life came much work towards improving severe storm forecasts and warnings.

We traveled on southeast to the junction of US-166 and K-15 south of Dexter to view the Kansas Historic sign about the discovery of helium in Dexter in 1903. When the town tried to light the natural gas well that were drilled, the flames went out each time. It was discovered the natural gas contained 2% Helium. Helium was first used in balloons in World War I, but many industrial uses were developed also. There was a commercial plant producing helium in Dexter for a number of years.

Hewins Park Pavilion interior view - Cedar Vale

Our next stop as in Cedar Vale in southwest Chautauqua County. We went to Hewins Park at the southeast corner of town to visit the Pavilion there, built in 1913. I found this to be an impressive wood framed building, that the town uses for large group events. It has great ventilation since it is open on 3 sides. A semi-circular stage is at the south end. The concrete floor was added in 1946. The photo shown here is of the impressive arch wood construction of the interior.

Swinging Suspension Bridge in Moline

Our next historic site was in Moline, in Elk County. Here is the oldest swinging pedestrian suspension bridge in Kansas. It was built in 1904. Even though it was a very hot day, we got out and walked across the bridge with our dogs. The creek underneath was completely dry due to the extended drought in Kansas this year.

Grenola Monument

Continuing west on US-160, we pulled into the small town of Grenola in western Elk County. Heading downtown along the railroad track we found a limestone marker with the following statement:

"LONGHORN CATTLE DRIVE
1881 TO 1884 GRENOLA, KANSAS BECAME THE LARGEST SINGLE CATTLE SHIPPING POINT IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE "SOUTHERN KANSAS RAILROAD" WAS BUILT BETWEEN THE TWO SMALL TOWNS OF CANOLA AND GREENFIELD ABOUT 6 MI. APART. THE TWO TOWNS CLOSED RANKS AND TOOK GRENOLA AS THE CITY NAME USING THE "GRE" FROM GREENFIELD
AND "NOLA" FROM CANOLA. AS THIS WAS ABOUT 75 MI. SHORTER DRIVE FOR THE CATTLE, DROVES BEGAN COMING IN"

Also nearby, is a nice mural depicting the cattle drives, and a nice gazeebo. Across the street is the town museum, unique in the fact that it is housed in the old grain elevator. This museum is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Grand Summit Railroad siding

Heading on west on US-160 into Cowley County, we pulled off north to a spot that intrigues me, the Grand Summit railroad siding. This station was active from about 1880 into at least the 1930's, but nothing remains except for a 2 track siding. I've read stories of many cattle being loaded onto rail cars here from the numerous ranches in the area during that time. Now, the area has only a few farms and ranches left. Just east of the station, the railroad crests the summit of the Flint Hills in this area and goes through a rock cut that has yielded fossils. The photo shows the lonely siding.

We were able to visit 6 historic sites during a good day of exploring.

See more of my photos of our 150X3 quest at the following address:

150X3 Quest Photos

Doing Dirt in Norton County

2011-04-10T22:23:00.005-05:00

During a recent trip out of Kansas, Karen and I were able to explore some rural areas of southern and western Norton County in northwest Kansas.

Hills in Southern Norton County

Rummage Sale in Edmond

We came into the county from the south and drove a few miles through the hills east of US-283 till we arrived at the small town of Edmond. Here we found an old wood frame abandoned church, a brick United Methodist church, the remains of an old brick hotel and a store front which seemed to be used for a rummage sale / flea market.

Former Church in Densmore

Then, we traveled east to Densmore where sadly we found a town which has lost its businesses, schools and churches. We noticed the brick school building was being demolished and some abandoned buildings downtown, along with a limestone church. We did notice a few houses where people were still living in town.

Barbeau House in Lenora

After roaming on some dirt roads north of K-9 highway, we ended up at the town of Lenora. Here, we noticed an active downtown business district, a couple of schools, and the beautiful Queen Anne Victorian Barbeau House bed and breakfast.

St Joseph Catholic Church in New Almelo

Next, we drove west to New Almelo, where still stands the beautiful limestone St Joseph Catholic Church, built in 1900. It is an imposing structure which can be seen from quite a distance.

Finally, we drove north through rural areas of the western part of Norton County before taking the highway to the town of Norton for the night. I would still like to explore some of the northern half of the county, so we will likely be back to Norton County again before long.

Rocky outcropping - western Norton County

See more of our photos of Norton County at the following link:

Norton County Dare to Do Dirt photos

New Year's Day in the Gyp HIlls

2011-01-17T11:01:00.001-06:00

One of Kansas's best treasures is the Red Hills physiographic region, which spans parts of up to 7 counties in South Central and South West Kansas. The heart of this area, also known as the Gypsum (or Gyp) Hills is in Barber and Comanche Counties between the towns of Medicine Lodge and Coldwater.

My wife Karen, has wanted to take a trip to this area since she moved to Kansas. When we saw clear sunny weather in the forecast on New Year's Day, we decided to take a day trip to this area. I have been to this area a number of times, but always enjoy going back, especially in different seasons.

On the way to Medicine Lodge, we made stops in Harper and Anthony to observe some murals, the old Runnymede Church, the 9-11 memorial and the Harper County Courthouse in Anthony. Karen has just begun a quest to photograph all the Kansas Courthouses. This will be an ongoing quest as we travel Kansas.

See Karen's Kansas Courthouses photo gallery at:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Karens-Photos/Kansas-Courthouses/Courthouses/14923761_nHowU#1114190037_2jkDR

We left Medicine Lodge heading west on US-160 and turned south onto the 22 mile long Gyp Hills Scenic Drive, which travels through some of the most scenic areas of the Red Hills. Heading south, then west, then back north to US-160, this drive is suitable for all vehicles in good weather, and offers great views all along it's length. Below is a small sampling of photos of this area, taken during my journeys along this road.

Gyp Hills Scenic Drive (Karen's Photo)

Flower Pot Mound (Larry's Photo)

Gyp Hills Scenic Drive (Larry's Photo)

For more information about the Gyp Hills Scenic Drive and related Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway, which together are a winner in the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography, see the Kansas Sampler Foundation's page at:

http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/geographyresults.php?id=249

Dog Creek area - Lake City Road (Karen's Photo)

Leaving the Gyp Hills Scenic Drive at US-160, we headed north on Lake City Road and viewed some of the ruins in Lake City.

From there, we headed east on River Road before turning north on another favorite road, Mingona Road towards the Elm Mills area in northern Barber County.

Approaching thunderstorm on Mingona Rd (Larry's Photo)

We had seen the Flat Ridge Windfarm windmills from Mingona Road, so we backtracked south on US-281, then east and north on Isabel Road to view them up close. By now it was dusk, so we headed north to US-54/400 and back east to Wichita.

To view more photos that Karen and I have taken in the Gyp Hills, see our photo gallery at:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Kansas-Exploring/South-Central-Kansas/Gyp-Hills-Photos/15389857_o5ds6#1151768249_uaNoQ

What a great way to start a new year with a trip to a beautiful area of Kansas!

Labette County Roaming

2010-12-05T15:03:00.001-06:00

At the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, Karen and I had a chance to to some exploring in Labette County in southeast Kansas.

We visited some rural areas of the county as well as towns of Angola, Chetopa, Dennis, Mound Valley, Oswego, Parsons and Valeda.

Oakwood Cemetery - Anteitam Circle

In Parsons we looked over some of the impressive architecture downtown, including churches and the city building. Also in Parsons is the beautiful Oakwood Cemetery with it's Antietam Circle with Civil War Veterans graves.

Osage Indian Village Mural - Oswego

Oswego has a group of nice murals downtown with the highlight being the Osage Indian village mural. The farm scene mural in the Post Office and the railroad mural on a private shed were also beautiful. Also, Riverside Park at the north end of town offers an impressive view of the Neosho River below.

Sinclair Service Station - Chetopa

In Chetopa, we admired the architecture of the old mill at the east edge of town, and the beautiful Sinclair Service Station. The city building downtown has some elegant stained glass in the windows. Also, while in Chetopa, we found a flea market open on the holiday weekend and did some shopping.

In smaller towns, Mound Valley has their old brick city jail out for display and the flagpole at the middle of the downtown intersection. I was also impressed with the decaying abandoned school in Valeda. It must have been quite a building in it's heydey.

Pumpkin Creek Pony Truss Bridge- ca 1932

As always, when exploring rural areas, I try and get a sampling of some historic bridges, and Labette County does have some memorable ones. There is quite a selection of concrete arch bridges dating back as far as about 1915. There is also a few iron pony truss bridges left, with the most impressive one we saw over Pumpkin Creek just west of Angola.

Finally, we had an unexpected surprise when visiting the Mt Zion Community Church west of Big Hill Lake. We pulled up to admire this old wood country church, and found the pastor Marty Warren there, and he gave us a tour and told us about the recent renovation of this church. When I hear about rural Kansas people getting together to save and restore something important to their lives, it makes you proud to be a Kansan!

To see more of the photos Karen and I took while in Labette County visit our Smugmug photo gallery: Labette County Photos

For more information see the following:

City of Parsons: http://www.parsonsks.com/

City of Oswego: http://www.oswegokansas.com/

City of Chetopa: http://www.chetopacity.org/

Blue Skyways Labette County: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/LB/

Birds and Chocolate

2010-11-04T07:19:00.001-05:00

Oct 30 dawned a clear day with crisp fall temps. Karen and I left Wichita well before sunrise and headed northwest to Quivira National Wildlife refuge in eastern Stafford County. Quivira and it's neighbor Cheyenne Bottoms further north are important for migrating water birds on their long journeys throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Sunrise over Little Salt Marsh

We arrived at the Little Salt Marsh area just before sunrise and went to the observation platform there. We were told by a couple of other visitors that we had missed an adult and juvenile Whooping Crane by just less than 10 min. The sun came up with it's brilliant yellow hues and I caught it just above the horizon.

Pelicans flying over Little Salt Marsh

Karen was watching the birds with binoculars while I was snapping photos as best I could. I don't have a long zoom suitable for wildlife, so most of my photos were more wide angle shots. I did capture a photo of pelicans flying over the platform.

Next, we walked the short Birdhouse Boulevard nature trail near the visitor center before driving north for a quick view of more birds in flight at the observation pullout for the Big Salt Marsh. We didn't have time to take the drive around the Big Salt Marsh on this trip.

Quivira is open daily from dawn to dusk. See the US Fish and Wildlife page at the following address:

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Also, visit my photo gallery of Quivira at the following address:

Larry Hornbaker's Quivira Gallery

After leaving Quivira, we took a short drive to Stafford to attend the 2nd Annual Chocolate Sampler Affair, sponsored by the Stafford Chamber of Commerce, Stafford Main Street Association and held on the grounds of the Henderson Inn and Retreat Center at 201 N Green Street.

Chocolate Treats

Karen and I met my sister and her husband there and we found the chocolate sampling tent, with many goodies to try, including chocolate chili. We also saw exhibitors from the area including Stafford and Barton counties.

We observed a bon bon cooking demonstration, participated in a cake walk and watched a pie eating contest. This event also features the nearby Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway through the Quivira and Cheyenne Bottoms areas.

See more about the Chocolate Affair at the following web address:

Chocolate Affair

Also visit the web site of the Henderson House Inn and Retreat center, a member of the Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association:

Henderson House

My photo gallery of the Chocolate Affair can be found at the following address:

Larry Hornbaker's Chocolate Affair Gallery

Jigsaw Puzzles at Curtis Cafe

Leaving the chocolate festival around noon, our group headed to downtown Stafford for a meal at the Curtis Cafe, which is known for the hundreds of assembled jigsaw puzzles on the walls. We had a good meal here before heading back home.

What a great day to be out Exploring Kansas!

McPherson Scottish Festival

2010-10-06T16:53:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, Sep 25, my wife Karen and I made a trip to McPherson, KS to attend the 17th Annual Scottish Festival. Karen has Scottish heritage in her family and has seen festivals in several states.

We arrived before noon and were able to see the midday ceremony and welcome. All the bands marched in seperately, along with dancers, and clans. There was a welcome from the mayor of McPherson, then a performance by the massed bands, and a Highland Fling dance.

After this, Karen and I went to the food area and did sample some ethnic food. I had a cottage pie, which is basically a beef stew inside a flaky pastry shell. It was hearty and very good. Karen had a scone with strawberries and cream which was also good.

Next, we went to listen to Alex Beaton, a well known Scottish Folk Singer, who performed some of his songs under a tent. Just as his set was finishing, the heavens opened up and we got a thunderstorm with heavy downpours. Everyone scurried under cover for 20 - 30 minutes.

Then, Karen and I watched some of the athletic competition, including the women's caber toss. We also had the chance to see the sheep herding demonstration.

Finally, we watched some of the bands perform in competition in front of some judges. Below is a video Karen shot of one of the bands.

To see some photos of the festival, follow this link to our photo gallery:

Scottish Festival Photo Gallery

Kansas Cottonwood Trees

2010-09-30T20:49:00.003-05:00

I enjoy seeing Cottonwood trees around Kansas. Since I travel so many rural roads, I have seen many stately cottonwood trees, which are found mainly around and along streams and rivers.

The early settlers of Kansas prized finding cottonwood trees on the plains, because they knew there might be water nearby. Many of these trees were used as landmarks on the early trails.

See some facts about cottonwood trees at the following page from the Great Plains Nature Center web pages:

http://www.gpnc.org/cottonwood.htm

Eastern Cottonwood near Studley

I have visited both of the largest known cottonwood trees in Kansas. The largest Eastern Cottonwood is near Studley in eastern Sheridan County in northwest Kansas. According to the Kansas Forest Service, this tree is over 35 ft in circumference (measured 4.5 ft off the ground), is 96 ft tall, and has a spread of 127 ft at the crown.

The largest Plains Cottonwood tree in Kansas is off West 4th Avenue on Avery Rd in western Reno County. I actually think this tree is more massive on it's trunk since is is tighter packed. I have visited this tree several times. It is almost 31 ft in circumference, 90 ft tall, and has a spread of 98 ft. Notice the size of the trunk in the photo below compared to me with outstretched arms. Note: the Poison Ivy did not seem to bother me.

Plains Cottonwood trunk with me in front

Female cottonwood trees produce the fluffy white seeds in the spring to early summer that gives the tree it's name. See the photo below which shows a cottonwood seed shower I was in near Arlington, KS.

Cottonwood Seed Shower

I also enjoy traveling down lanes with cottonwood trees lining both sides. A good example of this is a stretch of Herren Rd south of Greenfield Rd in Reno County, KS.

Herren Road Cottonwoods

Also, another custom that attracts people to cottonwood trees is to attach something to the tree. There is a cottonwood tree near Wetmore in northeast Kansas, that people have been nailing shoes to for over 20 years. See the article about this tree at the following address on the Kansas Sampler Foundation's web pages:

http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/customsresults.php?id=230

This tree inspired another. On a large cottonwood tree on his farm near Partridge, Jay Yoder has started a tree with license plates (tags). Nails and a hammer are provided so you can put your license plate on the tree facing towards your home. Karen and I visited this tree this past weekend and put her Indiana license on the tree facing northeast - See the photo below.

Jay Yoder's license plate Cottonwood

In conclusion, it's no wonder that the cottonwood tree has been named the official Kansas state tree.

Ready to Explore Again

2010-09-29T07:15:00.000-05:00

I have not been able to explore much this past summer due to a change in my life. On Aug 14, Karen and I were married in Fort Wayne, IN.

Since then, we have been arranging our house in Wichita, and have made a couple of short trips in this area.

Karen has not been to Kansas, except for one brief trip many years ago and she is looking forward to exploring the state with me. I'm excited that she and I can explore together, and we will continue to work on my "Dare to Do Dirt" quest together, along with taking other trips to introduce her to Kansas.

More very soon.....

Leavenworth County "Dare to do Dirt"

2010-05-08T12:45:00.006-05:00

While in Leavenworth for the Kansas Sampler Festival during the weekend of May 1-2, 2010, I had the opportunity to travel around Leavenworth County for my quest of doing at least 25 miles of unpaved roads in each county of Kansas. I have now finished 80 of the 105 counties in Kansas.

This is a map of the area showing my GPS track laid out on the Leavenworth County area. I travelled about 135 miles in the county, and of course it was not all unpaved roads. For a guy from the flatland area of Kansas, it was especially nice to take some up and down roads in this the Glacial Hills region of the state.

On Saturday, May 1, I left the city of Leavenworth and headed north. A pleasant surprise for me was the area around the settlement of Kickapoo, in far northeast Leavenworth County. I visited the town memorial cemetery, then stopped at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. At this site in 1836, the first Catholic Church in Kansas was built of logs for the Kickapoo Indians then in this area.

From Kickapoo, I travelled across the hills near the northern border of Leavenworth County, first passing over a bridge over Little Plum Creek in an especially scenic area, and then found an abandoned iron through truss bridge over Stranger Creek in the northwest corner of the county. This bridge was abandoned in place and a new concrete bridge was built nearby over the creek.

I then ended up in the town of Easton, where I admired the several old limestone buildings in town and found another small abandoned truss bridge behind the former school at the northwest corner of town.

From Easton, I headed south across rural areas of the county with many great views of hills, streams and barns. I drove through the Jarbalo area, then headed to the Tonganoxie area. I found Camp Mt Hermon, just west of Tonganoxie, which is a Church of the Brethren camp. Then, I headed into Tonganoxie for dinner.

I had a fantastic KC Strip steak dinner at Bichelmeyer's Steakhouse in Tonganoxie. It was served with cottage fries which were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The steak was cooked medium just as I ordered, and was so good with a great flavor and quite tender. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the serving staff was constantly tending to me. All in all, a great experience and I would recommend Bichelmeyer's to anyone.

For more information about Bichelmeyer's see their web page:

http://www.bichelmeyers.com/index.html

From Tonganoxie, I headed east and north back to Leavenworth across rural areas, but stopped to look at the Fairmount area along the way.

On Sunday, May 2, I left Leavenworth, and after escaping a thunderstorm, I took a drive across the southern part of Leavenworth County.

I visited Stranger Creek Cemetery northeast of Linwood, then went into Linwood for a visit. I noticed a beautiful brick Basehor / Linwood middle school building, and old cemetery in town and an iron truss railroad bridge over Stranger Creek just southeast of town.

After leaving Linwood, I continued west near the Kansas River, and drove down to the Union Pacific railroad tracks in the Fall Leaf area. Then continuing on west I stopped to view the road and railroad bridges over Mud Creek in the far southwest part of Leavenworth County.

I left Leavenworth County, headed into Lawrence, and headed on home. It was a nice 2 day journey around Leavenworth County.

For a group of photos around Leavenworth County, visit my gallery at the following link:

Larry Hornbaker's Leavenworth County Gallery

2010 Kansas Sampler Festival

2010-05-07T17:21:00.001-05:00

I had the opportunity to attend both days of the 2010 Kansas Sampler Festival, held May 1 - 2, 2010 in Ray Miller Park in Leavenworth.

This year, I attended the opening ceremonies for the first time. I enjoyed the parade of flags, welcome speeches by the Leavenworth organizers and Marci Penner, the performance by the Leavenworth High School Honor Guard, the national anthem performance by Allison Sowle and Theresa Hernandez. The highlight for me however, was young Paige Padgett portraying Dorothy and singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow".

I was able to meet many of my Kansas Explorer friends and other friends from around Kansas during my visits. All the volunteers at the community exhibits were friendly and helpful as always is the case.

Sunday morning was the annual Kansas Explorers Club meeting. This meeting is sort of the un-official start to the spring, summer and fall exploring season. It's always a good time to get energized and hear what other explorers are doing and planning.

Finally, there is much good Kansas made and produced food. This year I sampled a pulled pork sandwich from Pachta Pork of Belleville, a bierock from Becky's Bierocks of St Francis, a German Sausage from Krehbiel's Meats of McPherson, a brisket sandwich meal from Big Dog BBQ of Paola, some cinnamon pecans from Nuts 4 Us of Lenexa, a cherry limeade from Fun Time Confections of Wichita and beef jerky from Ranchers Best Beef of Grenola.

For more information about the festival including it's purpose and history, see the following link from the Kansas Sampler Foundation:

Kansas Sampler Festival

For a gallery of my photos taken during the festival see the following link:

Larry Hornbaker's 2010 Sampler Festival Photo Gallery

The festival will be held again in Leavenworth on May 7-8, 2011. Come join the fun!

A Quick Trip to South Sumner County

2010-04-18T08:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a nice sunny spring day, and I decided late in the afternoon that it was time for a short trip.

I made a quick dash to southern Sumner County near the Oklahoma border. First stop was the Rose Hill Cemetery, just east of the town of South Haven. I found a cemetery still active and growing spread out over a fairly large area. In the back of the cemetery is a flag pole with a veteran's memorial, and just in front of that is a memorial to Rex Wise, a Navy veteran who was on the USS Oklahoma, and was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941.

I next headed down to Hunnewell for a visit. I stopped to again read the memorial to Hunnewell and the Real Cherokee Strip at Main St and US 177 highway, then drove back into town for a look. The community windmill and water pump is still there, even more encased with vines since the last time I saw it.

I had heard of an abandoned truss bridge over Shoo-Fly Creek just east of Hunnewell, so I started out on 200th Street (the Kansas/Oklahoma border) to find it. I could not get through yesterday though, due to a very muddy rutty road. Will have to try again some other time.

After a quick trip east to the town of Ashton, I then headed to Wellington for dinner at Fabiola's Mexican Restaurant. I ordered tacos de carne asada, which were very good. The grilled steak was very tender and they brought a plate with chopped tomatoes, chopped onion and cilantro, lettuce, and shredded cheese to add to the tacos. This seemed even fresher that the pico de galle I usually get with this dish at other restaurants.

Fabiola's is open Tuesday thru Friday for lunch, closed afternoons and open again for dinner. They are open Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 9 PM. Closed Mondays. Phone 620-326-6554 for more information.

All in all, I had a great 5 hour trip.

Some Time in Newton and a Wichita Restaurant Tradition

2010-01-19T06:49:00.000-06:00

It had been a number of weeks since I had the chance to go out on a day trip due to the weather and other commitments. When the sun came out this past Saturday afternoon, I made a sudden decision to head out.

I didn't get too far from Wichita, and ended up at Newton for several hours. First, I had to make a stop at The Breadbasket. While it wasn't the time to enjoy a German meal, I did pick up some baked goods, namely some coffee cake and cinnamon rolls. The Breadbasket is open daily. See more at:

http://www.newtonbreadbasket.com/

Then, I went on to the beautiful Newton train station. I did not have the opportunity to go inside, but spent some time admiring the beauty of the architecture. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places. I marveled at the multi-colored bricks. Not only were the bricks several colors, but each brick itself was sometimes 2 or 3 colors.

Next, it was an old favorite of mine, the 1880 Santa Fe steam locomotive at Military Park at 7th and Oak. I enjoy the nostalgia associated with steam trains, and have visited this example a number of times. It's amazing all the interconnected parts work to propel these beasts at high speed. I took a number of photos of the parts of this locomotive.

Also, I went to Centennial Park at 12th and Kansas to see the Blue Sky Sculpture, which I hadn't seen before. This is an amazing free standing tile sculpture which blends in with the Kansas sky. What an impressive work by Phil Epp and others! I also noticed this theme on paintings on the water tower and some businesses downtown.

Next, I went to North Newton to visit the campus of Bethel College. I parked my vehicle and walked a bit along the sidewalks marvelling at the beautiful brick and limestone architecture. See my photo gallery link (below) for some the the views I noticed here.

I finished my journey to Newton by visiting the Chisholm Trail monument downtown and the Mennonite Farmer statue in Athletic Park, before heading back to Wichita.

I met some of my family for dinner at Savute's Italian Restaurant on north Broadway in Wichita. None of us had yet been to this institution which dates back to 1944. We all found the food to be excellent, the service very friendly and helpful, and had a great experience. My lasagna had plenty of melted cheese with great pasta and sweet Italian sausage. All of us agreed we would be back soon.

Savute's is open daily for dinner from 4:30 to 11:30 PM. Learn more about Savute's at the 360 Wichita page:

Savute's Italian Restaurant

To see some of my favorite images from around Newton that I've taken on numerous visits, see my photo gallery:

Larry Hornbaker's Newton photo gallery

An Afternoon in Washington County

2009-12-05T10:50:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to take a "Dare to do Dirt" loop around a portion of Washington County in North Central Kansas.

I entered the county in the south and headed to Palmer where I had a buffet lunch at the Palmer Cafe. While in town, I also went to the grocery store for a few items, then drove around town. This small town had several businesses downtown and the elegant St Paul Lutheran church. I was impressed to see that such a small town was still vibrant and well.

Then I went on to Linn to see another small town. I noticed several churches, a unique clothesline mural downtown, a nice city park, and another local grocery store, Jack's Food Store. I purchased some polish sausages and pork jerky from Jack's to take home - both were good.

Next up was the town of Greenleaf. I noticed a mix of older abandoned buildings and newer structures and some nice residential areas. The farmer's COOP was active, and there were several churches and a nice downtown area. The two limestone WPA community buildings were very striking.

From Greenleaf, I headed east, then north to the Little Blue River valley. I headed up a hill to Pine Hill Cemetery, where I found the grave of Ezra Perkins, a Pony Express Rider in 1860 & 1861. The views from this cemetery were great all around.

I headed north thru Hanover, then west across central Washington County, noticing great views in the hills. This area is in the Smokey Hills psysiographic area, but other parts of this county are actually in the Glacial Hills and Flint Hills regions. I eventually ended up in Morrowville, where I stopped to see the replica of the world's first patented bulldozer in the city park. I was also struck by the elegant old concrete water tower structure.

After leaving Morrowville, I headed south then west to visit two former town sites. First, I went through Enosdale, where I found some crumbling wood structures and an active Friends Cemetery. Then I headed west on K-148 and stopped at the monument to the former townsite of Strawberry.

I enjoyed my visit to Washington County and need to go back to see more.

To see more of my photos from Washington County visit my gallery at the following link:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Dare-To-Do-Dirt/North-Central-Kansas/Washington-C/10459716_WGxah#725753685_q3JbF

Dare to do Dirt - Miami and Linn Counties, Kansas

2009-11-21T14:53:00.001-06:00

Last week I had the opportunity to travel some backroads in Miami and Linn counties in eastern Kansas.

I had made a loop around most of Miami County on a past visit, but wanted to see the easternmost part of the county, so I entered Miami County in the northeast corner and visited the community of Bucyrus for a few minutes, then headed east and found the beautiful Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church at Wea. I also visited the cemetery out back.

Then, I headed southeast around the town of Louisburg, then south to visit the wood deck pony truss bridge over South Wea Creek. I continued on south into the southeast corner of Miami County and stopped to view the pony truss bridge over an arm of LaCygne Lake on 399th Street. This was a very beautiful area that I would have liked to see a few weeks earlier in full fall color.

I then went on south into the northeast part of Linn County. First stop was the town of LaCygne, the city of swans. There were swan statues all over town. I had a good hamburger steak with great grilled onions at the Family Cafe just east of town.

From LaCygne, I traveled southeast to the Marais des Cygnes Massacre historic site, where in 1858, 11 free state people were rounded up by pro-slavery ruffians, lined up along a ravine, shot and left for dead. Interpretive signs help tell the story about this incident. The beautiful stone Hadsell house used as a museum was closed for the season.

Next up was a visit to Trading Post Cemetery. Settlement in this area began with French traders in 1825. The museum was closed for the season, but I saw evidence of many early settlers in the cemetery.

I continued on south past Pleasanton and visited the Rainbow Arch bridge over Mine Creek. I did not visit Mine Creek Battlefield Park on this visit, but intend to do so on another trip. The next town was Prescott, where I noticed the school which has been converted into the town library, and the beautiful brick elementary school which in now City Hall. Not far southwest of Prescott, I found a beautiful triple arch stone bridge over East Laberdie Creek.

After going on west across the southern part of Linn County, I turned north and visited the communities of Centerville, Goodrich, and Parker. I was happy to find the active Matthes Farm and Field store in Centerville which obviously served the farms in that area. In Goodrich, I noticed the stone church at the south end of town and visited the elegant Five (5!!) arch stone bridge at the end of the lane. The bar and grill in Parker is now closed, but I did see a couple of churches there and a large Christmas lights display at one house.

All in all, I had a great day exploring parts of two counties. To view more of my photos see the following links to my galleries:

Miami County Photos by Larry Hornbaker

Linn County Photos by Larry Hornbaker

There is Still a Rural Johnson County

2009-11-21T11:11:00.000-06:00

Last week I made a trip to northeast Kansas. While there, I took a couple of loops around the western and southern parts of Johnson County in order to complete my "Dare to do Dirt" quest for the county. I found that suburbia is fast encroaching as it is in Sedgwick County around Wichita, my home. I was pleased to still find some rural areas in Johnson County.

I began by entering the southwest corner of the county and stopping at the Edgerton Cemetery, then heading into town. I admired the architecture including the historic Grange Hall, and the public library, with it's sign "Bank of Knowledge", along with several churches.

After leaving Edgerton, I drove out to the Lanesfield School site which is on the National Register of Historic Places. This school, dating back to 1869, has been restored to it's 1904 version. I also enjoyed visiting the museum building to learn about the one room schools all over Kansas over the years.

I then continued north into the western part of Johnson County near the border with Douglas County. I visited a beautiful pony truss bridge over Captain Creek on west 127th Street near the Sunflower Army Ammunition plant. Then, I went around the corner and up the hill to visit the somewhat remote Prairie Center Cemetery, which was on a hill with mature cedar trees.

On another day, I made a loop across the southern part of Johnson County. I found a number of horse farms in this area and saw one dairy farm too. I did go east to State Line Road to the Missouri border for a few miles then headed back west across the far southern part of the county. A couple of gems I found were a low water bridge giving a great view of Camp Branch Creek on 175th Street near the Missouri border and a unique wagon wheel fence along a sod grass farm not far from Stillwell.

For a gallery of my favorite images and videos from Johnson County, please visit the following link to my Smugmug gallery:

Larry Hornbaker's Johnson County Photos

Some Great Cuisine in Northeast Kansas

2009-11-19T23:32:00.000-06:00

This past week, I had the opportunity to take a 3 day trip to northeast Kansas. During this time, I had some memorable meals.

I had a smoked chicken meal at Smokey's BBQ in Wellsville in northeast Franklin County. I ordered my meal with potato salad and baked beans. The chicken was wafer sliced, contained a very generous serving and was well smoked. The baked beans contained chunks of ham and were very good. I enjoyed the chunky medium sauce on the chicken. They also serve a good apple bread that is the consistency of cornbread. Smokey's is open daily at 510 Main in Wellsville. Phone 785-883-4119.

Based on a recommendation of Keith Stokes restaurant guide for Olathe, I had a meal at Chapala Mexican Restaurant. I ordered my favorite tacos de carne asada, and they were good, comparing favorably to any I've had at other Kansas restaurants. I did enjoy the salsa and chips too. Chapala is located just off I-35 at exit 218. See Keith's extensive guides at the following link:

Keith Stokes Kansas Travel, Tourism & Restaurants

I visited Hillsdale Bank Bar B-Q, located in a 100 year old red brick bank building in Hillsdale, northern Miami County. This facility also features a caboose which has been converted with dining areas. I've had their smoked meats on previous visits and enjoyed their fine sauce at home. This time, I tried a pizza with smoked chicken, red onions, banana peppers and tomatoes. The 8 inch square pizza was cooked in a wood fired oven and served on a pizza stone. It was sliced on a diagonal into 8 pieces. The pizza was excellent with a thin crispy crust, fresh toppings and good sauce. I would highly recommend it.

For more information, see the following link:

Hillsdale Bank Bar B-Q

Also, I had the opportunity to visit Guy and Mae's Tavern in Williamsburg in western Franklin County to try some of their famous pork spare ribs. This family run business has been operating since 1973, and serves half and full rack ribs on foil and newspapers. I found the ribs to be very tender - they almost fell off the bone. The mild sauce was good, although not really needed on the ribs. The atmosphere was friendly in the tavern too. Guy and Mae's tavern was voted as one of the 8 wonders of Kansas cuisine during the contest coordinated by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

For more information about Guy and Mae's Tavern, visit the following link:

Guy and Mae's Tavern

Try any of these fine restaurants.

No "Dare to do Dirt" in Wyandotte County

2009-11-19T12:56:00.001-06:00

I've been on an Explorer Quest for 3 1/2 years now. My stated goal is to drive at least 25 miles of unpaved roads in each of the 105 counties in Kansas. These can be earth, sand, or gravel, just not asphalt or concrete.

Last week, I had the opportunity to get to a rural area in extreme southwest Wyandotte County. This area is bounded by 142nd Street on the West, the Kansas River along the east and south, and up to the city limits of Bonner Springs on the north. Loring Drive is along the east.

This area is still rural, but I found no unpaved roads. Every road even in this area is asphalt. I found active farms in this area and one farmer was cutting his soybeans. I saw a couple of UP trains passing while I was there and noted that the Little Kaw Creek passes through this area.

This area was the last bit of unincorporated area that was shown on my KDOT map for Wyandotte County. Therefore, I'm not optimistic that I can find any unpaved roads in this county, and I will probably not search further unless anyone reading this can direct me elsewhere.

For a few photos I took in this area, please see my gallery at the following link:

Wyandotte Rural

Some Dirt Road Exploring in Southeast Kansas

2009-11-03T00:12:00.001-06:00

Recently I had the chance to take a day trip to explore parts of Labette and Cherokee counties in southeast Kansas.

I began by following the Neosho River valley in far eastern Labette County. I headed south from the small town of Strauss and crossed Litup Creek a number of times. Shortly, I arrived at Oswego.

I spent some time exploring around Oswego noting some of the murals, the 1867 log cabin, the Labette County Courthouse, John Matthews park, and the Carnegie Library. I noted that Commercial Street was wide enough for people to park in the middle of the street.

Also in Oswego, I was amazed at the view off the bluff above the Neosho River in Riverside Park. This is one of the most picturesque spots for a city park that I've seen.

After leaving Oswego, I headed over into the southwest corner of Cherokee County to finish my Dare to Do Dirt loop. I had made a previous trip around the northern, eastern, and southeastern parts of the county in 2007.

This afternoon, I visited three old cemeteries, and the communities of Faulkner, Melrose, Treece, Neutral, Sherwin, and Hallowell. This will perhaps be my last visit to Treece, as the residents are now eligible to receive buyouts of their property and be relocated out of this area that is contaminated from the former mining activities. Then the town will be closed.

During the afternoon, I found two (2) low water bridges that I photographed. The Cherry Creek bridge southwest of Hallowell was flowing a substantial amount of water; so much so that I didn't try to cross it.

In the extreme southwest corner of Cherokee County, I came upon a low water bridge over Fly Creek. The most interesting aspect of this site was the remnants of an Iron Truss bridge left there beside the concrete slab of the low water bridge.

I finished my loop around Cherokee County, then headed west on US-160 back across the rolling hills of Labette County.

I decided to stop in Independence for dinner at the Brothers Railroad Inn. I had tried their Italian food the last time I was there, so this time I tried a steak dinner. I was very impressed with the filet mignon. It was very tender and cooked just right. It was well worth the wait on a Saturday evening since I didn't have a reservation.

Then, I had a 2 hour drive back home to Wichita. It was a long daytrip of about 380 miles that ended at 9:45 PM, but was very satisfying anyway.

For more information:

Oswego: http://www.oswegokansas.com/

My photo galleries:

Labette County: Labette County Dirt

Cherokee County: Cherokee County Dirt

A Trip to the Glacial Hills

2009-10-21T00:28:00.001-05:00

From October 15 - 17, I made a trip to the Glacial Hills psysiographic region of northeast Kansas. During this time, I was able to complete "Dare to do Dirt" loops of Atchison and Doniphan counties.

In Atchison County, I visited the communities of Arrington, Larkinburg, Muscotah, Lancaster, Cummings, and Huron. I noticed a well kept stucco house in Arrington and actually met the woman who lives there while in Larkinburg admiring the Christian Church. She showed my the interior of the church and I was impressed with the wall art decorating the church.

Muscotah was the birthplace of Joe Tinker, a baseball player with the Chicago Cubs from 1902-1912, who played shortstop. Joe was part of the famous double play combination of Tinker to Evers to Chance, and there is a monument in the city park commemorating this.

There was some beautiful fall foliage in Lancaster, a nice school in Huron, and the small town of Cummings still has a post office.

In Doniphan County, I visited the communities of Doniphan (ghost town), Elwood, Wathena, Iowa Point (ghost town), White Cloud, Leona, Denton and Purcell. Both Doniphan and Iowa Point contain a mix of abandoned and new buildings and homes. I stopped a bit at the Ft Luxembourg visitor center in Elwood, and viewed the historic downtown district in Wathena.

White Cloud is in a very scenic area along the Missouri River and served river boats beginning in the 1830's. There is a monument along Main Street to Wilbur Chapman, the boy who started the piggy bank by donating his pet pig to a needy boy suffering from leprosy.

Purcell is the home of the beautiful St Mary's Church, now celebrating it's 150th anniversary. Denton seemed to be a nice town with very brilliant fall foliage and the unique hand operated water pump in the center of Main Street. Sadly, Leona appeared to be slowly decaying.

As always, I'm on the lookout for interesting historic bridges and I found a number of iron truss and stone bridges in these two counties. Check my photo gallery links below for some photos of these.

I visited several cemeteries in each county, and due to the hills in this region, cemeteries can be very picturesque. Especially interesting to me were Round Mound Cemetery and Muscotah cemeteries in Atchison County. Round Mound has a layered limestone fence surrounding it and Muscotah cemetery has large mature trees. In Doniphan County, I found Doniphan and Iowa Point cemeteries to both offer fantastic views of the surrounding hills and countryside.

I travelled a couple of scenic dirt road drives in Doniphan County. The first was the route from the ghost town of Doniphan up to the Wathena area. This followed closely the Missouri River and the fall foliage was beginning to get colorful in the forests in this area. Also, I took a route north from Wathena up to near the Missouri River, then back south again to just east of Troy. This route offered forests, hills and the bottomland near the Missouri River. Again, the fall foliage was striking.

I enjoyed several memorable meals during my trip. I had dinner one night at Pete's Steakhouse in Atchison. While the hamburger steak with grilled onions was good, the highlight of the meal was a number of homemade salads on their salad bar. My favorite was the Copper Penny salad, a cold salad with cooked sliced carrots and onion slivers in a sauce of sugar, vinegar and oil. I do not see this salad at restaurants very often.

Another night, I had dinner at Paolucci's Restaurant in Atchison, a great place that has been serving Italian food for many years. I had a very good order of lasagna, covered in a rich marinara and meat sauce.

After I finished my last loop in Atchison County, I travelled west into Jackson County to the small town of Whiting where I had lunch at the recently restored Whiting Cafe. The restoration of this cafe was done in June, 2009, and was a project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. In addition to good food, this cafe is known for their fresh pies made daily. I can attest to this, since I had a piece of coconut meringue pie that was easily among the very best I've ever eaten.

All in all,even though the weather was cool and cloudy and misty sometimes, I truly enjoyed my journey to Atchison and Doniphan Counties.

For more information about the Whiting Cafe makeover, visit the Kansas Sampler Foundation blog at:

http://kansassampler.blogspot.com/search?q=whiting

To view my photos of Atchison and Doniphan counties, visit my northeast Kansas Dare to do Dirt galleries, then open the appropriate county gallery:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Dare-To-Do-Dirt/North-East-Kansas

A Weekend in St Louis

2009-10-08T20:01:00.024-05:00

On Friday Sept 25, I drove to St Charles, MO, and met my friend Karen. We spent the weekend exploring in the St Louis metro area, and sharing our mutual interest in photography.

Friday evening, we went to downtown St Charles, and first visited Frontier Park along the Missouri River. This area is the eastern terminus of the 225 mile long Katy Trail State Park. Hikers and bikers are welcome on the Katy Trail which makes use of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad grade from Clinton to St Charles.

We then walked Main Street in downtown St Charles enjoying the shops and historic architecture. St Charles was the first Missouri state capital from 1821-1826. We stopped for dinner at one of several garden cafes and enjoyed the outdoor atmosphere on a pleasant evening. Several squirrels entertained us as we dined.

On Saturday, Sept 26 we drove to Faust Park in Chesterfield. We explored the Historic Village with it's homes, barns and other buildings. Numerous flower gardens were here also. We stopped to see the St Louis Carousel, now housed inside a building for protection.

Next we went to the Butterfly House in Faust Park. After watching a film about butterflies, we entered the Tropical Conservatory, which contains nearly 2000 butterflies in free flight. The butterflies were in constant motion, so it was difficult to photograph them, but we did manage some good shots. We also walked through the outdoor garden here.

Then, we travelled east to Forest Park, site of the 1904 World's Fair. Forest Park, at 1371 acres, is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. After stopping at the visitor center for some guides, we drove to the Boathouse for lunch. We enjoyed some baby back ribs while waiting out a rainstorm and watching the ducks on the lake.

During the early afternoon we visited several areas in Forest Park, including the Jewel Box greenhouse, the pagoda area with the bandstand and Muny Theater, the World's Fair Pavilion and fountain, the Art Museum exterior and Grand Basin Pool, and finally the Cascades waterfall. There were several areas of this huge park we did not see.

After leaving Forest Park, we drove to west midtown St Louis to see the beautiful Cathedral Basilica. This cathedral interior is covered with 83,000 square feet of mosaic tile art with over 41,500,000 pieces of tile in 8000 shades of color. The designs were elaborate and very striking.

Just down Market Street from the Cathedral, we stopped at Union Station. After photographing the exterior, we went inside and looked through the railroad museum, then photographed some of the ornate interior architecture elements, including stairs and stained glass windows. We stopped into the Station Grille for a nice dinner.

To top off a long day of exploring, we went down to the Mississippi waterfront at the Gateway Arch, before heading back to our rooms for the evening.

Sunday morning turned out to be beautiful, and we headed across the Mississippi River at Alton, Illinois, then followed the river road, first stopping at some locks to view some barge traffic. Then we pulled off at a state park to view the confluence area of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Finally we stopped at the historic Route 66 Chain of Rocks iron truss bridge over the Mississippi. We walked across the bridge and back, enjoying the views of this huge bridge and the Mississippi River.

After lunch, we headed for our homes, each having hundreds of photographs to help us remember the weekend.

To view some of our favorite photos from this trip, see the seven galleries at my Smugmug page:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/St-Louis-Area

Howard and Elk Falls

2009-09-07T10:37:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, Sept 5, I spent a day in Elk County in the towns of Howard and Elk Falls. The Kansas Sampler Foundation had arranged another of the special "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair" events in Howard.

I arrived in Howard about 10:15 AM and checked in on the courthouse square and began meeting many of my Kansas Explorer friends. Then, I walked over to the downtown area to do some shopping and exploring.

At 11:30 AM, the event started on the courthouse square. We gathered our lawn chairs to hear speakers share about the local museum with it's doll collection, from the Batson's who operate the local drug store/grocery and soda fountain, about Poplar Pizza, which has operated since 1995 in Howard, about the recently opened Traci's Trends which offers wedding dresses and tuxedo rentals, as well as alterations and Kansas gifts, and about projects for a new clock in the courthouse tower, for a new Veteran's Memorial, and for renovation of the historic Howard National Bank building.

I then headed for Poplar Pizza for lunch and shared with some other Kansas Explorers there. While enjoying my New York style pizza, I shared with my friend Bonnie Dainley about my "Dare to do Dirt" quest and her quest of photographing at church in each Kansas County.

Before leaving Howard, I checked out the new Veteran's Memorial and Hubble's Rubble, a unique collection of "creations". I then headed southeast to Elk Falls by the backroads.

A group of perhaps 25-30 gathered at Elk Falls Pottery shop at 2:30 PM and were welcomed by Steve and Jane Fry. Then we were treated to an impromptu demonstration with Steve Fry helping Marci Penner make a bowl as we watched.

Then, Steve took us over to another property they bought 5 years ago and have been renovating. After they began removing the overgrown vines from the yard they found an amazing rock garden which we all explored extensively. The Frys' plan to eventually move their living quarters and shop to this location and open another bed and breakfast here.

Before leaving Elk Falls, I did make a stop at the falls, then headed west on US-160, which is always a beautiful drive thru Moline, Grenola, Cambridge and Burden. I stopped in Douglass, in southwest Butler County for some a Mexican food dinner on the way into Wichita.

Links:

Howard, Kansas: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Howard/index.html

Elk Falls Pottery Shop: http://www.elkfallspottery.com/

My photo gallery of "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair - Howard":

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Events/Kansas-Sampler-Foundation/BYOLC-Howard/9531169_DUuaN#640549776_srMqz

Weekend in Rooks County

2009-09-03T21:21:00.005-05:00

On August 29 and 30, I spent some time exploring rural areas of Rooks County in northwest Kansas.

Saturday morning, I went to Damar for the "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair" event sponsored by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. I was truly impressed with the people and the town. St Joseph's Church is a beautiful church and the decorated Main Street area was special. I shared lunch in the Damar Cafe with a group of Kansas Explorers. For a report of the event, see the Kansas Sampler Foundation's blog entry:

http://kansassampler.blogspot.com/2009/08/goosebumps-in-damar.html

My photos of the event can be found at the following gallery:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Events/Kansas-Sampler-Foundation/BYOLC-Damar/9452799_M5dnE#634058726_9oddg

After leaving Damar, I spent the afternoon exploring the northwestern part of Rooks County, first travelling around Webster Reservoir, then heading north to the Rooks / Phillips county line and following the beautiful Bow Creek valley east to US 183. Bow Creek is aptly named for it winds back and forth. In one place along Road A, the creek crossed the road 4 times in one mile.

After reaching US 183 north of Stockton, I headed back to Hays for the night. I had an excellent KC Strip steak dinner at Professor's Steakhouse in Hays.

Sunday morning I again headed north to explore the eastern half of Rooks County. I headed up and over the bluffs north of the Saline River and came into Codell from the south. I noticed a beautiful old limestone school in Codell.

I headed north from Codell through the very beautiful Medicine Creek valley. As I understand it. the first homesteaders in the county settled in this area south of Woodston. I visited a couple of cemeteries in this area also.

After looking around the town of Woodston, I explored some areas north of US 24, then headed to Stockton for lunch. I had a good hot roast beef sandwich at the Hometown Cafe.

I then left Stockton and headed south along the Elm Creek valley and eventually found the Twin Mounds area and the cemetery of the same name. After a few more miles I joined up with KS 18 and began my journey back home to Wichita.

To see my favorite photos of Rooks County, visit my gallery page at:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Dare-To-Do-Dirt/North-West-Kansas/Rooks-County-Dirt/9455896_KtxUn#637205753_tYpjS

Carolyn's Essenhaus

2009-08-23T07:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, while in Reno County, I enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite places, Carolyn's Essenhaus in Arlington.

I had a dinner with Ollie's smoked pork, which is sliced into 1/4 inch think slices and served with baked beans, cole slaw and homemade bread. Ollie's smoked pork is served all day Friday and Saturday. This may be my favorite dinner meal at Carolyn's.

Carolyn's is also known for their homemade pies. Yesterday, I had rhubarb warmed up and served alamode with soft serve vanilla ice cream. The pie was served with a crumb type topping and was certainly among the very best I've had in Kansas.

Carolyn's Essenhaus was recently named a finalist for the Kansas Sampler Foundation's Eight Wonders of Kansas Cuisine contest. See the following links for more information:

Kansas Sampler Foundation page about Carolyn's:

http://www.kansassampler.org/8wonders/cuisineresults.php?id=194

Web page for Carolyn's:

http://www.carolynsessenhaus.com/

In the Right Place at the Right Time

2009-08-17T00:44:00.004-05:00

There have been a number of times when I have been blessed to be in the right place at the right time to take a dramatic photo. I have found that it pays to be ready to snap some photos with almost no notice when conditions change quickly.

Such a situation happened this past Saturday. I had stayed around Wichita during the afternoon, and had been out in some rural areas near town. As I came back into town, I drove into a thunderstorm. While trying to navigate thru moderate rain down the city streets, I noticed a dramatic low arcing rainbow off to my left, so I quickly pulled into a parking and composed some photos.

This is my favorite photo of the rainbow. I cropped the photo to show the low arcing effect.

After I again headed down the street, the rain became heavier, the sun disappeared, and the rainbow was gone from my view in another few seconds.

Riley County Exploring

2009-08-09T19:28:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, August 8, I made a trip around Riley County for my "Dare to do Dirt" quest.

I started by heading north on Deep Creek Rd from I-70, exit 316. This is scenic drive with views of hills all around. I passed the Deep Creek Schoolhouse, then turned east and stopped at Pillsbury Crossing. At this site, Deep Creek drops 5 feet over the underlying rock to form a waterfall about 60 feet across. I took some photos from downstream and some from the side. For an excellent description and photos of this site, see Keith Stokes page at this link:

http://www.kansastravel.org/pillsburycrossing.htm .org/pillsburycrossing.htm

After exploring around the Zeandale area for a bit, I headed west to the south edge of Manhattan, then southwest on McDowell Creek Road to the Konza Prairie. Even though it was about 95 degrees, I did walk the 3 mile nature trail and was rewarded with views of wildflowers, bluestem and many other tallgrass prairie vegetation, as well as spectacular views. For more information about the Konza Prairie see the following link:

http://kpbs.konza.ksu.edu/konzatrails.html

I went to Junction City for a late lunch at Stacy's Restaurant. I've always had good home cooked meals here, this time a good hamburger steak with great grilled onions.

I left Junction City and headed back north into western Riley County. I first stopped at the Bala stone bridge to check out this great spot. I had the place to myself. After leaving Bala, I headed north to check out the historic ghost town of Lasita, then back east towards Randolph. Finally, I headed west along Fancy Creek Rd for some great views in this valley, before heading over into Clay County and heading for home.

During the day, I also found 3 historic pony truss bridges in Riley County. There are a couple of areas in the northern part of the county I still wish to explore at a later date.

For my photo gallery of Riley County, use the following link:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/9209071_U2yV6#614866859_snyJN

An Afternoon in Great Bend

2009-07-29T17:39:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, July 25, I made a trip to Great Bend to do some exploring. Even though it was a cloudy and rainy day, the trip was enjoyable.

Along the way, I pulled off the highway south of Lyons to follow Cow Creek south and west of town. I followed sand roads till I found a pony truss bridge. Also, I visited the historic sites of Buffalo Bill Mathewson's well and the Father Padilla's Cross along US 56 before heading on the Great Bend.

After arriving in Great Bend, I decided to visit the Barton County Historical Museum south of town on US281. This is an extensive facility which includes a number of outbuildings. After viewing the exhibits in the main building, I moved outside and dodged an occasional shower while going through the buildings. I had been here before and remembered some of the exhibits, but one new feature I hadn't yet seen was the fully equiped Lustron home on the property. Lustron homes are all steel panel homes inside and out with a porcelain enamel paint. I had not seen one up close and throughly enjoyed the experience, especially the interior.

Next, I started an auto tour of the Murals of Great Bend, following a downloaded guide. These murals were painted by a wide variety of people and express many different scenes. I didn't quite make it to all the murals, but enjoyed each one I visited. What a nice selection of art!

Finally, I drove back downtown around the courthouse to view the Kansas Quilt Walk. Formed into the sidewalks in this area are 7 quilt patterns dating back to Santa Fe Trail times and early settlers in Barton County. It is a unique art exhibit.

On the way home from Great Bend, I made a quick pass through the Stafford County town of Hudson, home of the Stafford County Flour Mill and the famous Hudson Cream Flour.

Finally I stopped at the Dutch Kitchen Restaurant southwest of Hutchinson for dinner. This restaurant, a sister restaurant to Carriage Crossing in Yoder is well known for cinnamon rolls and good food. I always find the atmosphere to be quiet and relaxing.

Links:

Great Bend CVB: http://www.visitgreatbend.com/ (Download brochures of Mural Project and Kansas Quilt Walk). Also access the museum site from here

My Great Bend Photo Gallery:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/9042951_M9G2Y#601780399_qHuyo

My Photo Gallery of the Barton County Museum:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/9053145_H42dY#602571014_FDc5e

A Weekend in Wallace and Logan Counties

2009-07-14T06:07:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, I spent 2 1/2 days exploring a historic part of northwest Kansas in Wallace and Logan counties.

On Friday, July 10, I left Wichita and arrived in southern Logan County north of Lake Scott State Park. I stopped at the Keystone Gallery near Monument Rocks for a visit. Then I followed a route across the southern part of Logan County past the Little Pyramids, Lone Butte, and the Smoky Hill River valley before arriving at my destination, Sharon Springs, in Wallace County.

On Saturday morning, July 11, I explored the northwest quarter of Wallace County, including a trip up Mt Sunflower, elevation 4039 ft, the highest point in Kansas. I visited Weskan and a few cemeteries in this region.

Saturday afternoon, I met a few Kansas Explorers at the historic Clark-Robidoux House in the town of Wallace, for "The Happening". We had some refreshments and were given a guided tour of this restored Victorian house by the current owners. Then a group of Explorers were treated to a special tour of a significant geologic site in Wallace County called Hell's Half Acre. After saying my goodbyes to the other Explorers, I went out on my own again late Saturday afternoon and explored the southern half of Wallace County.

On Sunday, July 12, I explored the rest of Logan County. I followed a route near US 40 across the northern part of the county and visited the small towns of Winona, Page City, and Monument and each cemetery too. After lunch in Oakley, I headed south to visit the historic town site of Elkader before heading west across the Smoky Hill River valley to Russell Springs. I enjoyed a visit to the Butterfield Trail Museum in Russell Springs and visited the cemetery high on a hill west of town.

Finally I went back to the small town of Wallace for a visit to the Fort Wallace Cemetery with re-created wooden gravestones from the days of the fort and the stone monument there. I then had a fabulous one-on-one guided tour of Fort Wallace Museum by the volunteer, Ernie Poe, before returning to Sharon Springs for the night.

I headed home on Monday, July 13 and had a great lunch at Delgados Mexican Restaurant in Great Bend. Their flour tortilla chips were some of the best I've ever had - so fresh and they melted in your mouth.

Links:

Keystone Gallery: http://keystonegallery.com/index.html

Butterfield Trail Museum in Russell Springs: http://www.kansastravel.org/butterfieldtrailmuseum.htm

Fort Wallace Museum: http://www.ftwallace.com/

My photo galleries:

Logan County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8865397_r5Rav#587592384_qeLvN

Wallace County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8876754_YN5bz#590799444_x7Ajo

Kansas Explorer's Club, "The Happening 2009": http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8879444_ETJEr#588730593_J3448

A Journey to Blodgett

2009-07-04T14:46:00.007-05:00

On Friday July 3, I made a short trip east of Wichita to far southwest Greenwood County to visit the historic site of Blodgett(sometimes called Derry). I had visited this area several years ago, and wanted to return.

According to the Greenwood County Historical Society, Blodgett was founded on a railroad in 1880 and disappeared in 1930 when the railroad changed it's location. This area of southwest Greenwood County, northwest Elk County, and eastern Butler County is a geographic high point. A number of creeks and rivers have their headwaters in this area, including the Elk River, Otter Creek, Grouse Creek, Timber Creek, Rock Creek and the Little Walnut River.

The drive back to the Blodgett area begins at Road F, just east of mile marker 325 on US-400. Turning south and following the stair-step road for about 3 miles gets you to the abandoned railroad grade where Blodgett was located. I saw no evidence of a town site anymore. The "road" is almost non-existant, and mostly only two tracks over very rocky ground the entire way. Several draws must be crossed, which could be flooded during wet weather. Also, a durable vehicle with good ground clearance is a must to clear all the rocks of considerable size.

So why did I take this journey again? To get a sense of true unspoiled Kansas. Along the way, I saw cattle, at least 8 species of wildflowers, insects, and breathtaking vistas. I went on south past the Blodgett area with the intent of continuing on into Elk County, but a serious mudhole made me turn back rather than risk getting stuck without any help nearby. Most of the way, I was in first and second gear in my truck. I enjoy this unhurried type of exploring. My journey in and back the same way took about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

After leaving this area, I traveled on some more gravel roads thru Piedmont, then south into Elk County. I decided to stop at Poplar Pizza in Howard for dinner. I had one of their New York style pizzas. The owners opened the first Poplar Pizza in Buffalo, NY in 1982, and opened this location in 1995 after visiting this area.

Finally I left Howard, traveled north and west to the Elk River Wind Farm near Beaumont before continuing back home to Wichita. Listen closely to the video of the wind farm to hear the sounds of nature.

For more about Blodgett: contact Greenwood County Museum at gwhistory@correct-connect.com

Poplar Pizza: Wabash & Adams Streets, downtown Howard, open daily 620.374.2525

My Greenwood County Photo Galleries:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8783611_fPd26#581649566_ET2CX

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/276690_ocjfQ#P-1-20

A Ride on Amtrak

2009-07-03T00:24:00.004-05:00

I just returned from a trip to San Diego and rode out and back on Amtrak's Southwest Chief and Pacific Surfliner. I had been wanting to ride Amtrak for a long time, and when the opportunity to be a delegate for my church at our national conference came up, I jumped at the chance.

During daylight hours, I spent much time in the full window observation car watching the scenery go buy. My photo taking in this car was not ideal as the windows were extremely reflective.

We passed a number of historic places including Raton Pass, Glorietta Pass, and followed the route of the Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico.

I found this method of travel was great for meeting all sorts of people. I enjoyed chatting with all sorts of travelers, even some foreign folks who were on a multi-week train trip.

We were able to get off the train long enough at several stops to allow me to explore around the depots. This was especially true in Albuquerque, where I had over an hour to explore going both ways.

The only negative aspect was the fact that I could not sleep effectively in the coach seats, but I was not alone in this respect.

If you have time for a more leisurely trip, consider Amtrak. While they might not offer the same level of travel as in the heyday of passenger travel, it is neverless a great way to travel.

Links:

Amtrak: http://www.amtrak.com/

My photo gallery: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8700664_VVdu3#575022796_L4Aop

Humboldt's Civil War Days

2009-06-16T06:38:00.006-05:00

On Saturday Jun 13, I had the opportunity to experience some of the events during the three day run of Humboldt's Civil War Days. This event, which is held every 3 years is meant to feature some of the happenings during Sept and Oct, 1861, when Humboldt was raided and then burned during 2 seperate attacks by Missouri guerrillas and Confederate Calvary.

Saturday's events were held in Camp Hunter Park. First, all the participants paraded into the park next to the false front buildings set up to resemble Humboldt of 1861. Next, there was a reenactment of the Sept 8.1861 raid featuring actors from the local and regional areas, including black powder guns and rifles of the era.

I then watched Jimmy Johnson, from Kansas City, portray his great-great grandfather, who escaped slavery in Missouri and joined the First Kansas Colored Infantry. This was a fascinating look at the devisive issue of slavery and the events of the Civil War era.

Bob Horn performed some Civil War songs on his homemade instruments and some of the black powder actors showed us some military drills so we might understand the Civil War soldier better.

Food was available from several local organizations and after lunch, I watched a play "The Court Martial of Private Driscoll". After this man was convicted by the court he was executed. Then, Tom Leahy took the stage as Abraham Lincoln and gave his impressions of our president.

We were treated to 2 performances by the Plainsmen, involving black powder guns, about 1860's Wild West Kansas. These skits were humorous but also informative about early Kansas. The Plainsmen are mostly local performers.

Finally, the afternoon closed with a reenactment of the burning of Humboldt on Oct 14, 1861 by the Confederate Calvary. This involved more black powder guns as well as torches to simulate the burning of the town. I left for home after this event, but there was also a film and dance held Saturday evening in town.

I have visited Humboldt several times now and am impressed with the way the town embraces it's past history and wants to share.

For more about Humboldt, visit the chamber of commerce page:

http://www.humboldtks.net

To view more of my photos, visit the following gallery:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8550564_hDGwG#563167264_7y7Tc

Afternoon Geocaching In Butler/Cowley Counties

2009-06-08T23:16:00.010-05:00

By now, anyone reading this blog realizes that I enjoy exploring historic bridges and cemeteries. On Saturday, June 6, I spend the afternoon in southern Butler County and northern Cowley County finding some geocaches at bridges and in cemeteries. This area is very familiar to me, but finding these geocaches was a new experience.

I visited 2 bridges near Douglass in southern Butler County. The bridge over Eight Mile Creek on the Butler/Cowley line was beginning to be overgrown with vines and tree branches - it certainly has been a wet spring. Then, I went north and east to the historic bridge over the Walnut River straight south of Douglass. I've seen both these bridges in all seasons.

I then headed into northern Cowley County around the town of Rock. I visited two (2) cemeteries east of Rock, Stalter and Widener, both dating back to at least the 1870's. The geocaches here were fairly easy to find.

Near Widener Cemetery, I found a picturesque spot where there is a low water bridge over Rock Creek. I stopped long enough here to take a number of photos from all angles.

Finally, I visited another favorite bridge, the pony truss bridge over the Walnut River about 2 miles west of the town of Rock, and found the geocache placed here.

To learn more about geocaching visit the following link:

http://www.geocaching.com/

Three Days, Three Counties Explored

2009-05-28T20:47:00.006-05:00

During the Memorial Day weekend, I had the opportunity to take "Dare to do Dirt" loops around three counties in southwest Kansas - Seward County, Stevens County, and the southern half of Haskell County.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the entire trip was getting to watch a UP train cross over the mighty Samson bridge over the Cimmaron River alongside US-54 just northeast of Liberal. This truss bridge, completed in 1939 was an engineering marvel of it's time. I was able to capture video and photos of a train crossing this bridge as well as numerous photos of the bridge itself. See the photo gallery links below.

Another regular component of my rural travels is visiting as many rural cemeteries as I can. Cemeteries give the traveler information about ethnicity of the people in the area, surname information and much more. I find cemeteries fascinating - so much so that I have visited at least 450 cemeteries in Kansas in the past 3 years. I visited 16 cemeteries total in these three counties ranging from the main county/township cemeteries to remote pioneer cemeteries. One interesting find was these unique wagon wheel markers in Dermot Cemetery in far northwest Stevens County.

These three counties are within the High Plains physiographic region of Kansas and have alternating patches of irrigated cropland with pasture land covered with grasses, yucca and other bushes. I found many area in the pasture land awash in yellow and orange wildflowers, including the orange Indian Blanket Flower. The terrain is sometimes broken by dry riverbed valleys, notably the Cimmaron River.

I encourage everyone to try getting off the paved roads once in a while, and explore some dirt or gravel roads. You will certainly see more of Rural Kansas!

My photo galleries:

Seward County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8309298_5bz64#546474804_YnPTy

Stevens County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8321142_E36tX#545136734_qVgZK

Haskell County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8356154_PNV93#548013354_reJUY

Mulkey Cemetery - Sedgwick County

2009-05-09T21:25:00.007-05:00

This afternoon, I made a short loop on some unpaved roads into western Sedgwick County. It was there that I had one of those "Explorer" moments that are so special when I meet and listen to rural Kansans tell their stories.

There is a small pioneer cemetery on west 13th Street north of Garden Plain called Mulkey Cemetery. I had been by here before, but when I stopped this afternoon, the farmer living across the road came over and told me some history of this cemetery. He has lived in this area all his life.

He told me this cemetery was active from about 1879 thru 1897. It gradually went into disrepair, and was even used as a cattle pasture. Only one stone and the large cedar tree remain from the original plot. He remembers playing in the tree as a young man.

A while back, this gentleman and some others were interested in restoring the cemetery. Some money was found in the Sedgwick County budget, and research was done to identify most of the people buried here. Headstones were repaired when possible, and re-created when necessary, including several wood markers. A nice wood sign with history documents were posted near the entrance. New trees have been planted.

I found this cemetery to be in excellent condition and obviously maintained with great care by this gentleman. It is a joy to explore.

If you wish to visit this cemetery, travel 1/2 mile west of 295th Street West (paved road) on 13th Street North. Please be respectful of the private property surrounding the cemetery.

2009 Kansas Sampler Festival

2009-05-09T13:25:00.006-05:00

On the weekend of May 2 and May 3, I had the opportunity to visit Concordia, KS for the 20th annual Kansas Sampler Festival.

I visited the Kansas Explorer's Club tent to buy some clothing, including a fleece vest and a couple of t-shirts. This year's slogan is "Relentless for Rural". On Sunday morning, the annual Kansas Explorers Club meeting was held. We learned of upcoming events and met the people from Leavenworth County who will be hosting the 2010 and 2011 festival.

Of course, I spent time roaming thru all the booths getting literature for towns and counties that I have yet to visit. This is the main purpose of the festival, to make it convenient to showcase what there is to see and do in Kansas. According to the Kansas Sampler Foundation, "135 Kansas communities were represented in 217 exhibits of Kansas day trips, products, art, books, music, historical performances, and free-standing exhibits. Over 5,000 attended."

The food at the festival is representative of Kansas. I sampled a chicken salad croissant from the Huckleberry Tea House from Concordia, pulled pork from Pachta Pork from Belleville, a bierock from Becky's Bierocks in St Francis, and a hot dog on a stick from Bossie's Best Organic Hot Dogs from Home.

Also, I got the opportunity to take a tour of the Nazareth house of the Sisters of St Joseph adjacent to the city park. The building is over 100 years old. We saw some of the historic rooms and chapel and also got to sample some of the sisters' hobbies, including some great artwork.

I enjoyed watching and listening to performances by both the historical performers, and musical performers. The historical performers entertain and teach of Kansas history and people. This year, I took time to enjoy musical performances by Ann Zimmerman and the Alfred Packer Memorial String Band.

Finally, on Saturday May 2, I went east to Clyde for a "Whole Hog Luau" sponsered by the VFW. The menu included pulled pork, beans, slaw, potato salad, fruit, and a special performance by Elvis. Clyde is a bustling community that is truly fun to visit.

Try attending the Kansas Sampler Festival! I promise, no matter how much you know about Kansas, you will learn many new things and come away with many day trip ideas.

For more information about the festival, see the following page from the Kansas Sampler Foundation:

http://www.kansassampler.org/festival/

To see my photo gallery of the 2009 Festival see:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8097539_Dv4SV#527711075_NbTNP

Belleville, Scandia, and Concordia

2009-05-09T09:19:00.005-05:00

On Friday May 1, 2009, I spent the day in north central Kansas in Republic and Cloud counties.

I spent the morning in Belleville, first exploring downtown around the beautiful WPA courthouse, built in 1939. I noticed the township names marked on the outside windows. After leaving downtown, I travelled out the the east edge of town to Rocky Pond, where the Rock Island Railroad used the water for steam engines.

I visited the city park in Belleville, with several WPA buildings, including the bandshell, then went to the fairgrounds, home of the historic Belleville High Banks 1/2 mile racetrack. Here are the WPA stone grandstand and the historic round wood Floral building.

Next, I went to the High Banks Museum on North US-81 in Belleville. Here, the volunteer was very helpful as he took me through the museum explaining all the exhibits and race cars associated with the High Banks racetrack, which will be 100 years old in 2010.

I went west to Scandia for a good lasagna lunch at Tag's Bar & Grill, then explored the downtown business district and the architecture there. I also went up the hill to Riverview Cemetery at the north edge of town, one of the hilliest cemeteries I've been to.

Then, I went back to Belleville for a visit to the Republic County Historical Museum. Some interesting displays here, including outside displays of a one room school, a church and blacksmith shop. Also here was perhaps the largest tool collection I've yet seen at any museum.

By mid-afternoon, I went south to Concordia for a visit to the National Orphan Train Museum complex. This museum chronicles a few of the approximately 250,000 orphans moved by train from New York City during the period of 1854 to 1929.

Finally, after dinner, I went to the historic Brown Grand Theater in Concordia for a performance by the Diamond W Wranglers, whose home base is Cowtown Museum in Wichita. This was my first chance to see them, and I very much enjoyed the performance.

Some links:
Belleville: http://www.bellevilleusa.com/index.html
Concordia: http://www.concordiakansaschamber.com/
My photo galleries:
Republic County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8122776_5hpcW#530965497_Bqk63
Cloud County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8151538_9AkyU#531922748_ZKg2R

Concordia and Eastern Republic County

2009-05-05T23:00:00.010-05:00

On Thursday April 30 I left Wichita and headed to north central Kansas for the weekend of the Kansas Sampler Festival, held this year in Concordia.

For lunch, I tried a new restaurant, Heavy's BBQ in Concordia. I was pleasantly surprised to find they were serving Knackie's sauces, made in Inman, one of my favorite brands of sauce. While in Concordia, I also stopped at the Cloud County Museum Annex to check on the progress of the raised relief 'Whole Wall Project", being assembled - it should be finished in a few weeks.

By mid-afternoon, I headed north into Republic County, where I made a loop to visit 3 small towns in the eastern part of this county: Cuba, Narka, and Munden.

In Cuba, I visited the downtown area, bought some canned goods in the Cash Store, then headed out southeast of town to visit the historic National Bohemian Cemetery. I was also fascinated that a city street passed right thru the bottom frame of the city water tower.

Then, I went north to Narka. This town has a very unique water tower which resembles a space ship. While downtown, I also noticed a nicely decorated small park, a multi-colored brick building, and an active COOP elevator.

I then travelled a few miles west and south to Munden. I noticed at least 3 churches around town. Downtown was a nice park, a bank, beauty salon, COOP and some other businesses. I also noticed some unique signs on the downtown poles with art on one side and quotations on the other.

I ended my day by heading back to Belleville for a good fish dinner at the Country Club.

A Visit to Caldwell, Kansas

2009-04-28T21:48:00.006-05:00

On Saturday April 28, I made an afternoon trip to Caldwell in Sumner County, Kansas. While I had stopped briefly before, I was determined this time to more fully experience the town. I found a town that embraces it's Cowtown past, yet seems to have a core group of businesses and services to keep the town healthy. The people I met and talked with were friendly and willing to share when I asked questions, but this was no surprise since I find this true all around Kansas.

As I drove around town, I found at least 8 churches, a full range of schools, an active COOP, many historic buildings, and a well stocked grocery store, which seemed to be the hub of activity that afternoon. I also noticed a medical clinic, hospital, Carnegie Library, and several restaurants, which I did not get the opportunity to sample.

I also found several examples of art including the Heritage Mural in the downtown park, the "Cowboys Chasing Cattle" mural in the Post Office, the Coca Cola sign, the 'Ghost Riders of the Chisholm Trail" silhouette south of town, and even a silhouette of a bank robber escaping down a rope on the bank building.

My favorite part of the afternoon was parking along Main Street and spending nearly an hour walking both sides of the 4 block long former Cowtown district. They have placed about 20 signs with historic information about events and businesses / buildings that operated during the Cowtown days. This is certainly one of the best examples of a self-guided tour I have yet found around Kansas.

Finally, after spending at least 2 hours in town, I made a hurried trip home to Wichita because of impending thunderstorms. I took about 170 photos - you may see an online gallery of some of these at the link below.

Links:

Caldwell Home Page: http://caldwellkansas.com/

My photo gallery: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/8021753_R5Vjq#521823161_fYHxi

My Favorite Barbeque Meal

2009-04-19T12:26:00.004-05:00

This is a photo of my absolute favorite barbeque meal. In case you haven't yet figured it out, it is a smoked turkey breast dinner at Roy's Hickory Pit BBQ in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The dinners come with two slices of freshly grilled Texas toast, the ranch style beans, and a trip to the salad bar. As you can see, I also picked up a bottle of Roy's sauce to take home with me.

Roy's slightly sweet, vinegar based sauce mates perfectly with the turkey, especially when warmed as they serve it in the restaurant.

While the food is terrific, the atmosphere at Roy's is also special. You are always greeted with a friendly Hello! at the counter and there is likely to be a line, sometimes out the door. People there to eat will welcome you to their table if you need a spot to sit and eat since it is a very cozy restaurant.

Roy's is a family run business that has been in operation since 1982 and they have won numerous awards. They are open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch only from 11:00 AM til 3:00 PM, or until the food is gone.

Roy's is currently nominated for the "8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine" contest sponsered by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. If they make the cut to the 24 finalists, I will certainly vote for them. Give them a try!

Roy's Hickory Pit BBQ

1018 West Fifth Ave

Hutchinson, KS

620-663-7421

Hodgeman County "Dare to do Dirt"

2009-04-08T07:00:00.004-05:00

On Saturday April 4, 2009 I made a day trip to Hodgeman County and completed a 128 mile loop exploring the county.

After a lunch in Burdett in western Pawnee County at the Burdett Cafe on K-156, I entered Hodgeman County. First, I stopped at the stone arch bridge over Dry Creek northeast of Hanston, then travelled north to the historic Duncan's Ford crossing of the Pawnee River in the northeast part of the county.

I then explored the architecture in Hanston and Jetmore. Both towns have some historic limestone buildings. The courthouse square in Jetmore is very beautiful, as well as the Methodist church. I enjoyed the Sawlog Creek / Point of Rocks mural in downtown Jetmore.

Then I went north and west of Jetmore to the beautiful Stoecker bridge, a WPA double stone arch bridge over Cottonwood Creek. From there, I went west to see a concrete arch bridge over Hackberry Creek in the northwest corner of the county.

Travelling south again, I visited the remote Kidderville Cemetery, then stopped for a view of the construction of Horsethief Reservoir west of Jetmore.

Finally, I headed east across the southern part of the county, first stopping to take several photos of the Point of Rocks landmark, then on to the southeast corner to look at the limestone St Marys Church.

Finally, I left Hodgeman County, had supper at Romano's Pizza in Kinsley and headed home to Wichita.

Links:

Map of my route: http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=7xzzfbjr

Stoecker Bridge story: http://www.hodgemancountyks.com/bridgestory.pdf

Hodgeman County Blue Skyways page: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/HG/

My 2 photo galleries of Hodgeman County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/7810450_TZxXY#505724203_eF2aU

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/7829840_xUoYh#507181834_nnVPh

WeKan Conference

2009-03-27T00:08:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday March 24, I had the privilege of attending the WeKan Conference in Salina.

I volunteered to help people who had technical questions about digital cameras, computers and the like. Another Kansas Explorer, Frank Thompson, from Overland Park worked with me throughout the day, and it was a pleasure getting to know Frank. I found Frank to also be a passionate photographer.

WeKan is a network group of rural tourism leaders supported by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The conference is held every 2 years. I found this group to be motivated and energetic about keeping their communities alive.

For more information about the WeKan network see the following link to the Kansas Sampler Foundation website:

http://www.kansassampler.org/wekan/

I'm enclosing a photo and video of the parade of signs at the conference. The music heard in the video is a new theme song recently created.

Wabaunsee County Exploring, Part 3

2009-03-25T21:18:00.008-05:00

On Monday March 23, I left Salina intent on another exploring day in Wabaunsee County. First though, I drove 100 miles east to Topeka to pick up another accessory for my digital SLR at Wolfe's Camera Shop. I picked up an Expo Disc white balance adjusting tool. More about this in a later blog when I learn how to use and have some experience with it.

I entered Wabaunsee County near Dover and travelled the back roads up to the Maple Hill area. Here, I found the Old Stone Church and cemetery and also the twin bridges over Mill Creek, with an Iron Truss auto bridge and steel railroad bridge.

Leaving Maple Hill, I zig zagged across the northern part of the county near the Kansas River (the northern border). I stopped at the beautiful Immanuel Church of Christ and cemetery, then headed southwest to the town of Wabaunsee. I visited the Wabaunsee Cemetery east of town with elegant stone entrance gate.

Entering Wabaunsee, I visited the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church, dating back to 1862, and the memorial plaque in town. Then, I headed south thru the hills to I-70 and on back to Salina for the night. I fought 50 mph wind gusts all day and a couple of thunderstorms on my way back, but had a great day.

In three (3) trips to Wabaunsee County this year, I logged 157 miles in the county, most on unpaved roads. I visited seven (7) cemeteries and the towns of Alta Vista, Alma, Maple Hill, Volland, and Wabaunsee. I did not get to explore the southeastern part of the county near Eskridge and Harveyville, but I'm sure to return at a later date.

Links:

Wabaunsee County: http://www.wabaunsee.com/

Beecher Bible & Rifle Church: http://www.wamego.org/beecher.htm

My photo gallery of Wabaunsee County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/7428748_fYUea#478843009_WGWR2

Cowley County Geocaching & Crabby Patty's

2009-03-19T23:07:00.007-05:00

On Saturday March 14, I spent the afternoon in Cowley County, always one of my favorite places to visit. First, though, I went to the city of Douglas in southern Butler County, where I enjoyed a good lunch of roast pork and dressing, mashed potatoes, corn and tossed salad at the Triangle M Restaurant. I also had a piece of sugar free chocolate cream pie that tasted every bit as good as regular pie.

Then it was on to northern Cowley County,where I located geocaches at two (2) stone bridges in the Rock area. After that, I travelled south to the Floral area. I found a geocache in the cemetery there and another at the stone bridge over Timber Creek just south of town.

Next, I went on southwest to the area just north of Winfield. I found a geocache at the beautiful McKnab pony truss bridge over Cedar Creek, then drove 1/4 mile west to find the geocache at the Elrod stone arch bridge over Timber Creek. The Elrod bridge is nearly abandoned, and the last section of "road" back to it from the east is only suitable for high clearance vehicles, and then only in dry conditions.

I finished my geocaching for the day by travelling east to the Timber Creek stone bridge southeast of Atlanta.

Having some daylight left, I determined to head to eastern Cowley County into an area I had not yet explored. I headed east across the Fox stone bridge over Grouse Creek on 62nd Rd into the ranch lands near the Ferguson Ranch. The winter grasses were golden in color with the low sun behind me. I then turned south for a look at the Grand Summit railroad depot area just north of US160 near the Elk County border. In it's heyday, Grand Summit was a busy livestock shipping area.

Finally, I travelled back southwest to Dexter for supper at Crabby Patty's, the town gas station, grill & deli, grocery, bait shop, etc on K-15. This place is currently featured as a special support project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The goal is to have at least 1000 people go there and spend at least $5.00. I had a good cheeseburger and really enjoyed chatting with both the owners and the local people who had come in that evening.

Then I had a pleasant evening drive back home to Wichita. Another memorable day!

Links:

Triangle M Restaurant

326 S. Forrest

Douglass, KS

746-2071

Crabby Patty's

K-15 in Dexter

2 Galleries of my photos of Cowley County:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/2679160_CsG2e#141826040_mo9Nf

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/238464_4PxH6#9284151_bLKHX

Shopping at Wolfe's Cameras - Exploring Wabaunsee County

2009-02-22T18:51:00.006-06:00

On Saturday Feb 21, 2008, I had a fun afternoon shopping and exploring.

I headed to downtown Topeka, to make my first trip to Wolfe's Cameras , and it most certainly will not be my last. I had been looking for a good tripod for sometime to replace one that was stolen a few years ago.

I looked at Wolfe's online store to get some ideas. When I got to the store, I found a great selection of tripods. The sales person spent 15-20 minutes working with me, and I finally decided on a Manfrotto leg assembly, Promaster 3 way head, and Promaster bag to carry it in. I was very pleased with the whole experience and was truly amazed at the variety of photo, computer, and camcorder equipment along with photo finishing, frames, and more in this store.

Wolfe's has been in the retail photo business since 1947.

Wolfe's Cameras

635 S Kansas Ave

Topeka, KS 66603

785-235-1386

Open 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM Daily, Thursday till 8:00 PM

Closed Sundays

http://www.wolfes.com/

I left Topeka on K-4 heading southwest thru Dover and stopped at the Echo Cliff area. It appears as though the pony truss bridge over Mission Creek will not be there much longer as the concrete bridge is almost finished. The cliff was illuminated in the late afternoon sun.

From Echo Cliff, I headed west and south passing thru the Nehring Creek valley, then south thru Hessdale and ending up at the Lake Wabaunsee area just as the sun was setting. I headed south on K-99 for dinner in Emporia at La Hacienda, one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants. They serve great Tacos de Carne Asada.

Finally, I drove back to Wichita on the Kansas Turnpike. Driving thru the Flint Hills at night is always an enjoyable experience.

Kingman County Geocaching and a Great Steak Dinner

2009-02-08T00:22:00.006-06:00

Saturday Feb 7, 2009 was a warm day with little wind - perfect for an afternoon of exploring.

I left Wichita and headed into eastern Kingman County. I drove thru the Smoots Creek and South Fork Ninnescah River valleys, crossing each several times. Along the way, I found three (3) geocaches, one at Murdock Cemetery, another near the former town of Georgia, and finally one in downtown Kingman.

I also walked along Main Street in Kingman for several blocks, marveling at the brick and stone architecture, and taking many photos. This is one of my favorite things to do in a small town.

Finally, I went on to Turon in southwest Reno County for dinner with some friends from Hutchinson at Barb's Bar and Grill. Saturday evenings are steak night at Barb's, and I had a fabulous fillet mignon, that was every bit as good as I have had anywhere. The place sure seems to be popular as there were a number of groups there and one large group next to us. I will definitely go back.

Finally, I had a pleasant evening drive back to Wichita. What a great afternoon!

Links:

Barb's Bar and Grill: 121 N Burns Street Turon, KS 67583 (620) 497-6457

Kingman County Kansas: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/KM/

My Photo Galleries for Kingman County:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/2677823_L6zte#141776649_MZrT9

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/260037_AZss2#10233403_NK6E6

Exploring Anderson County

2009-02-01T03:48:00.011-06:00

On January 31, 2009 I made a long day trip from Wichita to explore parts of Anderson County in East Central Kansas.

I entered the county in the southwest near the town of Colony. I drove north crossing several bridges over Cedar Creek, including one concrete arch bridge just east of Mont Ida.

Mont Ida is an unincorporated community southwest of Garnett. I was interested in seeing the Mont Ida Church of the Brethren there. I found an interesting peace pole on the church lot. The Church of the Brethren is one of the historic peace churches and has an active peace agency On Earth Peace.

I continued on north and west and explored Patton Cemetery southwest of the town of Harris. This cemetery is at the end of a dead end road and sets in a beautiful setting up against some hills.

Then on thru Garnett and north into the picturesque Pottawatomie Creek valley. I circled around to northwest of Greeley to view a pony truss bridge and the historic Spencer's Crossing iron truss bridge built in 1885, and left in place when a new concrete bridge was built beside it.

Finally, I explored the town of Greeley before heading back home to Wichita.

Some links:

Garnett: http://www.garnettks.net/

Anderson County: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/AN/

My Photo Gallery for Anderson County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/7264350_xzrkb#466974384_UEehL

Trains, Trains, Trains

2009-01-29T06:15:00.003-06:00

I am a train railfan. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed watching trains pass, especially freight trains.

As I've grown older, the history and influence of trains has become more important to me. Today's freight trains are mostly regional or national US oriented, and frequently just pass thru smaller towns.

However, during the earlier years of Kansas' history, railroads were a much important means of commerce. Both passenger and freight trains were important to communities. I've read of many instances of towns dying when they couldn't attract a railroad to pass thru their town. Sometimes, an entire town moved a few miles in order to be on a railroad line.

An interesting timeline of Kansas railroad history can be found at the following link on the Kansas Dept of Transportation website:

http://www.ksdot.org/burRail/rail/railroads/history.asp

Every chance I get, I am out photographing and filming trains with my camera and camcorder. I'm including a short video clip in this post with a train passing over a bridge near Matfield Green in Chase County on a very busy BNSF line. You will not hear a whistle since there are no road crossings in this area.

I have a gallery of train photos and videos at the following address which I will continue to update regularly:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/Trains

Picturesque Cemeteries, Variety of Bridges, and Low point of Kansas

2009-01-16T18:45:00.006-06:00

Recently, I finished a loop around the rural areas in Montgomery County on two separate trips. For some details about my first trip, see my blog entry below this one.

My second trip began with lunch at Uncle Jack's Restaurant in downtown Independence. I had a fabulous Philly Steak sandwich that I would highly recommend. The meat was high quality steak chunks. Learn more about this restaurant at: http://www.unclejacks.net/

I drove out on mostly unpaved roads to the northeast area of the county, then south to the southeast area near Coffeyville, and back west in the southern part of the county, before heading back to Wichita. Along the way, I visited 2 picturesque cemeteries, Choteau and Pleasant Dale, in the northeast part of the county.

I visited a variety of bridges, including some low water bridges, beautiful concrete rainbow arch bridges over the Verdigris River near Independence and Coffeyville, and a elegant iron truss bridge over Onion Creek southwest of Coffeyville that was left in place after the modern concrete bridge was built.

Also, near the Oklahoma border along the Verdigris River I drove in the official lowest elevation area in Kansas. The official low point is listed at 679 ft, and my GPS was recording 686 ft along the river.

I have posted some more photos and videos from my trips in Montgomery County at my gallery at the following address: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/6955802_aoRZJ#447872633_gJgkm

Genuine Kansas Hospitality

2008-12-30T19:18:00.003-06:00

This past weekend, I made a day trip to Montgomery County in southeast Kansas. Before long, I found myself at White Cemetery northeast of the town of Elk City. I visit many cemeteries during my travels - they are fabulous sources of information.

I pulled into the cemetery on the gravel drive, parked and walked around looking and taking photos of some of the stones. After I finished, I got back into my truck and proceeded towards the back of the cemetery with the intent of turning around and coming out the same drive I had entered.

I had not gone far when I hit a soft wet spot in the grass, and before long I was stuck but good. After realizing I could not get out, I walked about 1/3 mile down the road to the nearest farm. After explaining my predicament to the farmer and his son, the farmer said to his son without hesitation: "Get a chain and help him out. Take the truck, tractor, or whatever you need".

We rode back over with a 4 wheel drive truck, but this could not pull me out. As the young man went back for the tractor, I snapped a photo of the situation. Soon the young man returned with the tractor, and we hooked the chain under my truck's frame and pulled me out. I thanked him, and as I already suspected, he would not accept any money for the 30 minutes time he had spend helping me.

My point in sharing this story is to emphasize that, Kansans, almost without exception, are congenial, helpful, and willing to share about their towns, communities, etc, especially when you show interest. Try stopping into a local cafe and talking to the locals, attending a local event, visiting a town or county museum, and you will probably find, like I have on many occasions, that one of Kansas' best assets is her people.

Exploring Geary County

2008-12-20T23:30:00.008-06:00

Recently,I had the opportunity to explore the rural areas of Geary County, mostly south of I-70 and Junction City.

Geary County lies within the Flint Hills physiographic region. I have not explored the northern Flint Hills nearly as much as the southern areas and enjoyed the chance to take in some new areas.

While in the county, I visited at least 10 historic bridges: 3 Truss bridges, 3 Concrete Rainbow Arch bridges, and 4 stone bridges. I followed roads along most of the major creeks, including Lyon Creek, Clark's Creek, Humboldt Creek, and McDowell Creek.

I visited 9 rural cemeteries and noted there were many Scandinavian settlers in the area. I visited 2 beautiful Lutheran Churches: St Joseph's (now closed) and St Paul's (active).

Finally, I can heartily recommend Stacy's Restaurant in the Grandview Plaza area. I had an great Sloppy Joe sandwich and potato salad meal there.

Tips for Photographing Streams

2008-11-22T07:05:00.007-06:00

One of my favorite subjects to photograph are streams, creeks and rivers of all sizes. I continue to take photos during all seasons of the year, and would like to offer some tips that I have learned over many years.

In spring and summer, the trees will of course have most of their full green foliage, and there may be other green vines, shrubs, etc along the water. I have found during these seasons, that it is best to expose a photo either on gravel/sand along the stream, or in the upper canopy of the trees where there is less full green color. If you expose on the deep green colors, it is likely there will be areas of your photo which are washed out.

During fall there will likely be some intense colors in the leaves, some of which are still on the trees and some likely will be on the ground. Again, don't expose on the darker colors, but use some lighter color such as gravel / sand or the lighter tree limbs, but not the darker tree trunks.

Winter photography can present some challenging conditions, especially if snow is on the ground. If there is snow with bright sunny conditions, either reduce your exposure by 1 to 2 stops, or use a snow scene setting on your camera. During cloudy and snowy conditions, it is best to expose on some yellowed grass or lighter branches in the trees. These photos may require some adjustment with a photo editing program to bring out the contrast and brightness.

In summary, it is best with all landscape photos to expose on areas which are medium light - your camera is usually set to get the best exposure with an 18% gray color. In fact, many photographers carry an 18% gray card to use to set the proper exposure.

More Ford County, Kansas and Family Reunion

2008-11-13T00:24:00.005-06:00

On Sunday morning Nov 9, 2008, I left Dodge City to explore some areas in northeast and eastern Ford County.

I visited the town of Wright (with the "Right" Coop), then continued on northeast to Spearville. I had not seen the windmill farm here for awhile and also noticed the architecture in town, including St John's Catholic Church and the limestone bandshell downtown.

Then I traveled on southeast for the highlight of my day, to visit the fabulous Immaculate Heart of Mary Church at Windthorst. What elegance! - both outside and inside! I went on east into Edwards County, then north thru Kinsley and onto Lewis for lunch and a reunion with some of my Hornbaker cousins and aunts and uncles. This is always a great gathering.

Finally by midafternoon it was time to head east and south back to home in Wichita.

For more information:

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church: http://www.visitdodgecity.org/index.asp?nid=92

My photo gallery of Ford County: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/6502491_NuQdh#413045108_T5BHY

Dare to do Dirt Loop - Ford County, Kansas

2008-11-08T23:30:00.004-06:00

On Saturday Nov 8. 2008 I was able to complete a 150 mile loop around Ford County. I headed southeast out of Dodge City thru Ft Dodge, thru Ford, then east and south to Bucklin. I continued on westward across the southern part of the county thru Kingsdown and Bloom, then on west and north up the western part of the county. Finally I traveled across the northern part of the county before returning to Dodge City.

I visited 8 cemeteries: Bloom, Bucklin, Concord, Ford, Ft Dodge, Pleasant Valley, Ridenhour and Sodville. I crossed the Arkansas River several times during the day, and also enjoyed driving along Duck Creek and Sawlog Creek in the northern part of the county.

At the end of the afternoon, I was treated to a glorious colorful sunset, and I finished up the day with a great meal at El Charro Mexican Restaurant in Dodge City.

Tomorrow, I look forward to finishing exploring the Northeast part of Ford County on the way to Lewis in Edwards County for a family get-together.

For more information about Ford County:

Blue Skyways page: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/FO/

Dodge City CVB: http://www.visitdodgecity.org/

My Ford County Photo Gallery: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/6502491_NuQdh#413045257_rNJTN

Back On The Road Again

2008-11-07T22:41:00.002-06:00

After spending several weekends at home for health reasons, it was good to get back on the road exploring again today.

I left Wichita mid-afternoon and traveled to Dodge City for a couple nights stay. I went out to dinner to Casey's Cowtown Steakhouse. The combination of the atmosphere (stained glass and much framed art), friendly staff, along with a fabulous fillet steak dinner made for a very pleasurable experience I would recommend to anyone.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a "Dare to do Dirt" journey around Ford County. Sunday, I will be traveling back east to Lewis in Edwards County for a family reunion.

First Sesquicentennial Sunflower Barn Logo

2008-10-19T22:49:00.005-05:00

On Saturday Oct 18, I went to Dexter in eastern Cowley County, Kansas for an event sponsered by the Kansas Barn Alliance and Kansas Sampler Foundation. This event, part of the BYOLC (Bring Your Own Lawn Chair) series, saw the completion of the first sunflower logo put on a Kansas historic barn.

I arrived in Dexter about noon, drove downtown and enjoyed a good meal at The Gathering Place restaurant. I had their Riley sandwich with pumpkin pie for dessert. I shared the meal with an Explorer friend, Bonnie Danley, from Kansas City.

After lunch, I drove 1/2 mile north of Dexter to the historic barn, owned by Grady and Shannon Martin, housing the Stone Barn Mercantile. Here, we set up our chairs and watched Kenny Unrein, an artist from Augusta, put the finishing touches on the sunflower logo on the roof.

While Kenny was painting, we heard about the barn logo project from Sally Hatcher, president of the Kansas Barn Alliance. Shannon Martin told about how she and Grady came to own this historic barn, came to participate in the logo program, and about their new rental cabins on the property. Kenny finished the painting and was gracious enough to take some of us up on his lift to see the logo from above the roof.

I left Dexter and decided to follow a route north and east generally following Grouse Creek to the extreme northeast part of Cowley County. I visited one of my favorite stone bridges, the Fox bridge northeast of Cambridge, then found an iron pony truss bridge I had never seen before, before finally stopping at the lonely Glen Grouse Cemetery in far northeast Cowley County, which is overgrown with prairie grass. Finally, I continued on north to Latham, in Butler County, then west and on home.

Links: Kansas Barn Alliance: http://www.kansasbarnalliance.org/

Kansas Sampler Foundation: http://www.kansassampler.org/

The Gathering Place: http://www.dextergatheringplace.com/

Stone Barn Mercantile: http://www.stonebarnmercantile.com/

My Photo Gallery: http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/6307153_X8GMy#397749498_AhRjg

Shopping, Railroad Photography, and Nature Trails

2008-10-11T23:14:00.007-05:00

On Saturday Oct 11, I decided to make a shopping trip to several of my favorite locally owned food stores.

My first stop was at the retail outlet at Yoder Meats. I picked up a package of Dutch Mill cinnamon rolls, some Amana dill mustard (goes great in baked beans), a jar of wild huckleberry preserves, and some cinnamon candy.

Then I went into Hutchinson for lunch at Roy's Hickory Pit Barbeque. Their smoked turkey is my absolute favorite barbequed meat I have yet found - it is always tender and their sweet tomato vinegar sauce perfectly compliments the meat. A meal at Roy's includes their ranch style beans, your choice of several salads, and their grilled toasted bread.

Two of my favorite small town grocery stores are the Hometown Stores in Buhler and Inman. Today, I stopped to shop in both of them. In Buhler, I bought a 40 oz bottle of Grannie's Sweet and Spicy Mustard, made near Hillsboro, and about 2 lbs of the great locally made German rope sausage. In Inman, I bought an 84 oz bottle of Knackies Bear-B-Que sauce. This is my favorite all round barbeque sauce - I always have some in my refrigerator. I was pleasantly surprised to see these stores now carry MarCon pies, baked in Washington, Kansas. I bought a strawberry - rhubarb pie in Inman.

As I was leaving Inman, I noticed a southbound Union Pacific train parked on the siding waiting for a northbound train to pass. I headed south on K-61 to the 43rd Avenue bridge to wait for this train, and took several photos of the train passing underneath me. It's a great spot to watch trains in the tunnel of trees.

Finally, I decided to stop at the Dillon Nature Center near Hutchinson and take a leisurely stroll along the nature trails. Fall is a favorite time for many people to visit this oasis of animal and plant life, but I have visited the center in all seasons and taken many photos here.

Some links:

Marcon Pies: http://www.marconpies.com/

Yoder Meats: http://www.yoderkansas.com/yoder_meats.htm

Dillon Nature Center: http://www.hutchrec.com/dnc/

My photo gallery of Dillon Nature Center:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/6213295_EgcgM#391768189_9oRfL

Naturally Limestone Tour - Cowley County, KS

2008-10-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Oct 4, 2008, I went to Arkansas City to take a bus tour sponsered by the Arkansas City Area Arts Council.

Our group left Ark City and headed east for a drive thru of the Docking Estate, where we viewed the historic limestone buildings on this property. Then we headed to the town of Silverdale for a guided tour of the Born Limestone plant. We saw what operations are done to the raw limestone from the quarry to make it into finished stone. We then drove just south of Silverdale to view the historic Goff Ranch limestone house and barn.

We then headed for Dexter, following the scenic route along Grouse Creek Road and made a stop at Henry's Candies for some shopping. From there our route took us back west for a visit to the historic Andes double arch stone bridge. A local artist completed a sketch of the bridge and it was given to a lucky tour participant by a raffle.

After that, it was on to Cambridge for a good chuckwagon lunch with some music performed by local artists. We then headed west around Winfield City Lake to the town of Floral. At Floral, we viewed the old limestone Baptist Church and were treated to some violin music by another local artist.

Next, on to the Magnolia Ranch, which has six limestone buildings and is on the National Register. The owner graciously explained the history of the ranch and let us enter the horse barn for a tour. Finally we drove on to the historic Long House before returning to our starting point at the Burford theater in Ark City.

For more information, contact the Arkansas City Area Arts Council:

(620) 442-5895 or thru the Convention and Visitors Bureau at the following:

http://www.arkcity.org/

For some of my favorite photos of the trip visit the following gallery:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/6142303_baBZ7#386611077_rgkdX

Two "Dare to do Dirt" Loops in One Day

2008-09-28T22:46:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Sept 27, I was able to finish exploring rural areas of both Comanche and Kiowa counties in Southwest Kansas. I had made previous trips this year to both counties, but still wished to explore further in each.

I left Wichita heading southwest on K-2 to Kiowa and then Hardtner. Then I continued west on a favorite drive along Hackberry Rd across far south Barber County and entered Comanche County in the extreme southeast corner at the Oklahoma border.

I followed a route thru the canyon areas of southeast Comanche County, stopping to view the areas around Cave Creek, Red Fork Creek, Mustang Creek, Salt Fork Arkansas River, and Nescatunga Creek. The Red Hills and canyons were vivid on the bright sunny day.

I ended up in Coldwater for lunch at Dave's Pizza Oven. Dave makes a great pizza and I enjoyed chatting with him during my meal.

After lunch, I headed north into Kiowa County, and followed a route from the south border on west, then north thru Mullinville, and across the northern part of the county before ending at the eastern county line at Wellsford.

Highlights of my journey in Kiowa County include the marshy oasis along the East Kiowa Creek at the Kiowa/Comanche county line, the Fromme-Birney round barn near Mullinville, visits to Hillcrest Cemetery at Mullinville and Haviland Cemetery, and driving thru the sand hills near Rattlesnake Creek across the northern part of the county.

I then headed home thru Pratt, Cunningham and Kingman. It was a very satisfying 335 mile day trip.

For more information about Comanche County, see the following link:

http://www.comanchecounty.com/

For more information about Kiowa County, see the following link:

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/KW/

Some of my favorite rural Comanche County photos are at the following link:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/5277431_ZDJHU#321454524_WHreA

Some of my favorite rural Kiowa County photos are at the following link:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/5481556_4eSry#335205164_BdTsy

Shawnee County Dare to do Dirt

2008-09-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Sept 20, I left for a day trip to Shawnee County, Kansas for a "Dare to do Dirt" journey. I stopped in Burlingame at the Santa Fe Trail Cafe for lunch and had an excellent hot beef sandwich with real pot roast beef chunks, followed by a good piece of coconut cream meringue pie for dessert.

I entered Shawnee County from the south and followed a 78 mile route around the south, east and northern parts of the county, beginning near the town of Wakarusa, then east and north around the east edge of Topeka, then thru the Elmont and Grove areas before ending at Rossville. Here, my route met a previous route I had finished in the western part of Shawnee County.

Along the way, I visited two cemeteries and passed over at least 4 historic bridges, two rainbow arch, a pony truss, and a beautiful concrete bridge built in 1914 over the Wakarusa River. I did especially enjoy driving along the Wakarusa River in the southern part of the county.

For more information about Shawnee County, see the following link:

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/SN/

For a gallery of my favorite Shawnee County rural photos, following this link:

http://ke2013.smugmug.com/gallery/4493157_XanSb#264408327_7KvLw