Riley County Exploring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/