Got Mingo?

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Today was kind of a strange day. After getting in to WaKeeney after midnight and carrying the sleeping boys into the camper, we decided sleeping in was a good thing. We think they were awake by 7:30, after which they pulled out almost all of the toys in their room and created a multi-vehicle accident scene, complete with tipped over light pole. It was an interesting start.

The day was a mix of somewhat odd attractions/sites of interest/weirdness and caching. This vacation, to date, has mostly been about seeing the real attractions--Zion, Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, but that's not really who we are. Jeff and I are more about seeing the Mt Horeb Mustard Museum (in Wisconsin) and the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church (in Kansas, not a long way from where we are now). The geocaching is new, but it does a good job breaking up the day.

Our first destination was Nicodemus National Historic Site, site of the first western town built and settled by African-Americans. It was founded in 1877 and currently has a population of 22. The NPS ranger was in the process of emptying the visitor center, because the building is the only one in town big enough to host their annual homecoming. We watched a video with some history and commentary from former residents and drove around to see the remaining five original buildings.

Our second stop, added only because there was a cache on the premises and it was recommended by the ranger, was Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site. State sites aren't actually open on Sundays, because there are signs around the perimeter. The ranch was built by John Fenton Pratt c 1880 in the style of his native Yorkshire. They raised sheep, which was apparently unusual for the time. The boys were very excited to find an ammo box and promptly searched the truck for stuff to trade.

Our third official stop was a geocache, Mingo. It was the 7th cache placed worldwide, back on May 11, 2000. It is the oldest still active, so of course, we had to go find it. It was far more exposed than I would have expected, but there's not much around, which probably explains its longevity. The original container was stolen just last month, which the boys find terribly confusing, but thankfully the cache owner is vigilant and replaced it quickly.

Finally, we headed to Monument Rocks in Gove County. They pale a bit in comparison to the national parks in Utah, but it's pretty interesting to see them in the middle of the plains. Liam had fun climbing around while I took some pictures and tried not to fall over. (It's really dizzying looking at them with clouds moving quickly overhead.)

Dinner was at Dairy Queen and the boys are currently swimming. Tomorrow will be another busy day, before changing plans and heading home a day early to visit with Ethan and his parents.

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Today, we learned that there are just not that many caches in western Kansas.

I forgot that jumping in and out of the truck 30 times on a hot, sunny day is just as bad as one single extended period. How will I explain the burns to my patients on Thursday?

Conversation of the Day:
J - The front of our truck got dirtier.
C - How did that happen?
J - Was Mama driving like an off-road racing maniac?
L - Oh, ho, ho YEAH!

Miles: 280

High Temperature: 97, in Ransom KS
Low Temperature: 77, in Hill City KS

Geocaches Found: 14

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