Through Kansas

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Ozawkie and Topeka, Kansas
Council Grove, Kansas
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Fort Larned, Kansas
Garden City and the Sunnyland B&B
Sandsage National Wildlife Preserve

Sat June 7 to Mon June 9

After our wonderful visit outside of Baldwin City, we drove north through Oscaloosa and across Lake Perry to Ozawkie to see my Uncle Dennis’ place that he built with his wife Jolayne. She was very welcoming, and gave us the full tour of the office building, home and still-under-construction new addition. We also met the friendly young couple who have taken over the law practice and their delightful toddler. My Uncle, of course, is on the coast of Maryland, prepping his 30 ft sailboat for a non-stop round-the-world sail that has been a dream of his and upon which he may now embark, since he recently retired. By the time I write this he may very well have set sail. Bon Voyage!

After refreshments on the deck, and giving the boys a chance to stretch their legs and play soccer, we headed down to Topeka to the house of my Uncle Martin, his wife Vickie, and their sweet dog, Macy. They had truly gone above and beyond the call of duty to make us comfortable, giving us their upstairs bedroom, and the boys a room right next door, while themselves taking an inflatable bed downstairs! We had a wonderful visit! That night we were taken out to dinner at an innovative restaurant called the Row House, in an old renovated brownstone. Jolayne met us there. After a brief bump in the road when Miles seemed certain he would not care for any of the items in the prix-fixe menu, he took directions and ordered the sampler plate which comes with some of each entrée and dessert offered. He loved it! All of the food was delicious. The boys enjoyed talking about soccer with one of the waiters who had played for a Maryland college team, and we got to meet the chef afterwards and thank him for the delicious meal.

The next day we headed to an art exhibit of regional artisans and crafters (on the grounds of Washburn U where both my parents went to college), then were given a tour of the State Capitol building where Martin & Vickie’s Hawver News organization has a press office. We then took a driving tour of places related to my mother’s formative years (the house she lived in, the house where I visited my grandmother when I was 14, the hospital where my Mom worked, and finally went to the Overland Station museum, a renovation of the old railroad station that served the 4 major railway companies that ran through Topeka. In addition to the Union Pacific, these included the AT&SF (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe), later just the Santa Fe, for which my grandfather worked as Chief Inspector of Scales.

It was a critical part of the business to weigh the huge box cars, and to know what the “ton miles” were. My grandfather invented and patented 2 different weight scales, for uncoupled and coupled cars, (he was an engineer by vocation, even though he never got the chance to go to college, as he had to go to work to help support his siblings). Both my mother and her brother Martin have memories of taking the train with their father, in his company-provided sleeper car, while he traveled all over the southwest to inspect scales. My Mom tells colorful tales of their learning to love spicy Mexican food early on and also carrying back home some powerfully-scented foods that raised the eyebrows of other passengers. So it was fun to see the station, to hear Martin explain some of this family history for Max and Miles, to see the fancy southwestern patterened china used in the old dining cars, and read about Santa Fe lore and how critical the railroads were to the development of Kansas and the west.

That evening we also experienced a major rain storm (hail threatened but did not arrive), with one of the loudest lightning pops I’ve ever heard (but not a tornado, thank goodness). Then we had a very pleasant visit with my cousin Jessica and her 2 children. Sky and Miles, being the same age, began to warm up to one another (right at the end), and played Topeka Monopoly. All the warm hospitality and wonderful food of our Topeka visit will linger in memory!

Next day (June 9th) we headed out for the long drive across Kansas, following mainly the old route 50 (now Rte 56) through Council Grove & on toward Garden City. I used the air card to work en route. We stopped in Council Grove to have the oil changed in the van, and so took a walking tour of some historic sites, including a monument to the women of the pioneer trail, & a “Hermit Cave” where a Franciscan ascetic had stayed for a while following the Santa Fe Trail. The town is very well preserved/renovated and has made a striking success of providing historic markers and signs explaining different aspects of Santa Fe Trail history.

Turning south we headed to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The short walking trail into the prairie was dotted with many wildflowers and gave a good feel of the expanse of the grasslands. (There are also longer trails for which we didn’t have time). A very knowledgeable ranger answered all our questions about the vegetation, about the project of restoring the original tallgrass prairie, and how it differs from the shortgrass prairie farther west. It proved a very interesting stop - one well worth taking. Then we really began our trek into the dry country of the flint hills and on through the flatlands, which were drier still (except where farmers were irrigating their crops).

Arriving at Fort Larned after closing, we took, at Rollie’s urging, a brief bicycle jaunt through it and looked in windows (I was a bit nervous someone would come and tell us to leave - but it seemed truly deserted). Driving on and on through the flat land we eventually came to Garden City and looked up the phone # of the one listed B&B (Sunnyland B&B). Luckily, they not only had an opening, but were willing to check us in at 9 PM at night, & give us a room gratis for the boys if we paid in full for the more expensive room. It was a lovely place, decorated to the hilt in Victoriana to suit the origins of the nicely-renovated old house, and the innkeepers very friendly. Rooms were named for Bible verses. Ours were from Mark and Ecclesiastes - we looked them up - they had to do with love and accpeting that all is vanity, as I recall. You know you're in Kansas when......

Over a delicious breakfast we learned all about the farming life they had left and why - it was fascinating. We did have to steer clear of some other political topics that came up. We kind of hemmed and hawed and payed close attention to our pancakes.

I am a devoted fan of the B&B concept. On the surface they seem posh and expensive, but you can pay only slightly less for a really gruesome hotel or motel. I can’t tell you how often the non-smoking rooms in cheap motels have been smoked in, how scary the sheets are and how dingy the fabrics. Or maybe I can tell you. I’d rather spend a little bit more for a really wonderful room, exquisite breakfast and the fun of talking with the innkeepers about local sights, & their lives.

We had to decamp quickly in the morning because we called to see about getting a tour of Sandsage Bison Refuge and were told they were running a tour at 9:30 AM, and to meet the volunteer at the gate in half an hour. Joining an open cart of young YMCA summer camp kids on field trip, we got a tour of the sandsage range and (after spending some time trying to locate the herd) saw the Bison herd up close. The guide gave us special treatment, identifying the wildflowers, & other plants, and telling us a lot about the natural history of the bison. We got to see one of the bulls too (they are usually near but not in the herd of cows and calves) - he was impressively huge.

Next blog: Thai food in the wilderness, Colorado Sangre de Cristo adventure on the Purgatoire River (thanks to Rollie rebelling against the planned route), and the Great Sand Dunes.

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Photos

Miles @ Topeka Capitol
Miles in front of Brown vs. Board of Education display in the State Capitol Building

Santa Fe Super Chief
Model of a Santa Fe passenger train at the Overland Express Station in Topeka

Council Grove Hays House
Max and Miles in front of historic Hays House Hotel in Council Grove, KS. Hotel was built in 1857.

Bison
We got up close to the bison herd at Sandsage Wildlife Refuge

Cows & calf
The bisons were in various stages of moulting.

Connestoga wagon
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site is a recreation of the old adobe fort (which burned) from drawings made of the fort by a mil,itary architect who visited it in the days when it was a prominent (private) trading post. Charles Bent married a Cherokee woman, and eentually was also Governor of New Mexico.

Comments

[Cindy Kirchner]

Woohoo!
What a great trip you guys are having and who is that very tall person named Max? (don't worry Miles, you'll be up there all too soon...) Allen shared your site with me. Keep having fun! ckk