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Published: July 28th 2010
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Old Granary
An old-fashioned grain barn in Kansas. July 20—After getting a leak fixed in my RV yesterday, I bid goodbye to Joan and Hugh and headed north. I stopped at Tonkawa, near the Kansas border to see about adopting a cat I had found on the internet. Yes, another cat.
This one turned out to be a tuxedo cat, so called because they are black with a white neck “bib”. He also has white paws and was named Bootsie for that reason. Roberta, the lady that fostered him has had him off and on for two years. I wanted an adult cat that is affectionate. Bootsie met my criteria. He is very affectionate. I wasn't sure how he would handle traveling, but I guess there is only one way to find out. Bootsie is now my traveling companion. I will let him introduce himself at a later date.
When I decided to redo the cushions in the RV, I picked a light color not only to brighten things up, but also so Cali's white hairs would not show up as badly. So, I lose her and get a cat with black hair. Go figure!
July 21---Today I stopped in Abilene, KS to visit the Eisenhower
Eisenhower Library
The library is separate from the museum and used only for research. Presidential Library. This library is different from the others, in that the museum and the actual library are separate buildings across the compound from each other. Other buildings on the grounds, also each one separate, are Ike's boyhood home, a “place of meditation” (which houses the graves of President Eisenhower, his wife Mamie and a son they lost in childhood.) and the gift shop. In the center of the area is a statue of Eisenhower in his army uniform. Seeing all the buildings involves quite a lot of walking and it is very hot today!
The house is very interesting. Most of the furnishings were actual ones used and owned by the Eisenhowers. It is a small house and it's hard to believe that nine children were raised in it!! Nothing like the huge houses we see today.
The “Place of Meditation”, as it is called, is a small chapel with a beautiful gate in front of the graves. The plain stone grave tops catch the multicolored rays from a stained glass window. It was very peaceful there.
July 22---Bootsie is still keeping to himself, but does join me on the bed at night. With the weather
Grounds and Statue
Statue of Eisenhower on library grounds. being so hot, both of us don't do much after stopping. I have to have a place with electricity so I can get the air conditioning going. He hasn't complained about the constant movement, yet, but he hasn't eaten very much either, so I guess he's having a little trouble getting adjusted.
Today, while driving along I-70, I spotted a sign about a “Cathedral of the Plains” in a small town called Victoria. I decided to check it out. It is a huge building that was begun in 1908 by the German population of the area. The architecture is called “Romanesque” and is in the shape of a cross. William Jennings Bryan, author, orator and presidential candidate in 1912 gave it the name when he visited it on his campaign tour. The church was named one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas” in 2008. (I don't know, yet, what the other seven are!) The two towers are over 200 feet tall and can be seen for miles across the Kansas plain.
I crossed into Nebraska and spent the night at a free park (with electricity!) in McCook. Later in the night we had quite a thunder storm with
Boyhood Home
The home Eisenhower grew up in. It is located on its original grounds, now part of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. very heavy rain. I sure was glad I wasn't driving. Poor Bootsie! Now he has one more reason to feel afraid. I'll bet he's wondering what he's gotten himself into.
July 23—Today consisted mostly of driving. We crossed about ¾ of Nebraska. Not too many things to see, but lots of farmland. I took a picture of a couple of red barns that I liked. I saw a deer browsing in one of the cornfields in the middle of the day. Kind of unusual. I stopped for the night in Alliance. We were in an RV park right next to a cherry tree. I picked one for a taste. Whew! That was the most sour cherry I have ever tasted! I wondered why the birds weren't all over that tree. I found out why!
July 24—While coming into Alliance, I saw a sign for “Carhenge”, so I took a little detour to see what it was about. Some creative person took old cars and stacked them up to resemble England's Stonehenge. This thing is out in the middle of a wheat field! There is no charge to see it, but, of course, they will be happy to accept
Living Room and Parlor
Part of the rooms of Eisenhower's boyhood home. The docent said Ike's mother made all the boys take piano lessons, including him. He didn't stay at it long. donations. It isl definitely one of the strangest things I have ever seen. The circle itself is not the only thing in the field. Some other “sculptures” have been added, including a fish and a dinosaur, all made of car parts and metal.
I guess they don't get a lot of donations, because the place is kind of run down. I was saddened to see graffiti painters had spoiled some of the cars.
While at Carhenge, I got to watching a crop duster do his work. I couldn't believe how low to the ground this plane got. It was fascinating to see him loop down and across the field laying the spray down, then fly up and around to do it all again. Naturally, I took all the pictures I could!!
I drove a few miles on a county road before getting back onto the U.S. highway. I'm glad I did. You never know what you will see on some of these back roads. I've included a picture of this unique rest stop!
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Berry Davison
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travel blog
Well Aunt Joan said you had been gone (July 20th) from her house about an hour. I figured you left before we got there because you didn't want to face me after having eaten Hugh and Joan out of house and home. Thought we were going to have to eat dog or cat food for lunch, ha. Your'e trip through Nebraska brings back many memories (both good and bad) of that state after having lived in Omaha for 15 years. I love sweet Nebraska corn on the cob, but get very tired of looking at it when driving across Nebraska. I too liked 'carhenge'. Have visited Mamie 'Doud?" Eisenhower's girlhood home in Boone, Iowa but never made it to Abilene to see the Eisenhower Library. Am very glad you liked the more modern rest area of Nebraska - most don't have the 'free wi-fi'. I hope Bootsie will become the type of 'travlin partner' the other two cats became. Keep on truckin!