Crossing Kansas

On the morning of June 7, we pointed our wagon train in a northeasterly direction on the Santa Fe Trail and got the heck out of Dodge. We planned to stop by Russell, home of Bob Dole, but the weather was working against us. Dark storm clouds followed us with thunder and lightning, it rained off and on, and strong sidewinds made it a challenge to keep the RV in its lane, in spite of its sleek breadbox aerodynamics (LOL).  If that wasn’t bad enough, we had to deal with the wind effects and water spray of semi trucks passing us at 70 mph on the two-lane highway.  So, we passed on Russell and took a direct route to Abilene.

After checking into our campground, Ron replaced a burned out headlight, we watched the rain for a while and did some reading.

Bonnie kept a close watch on the weather reports and scanned the sky for possible tornados. There was a tornado watch for our area for a while, but none materialized. Ron was very disappointed that the rain turned the campground’s mini-golf course into reflecting pools.

Do you remember the song . . . “Abilene, Abilene. Prettiest town that I’ve ever seen. People there don’t treat you mean, in Abilene . . .” We found the people of Abilene to be very nice indeed. When we stopped at the local market and didn’t have their membership discount card, the cashier gave us the discount anyway.

Abilene is the home of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

We spent a couple hours at the Eisenhower Center. It consists of the family home where Ike grew up, an excellent museum, the presidential library, and a Place of Meditation where Ike and Mamie are buried. And, of course, a gift shop. The center was very interesting and informative, especially museum's acounts of World War II and D-Day 1944 when General Eisenhower was commander of the allied troops.

This is the front of the museum.

Abilene is also home to the Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame. Two beautiful greyhounds greeted us as we entered the facility. We learned a lot about the breed and about dog racing but, since we’re not fans of that particular sport, we didn’t spend a lot of time there.

On June 9, we moved to a little RV park at the edge of a corn field near Lyndon, Kansas.

This is a very pretty part of Kansas with lush green rolling hills, scattered deciduous woodlots, neatly cultivated fields, small lakes and quiet country roads.  We took a look at nearby Melvern Lake, which is surrounded by nice parks and campgrounds.  Note the cloudy sky, typical of our week in Kansas.

Bonnie was relieved to find a roomy and sturdy tornado shelter about 100 ft. from our camp space. Fortunately, we didn’t need it.

On a hot muggy Thursday, June 10, we took a day trip to Lawrence, home of Kansas University.  It's a beautiful campus and KU usually has one of the best basketball teams in the country. The city of Lawrence (pop. About 80,000) is a beautiful city. It’s city center has many restored old buildings, nice trees and landscaping, some sidewalk restaurants and other features.  In the surrounding older neighborhoods, we found block after block of beautiful classic old homes on streets shaded by huge trees. The Old West Lawrence Historic District has more than 40 Victorian and Italianate-style residences.  We were impressed with Lawrence and some of the prettiest neighborhoods we’ve seen anywhere.

Due to road construction, it took us a while to find the freeway to Topeka. As soon as we found the on-ramp we were confronted with our first toll booth of this trip. It cost us a dollar to drive from Lawrence to Topeka, a distance of about 20 miles.


We arrived in downtown Topeka and parked by the state capitol.  State capitols are always worth a visit.  They're always impressive buildings and reflect the pride and history of the state.  Kansas' capitol was no exception.  It was partly wrapped in scaffolding as workers were undertaking a major facelift of the building. Industrial fencing surrounded the building and we walked entirely around it before finding the visitor entrance.

We toured the building and learned all about its history, murals, ceiling paintings, massive limestone foundation, antique “cage” elevator and other features. The structure was built between 1866 and 1903 and is 16 ft. higher than the Capitol in Washington D.C.  Ron was anxious to climb the 296 steps to the outer balcony near the top of the dome, but it was closed for renovation.  Bonnie found the tornado shelter in the basement.

The Senate and House chambers were especially ornate, with their beautiful stonework, light fixtures and old wooden desks.  The Senate chamber (31 Republicans and 9 Democrats)is surrounded by columns of copper and brass. Beautiful building.

In the absence of Governor Parkinson, Ron assumed the roll at the "ceremonial desk".

We stopped at Old Prairie Town before leaving Topeka. It’s an assortment of old buildings and botanical gardens surrounding the Prairie Mansion, which was built about 1870.

The 1800s buildings include a log cabin, schoolhouse, church, general store, railroad depot and others.  Abilene also had a small collection of historic buildings in its Old Abilene district.  It's nice to see so many communities preserving pieces of their history for visitors and future generations.  Every town we pass through has something of value or significance that they would like the world to see.  We don't have the time to see it all, but we try.

We have reservations in Branson and will be there on June 14.  So, after a full and exciting week in Kansas, we're ready to leave our little campground in Lyndon and see what Missouri looks like.

Dodge City, Kansas

Last Thursday (June 3) we departed Albuquerque and aimed for the Texas panhandle. We filled the gas tank in Tucumcari at the amazing low price of $2.50/gal., the lowest we’ve found, so far. We had planned to spend the night at Ute State Park near Logan, but it was such a nice day that we decided to continue on to Dalhart, Texas.

Dalhart: We were in Dalhart just one night . . . long enough to rest the RV, get some sleep, eat an outstanding dinner at a small barbeque restaurant and learn a little about the local history. We drove the old brick streets of the downtown and looked at the many vacant and deteriorating buildings that remained after newer businesses had moved to the main highway. The restored La Rita Theatre was the bright spot and pride of Dalhart.

As it turns out, Dalhart was once part of the largest fenced ranch in the world. The three million acres of the XIT Ranch covered parts of ten counties and supported 150,000 head of cattle. Dalhart became the primary shipping center for the cattle and is still a center of the cattle business. It’s now home to the world’s leading “confined animal feeding operations” (feedlots) for cattle and hogs. As we entered Dalhart from the west, we passed between two huge feedlots, each capable of handling about 85,000 head of cattle at one time. If you’ve ever encountered a fresh cow pie, multiply that odor by 100,000 and you might imagine the pungent aroma of Dalhart. Very potent!

Dodge City: We got an early start the next morning and moved in the direction of Dodge City, Kansas before the heat of the day arrived. Ron drove non-stop for about 3½ hours and we arrived at Gunsmoke RV Park before noon.

Anyone old enough to have watched the Gunsmoke TV series, might remember James Arness as Dodge City’s Marshal Dillon. The town was often visited by poker playing, whiskey drinking, rowdy cowboys who settled their differences with gunfights in the dusty street in front of the Long Branch Saloon. To some extent, that was a surprisingly accurate image. Dodge City’s most colorful era as a lawless community on the Santa Fe Trail was very brief. It began when it was founded in 1872 and continued another 14 years.  Seven miles west of town, ruts of the Santa Fe Trail remain etched into the grasslands.

Dodge City was a supply center for troops at Fort Dodge, engaged in the Indian Wars. It was also a trade center for travelers and buffalo hunters. About 850,000 buffalo hides were shipped from Dodge City in the years 1872-74 and the City became known as the Buffalo Capital of the World. That title lasted a short five years until the mass slaughter destroyed the buffalo herds and left the prairie littered with decaying carcasses.

By 1875, nearly all the buffalo were gone.  Texas longhorn cattle took their place in the local economy and the city became Queen of the Cowtowns. Millions of cattle were driven up the Western Trail from Texas to Dodge City for shipment on the railroad. Once the cattle made it to Dodge City, the cowboys were ready for a little “wine, women and song” and the city earned its reputation as the wildest town on the western frontier. Several noted lawmen were brought in to take control, including Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.

Many gunfight victims were buried (with their boots on) on Boot Hill.  The Texas cattle drives ended by 1886 and the community became more civilized and diversified.

Today, the Boot Hill Museum sits on a portion of the original Boot Hill graveyard. It includes replicas of early Dodge City buildings, lots of history, old photos, a gun collection, the Dodge City Bank and other memorabilia.

Can-can dancers were giving dance lessons in the Long Branch Saloon as we quenched our thirst with a sarsaparilla.  It was a very hot day and we ducked into the air-conditioned museum buildings at every opportunity.

A staged gunfight was held in front of the buildings at high noon.  Most participants didn't survive and would have ended up on Boot Hill.

Dodge City today appears to be a healthy agricultural-based community. Most downtown streets were paved in red brick in the early 1920s and are still in good condition.  Many old brick buildings have been restored, including the large Santa Fe depot.

Large medallions have been placed in the sidewalk along the “Trail of Fame”, honoring those who contributed most to Dodge City’s history.

Wyatt Earp Boulevard is the main east-west arterial and reminders of the old cowboy days are everywhere.  Many feedlots are in the vicinity and a local packing plant "processes" up to 20,000 head of cattle every day.  A nice thick steak from Dodge City may be waiting in the meat department of your local supermarket.

It’s still a wild west town at heart, but the rowdiness is gone. We had a great time in Dodge City.  To avoid the heat, we spent some time in the mall and attended a movie.  We also had a buffet breakfast at the Boot Hill Casino, took a trolley tour of the city and finished it off with Ron's birthday dinner at Casa Alvarez.  His special dinner preference . . . a large pork burrito with guacamole, sour cream and lots of hot salsa.  It's a nice town and we're glad we stopped by.