Yup! We’re in Kansas. I think that must stand for something like ‘konstantly and never-ending showers and storms’! Rain and thunderstorms, more rain and showers and yea, it’s GREEN! That’s okay, really because I do like green and trees and grass. This state also mows everything and it is beautiful. We were surprised at the variety of terrain and plants; it certainly isn’t just corn and wheat. So here’s what we found in Kansas:
Our first stop in the state was a little burg named Sedan. It was the birthplace of Emmett Kelly the world famous circus clown named Weary Willie and houses memorabilia of his long career with Barnum and Bailey Circus. This museum is housed in the 1896 Opera House and contains artifacts of other clowns plus some pretty odd stuff like a 1500 piece whiskey and bourbon decanter collection, one of the most complete antique print shops in the state and a shell collection from Guam and nearby islands. Hey, I dare the Smithsonian to match this group!
The town is very picturesque and has many examples of the sandstone and brick architecture known as “Kansas Eclectic” plus the world’s ‘longest yellow brick road’! Yes, Dorothy, this is the place! Every state and 28 foreign countries are represented by the names of people who bought a brick. It was kinda fun to walk along and read the names and places. We also discovered they have really good ice cream on hot, muggy days!
We shot straight north up Hwy. 99 to Eureka, then left on 54 to our first Kansas State Park at El Dorado. (Wait, these sound a lot like California, don’t they?) The Army Corps of Engineers had been really busy in these middle states and created many lakes and reservoirs for the irrigation and municipal needs of the area. Often these lakes were then turned over to the states; they, in turn, created State Parks for fishing and other water recreation. In general they are truly beautiful sites with conveniences like electricity, water and showers for not very much money. I particularly like the acres of green grass to roll around on and the lakes to swim in.
We connected with scenic Byway 177 at Cassoday for our trip through mid-Kansas and more of the Flint Hills country.
We stopped to photograph a lovely courthouse at Cottonwood Falls just because we had read about the unusual combination of brick and local limestone construction.
We're still headed for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve; stay tuned!
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