After my solo trip to Denver (link to trip report) and attending the class I'd gone for, it was time to return home. My DH had flown out on the last day of the class then the following day we set out from Bear Creek Lake Park started our return trip to Tennessee.
We drove south on I-25 along the front range.
Then at Colorado Springs we turned west on State Route 94. Looking back, I could see how the plains run right up to the foot of the mountains.
But as the mountains grew smaller in the mirrors, it was time to look forward to the plains.
We passed through Punkin Center, a crossroad in the middle of nowhere, before picking up U.S. 40 at Aroya, CO.
It seems cows outnumber people in this area. In other words, a nice area to visit.
One hundred miles east of the mountains, we stopped at Kit Carson for lunch. This town, named after the famed scout, lies on the first rail line to Denver and features an original 1904 railroad depot, now a museum.
From our shady curbside parking site we could see a yard full of old equipment, old buildings, and a tower of industrial art across the street. After we ate, we took a closer look over the fence.
This place would be great for an overnight stop. Although we werenโt in a hurry, it was still too early to make camp so on we went across the plain, passing through towns that make their presence known with their tall silos. And to fill those silos one needs big farm equipment.
Finally we passed out of Colorado and into Kansas. And rolling on we went.
I guess these knobs pass for mountains in this state. And the kids on that school bus have a long commute.
We continued on as the sun slid towards the horizon behind us, throwing a golden light across the plain and everything in it. Time to find a place to light for the night.
DAY 12
Weโd found a city campground at Ellis, KS. It was a nice facility complete with level pull-thru sites, water, electric, restrooms, wifi, picnic tables, huge cottonwood trees, and even a pond. I donโt remember the fee but it wasnโt much and had to be paid at City Hall a couple blocks away.
Before leaving Ellis we stopped at a stone building on the other side of the pond from the campground. A sign indicated it was St Maryโs Catholic Church built in 1909. I donโt usually like mixing stone and brick but the way this one was done was beautiful.
Next stop, the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum at Abilene, KS. On a trip to Gettysburg a few years ago weโd visited the home where Ike spent his final years. Here we could see the home where he grew to adulthood.
The grounds are spacious and open. We left the library to the right for another time but we did visit the museum at the left.
The museum held items from Ikeโs lengthy military career.
Another part of the museum was devoted to life with his lovely wife, Mamie.
Finally, we took our leave of Eisenhower and headed on to find a campsite for the night.
We found a nice spot in a nearly empty Corps of Engineers campground overlooking Council Grove Lake. A nice place to kick back and relax.
To be continued โฆ see Part 2 on Page 2!
We drove south on I-25 along the front range.
Then at Colorado Springs we turned west on State Route 94. Looking back, I could see how the plains run right up to the foot of the mountains.
But as the mountains grew smaller in the mirrors, it was time to look forward to the plains.
We passed through Punkin Center, a crossroad in the middle of nowhere, before picking up U.S. 40 at Aroya, CO.
It seems cows outnumber people in this area. In other words, a nice area to visit.
One hundred miles east of the mountains, we stopped at Kit Carson for lunch. This town, named after the famed scout, lies on the first rail line to Denver and features an original 1904 railroad depot, now a museum.
From our shady curbside parking site we could see a yard full of old equipment, old buildings, and a tower of industrial art across the street. After we ate, we took a closer look over the fence.
This place would be great for an overnight stop. Although we werenโt in a hurry, it was still too early to make camp so on we went across the plain, passing through towns that make their presence known with their tall silos. And to fill those silos one needs big farm equipment.
Finally we passed out of Colorado and into Kansas. And rolling on we went.
I guess these knobs pass for mountains in this state. And the kids on that school bus have a long commute.
We continued on as the sun slid towards the horizon behind us, throwing a golden light across the plain and everything in it. Time to find a place to light for the night.
DAY 12
Weโd found a city campground at Ellis, KS. It was a nice facility complete with level pull-thru sites, water, electric, restrooms, wifi, picnic tables, huge cottonwood trees, and even a pond. I donโt remember the fee but it wasnโt much and had to be paid at City Hall a couple blocks away.
Before leaving Ellis we stopped at a stone building on the other side of the pond from the campground. A sign indicated it was St Maryโs Catholic Church built in 1909. I donโt usually like mixing stone and brick but the way this one was done was beautiful.
Next stop, the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum at Abilene, KS. On a trip to Gettysburg a few years ago weโd visited the home where Ike spent his final years. Here we could see the home where he grew to adulthood.
The grounds are spacious and open. We left the library to the right for another time but we did visit the museum at the left.
The museum held items from Ikeโs lengthy military career.
Another part of the museum was devoted to life with his lovely wife, Mamie.
Finally, we took our leave of Eisenhower and headed on to find a campsite for the night.
We found a nice spot in a nearly empty Corps of Engineers campground overlooking Council Grove Lake. A nice place to kick back and relax.
To be continued โฆ see Part 2 on Page 2!
Great pictures to finish off our tour. Thanks for sharing as usual. ๐ Hope to meet up with you soon.
Continued from Page 1 ...
DAY 13
Our site on Council Grove Lake afforded us a great view of the rising sun. Waterfowl that had spent the night on the lake took wing with noisy calls to each other. As the sun rose it set ablaze the already brilliant color of the fall maple leaves.
We drove the short distance over to the city of Council Grove, KS. Iโd read about this town in a book on the Santa Fe Trail and was eager to see it.
Iโd also read about the Hays House Restaurant, the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River, which sounded like a good place to eat breakfast. The building was nice outside and inside and the service and food very good. It was amazing to think we were dining in an establishment where more than 150 years ago travelers on the Santa Fe had eaten.
On the wall of the restaurant was a map of the Santa Fe Trail and what appeared to be an ox having his feet cared for by a drover. Judging by the stocks and slings holding the ox in place, this wasnโt an easy job.
After eating, we walked down Main Street and admired the many historic buildings including the Farmers and Drovers Bank with its intricate architecture.
The Morris County State Bank, built in 1887, also has many old, ornate features.
The Aldrich Apothecary with its soda fountain was enticing but we were still full from breakfast.
A block off Main Street we saw the Cottage House Hotel & Motel which started in 1867 as a 3-room hotel and blacksmith shop, was enlarged in 1871 to serve as a boarding house, and then was enlarged again in 1879 to serve as a hotel. This would be a nice place to stay if we didnโt have our camper with us.
Across the Neosho River was a bronze statue of a Kanza warrior. It was interesting to learn the stateโs name came from the name of this tribe.
On our way out of town we stopped at the Kaw (AKA Kanza) Mission. This facility served as a home, church, and school for Kanza boys in the early 1950s. It was interesting to read that Kanza families used the stone cabins built for them to live in as stables instead. As with many native American tribes, what Kanza tribe members that remained were moved in 1873 to Oklahoma.
Moving on, we traveled south through the Flint Hills to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. After making some lunch, we set out on a trail that passed through a culvert under the road and continued out across a hay field.
A typical prairie breeze was blowing the trees.
We came to a river which fortunately was low so we were able to rock hop our way across.
On the other side we entered an area cloaked with prairie grasses. Many different kinds of grasses.
Off in the distance we could see the buildings at the Preserveโs headquarters.
Along the trail we also saw a variety of blooming and seeding plants.
Looping back to the river we passed through some woods where I spied deer (or antelope?) and turkey tracks.
Having made a full circle and come back to the road, we looked back across the field, the wooded waterway, and the grassy hill we had just visited.
Then we went into the Preserveโs visitor center which had a small number of informative displays. No, not in this barn but in a building nearby.
One of the unique features of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is its pasture where you can hike among a herd of bison. As described in the last plaque weโd read in the visitor center, however, the field had recently been burned off and the bison were being kept in a corral. So we set off to find them. The trail started at an old stone one-room schoolhouse.
Then out across what looked like a charred wasteland.
With the grasses burned off, the flinty rock after which the flint hills are named was exposed.
Shoots of green showed the grasses would be back soon.
Finally, off in the distance we could see the corral.
Hey, where are the bison?
Ahah, there they are! Some additions to the heard had recently been bought at auction as evidenced by the stickers on their backs.
Donโt you wish you could do this? Or maybe not :B
Back across the prairie to the camper we went and on down the road towards home.
Day 14
Our last campsite was at Stockton State Park on Stockton Reservoir roughly 35 miles northeast of Carthage, Missouri. It was a nice, quiet stop, like all of my stops had been on this very enjoyable trip.
Thanks for riding along with us!
DAY 13
Our site on Council Grove Lake afforded us a great view of the rising sun. Waterfowl that had spent the night on the lake took wing with noisy calls to each other. As the sun rose it set ablaze the already brilliant color of the fall maple leaves.
We drove the short distance over to the city of Council Grove, KS. Iโd read about this town in a book on the Santa Fe Trail and was eager to see it.
Iโd also read about the Hays House Restaurant, the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River, which sounded like a good place to eat breakfast. The building was nice outside and inside and the service and food very good. It was amazing to think we were dining in an establishment where more than 150 years ago travelers on the Santa Fe had eaten.
On the wall of the restaurant was a map of the Santa Fe Trail and what appeared to be an ox having his feet cared for by a drover. Judging by the stocks and slings holding the ox in place, this wasnโt an easy job.
After eating, we walked down Main Street and admired the many historic buildings including the Farmers and Drovers Bank with its intricate architecture.
The Morris County State Bank, built in 1887, also has many old, ornate features.
The Aldrich Apothecary with its soda fountain was enticing but we were still full from breakfast.
A block off Main Street we saw the Cottage House Hotel & Motel which started in 1867 as a 3-room hotel and blacksmith shop, was enlarged in 1871 to serve as a boarding house, and then was enlarged again in 1879 to serve as a hotel. This would be a nice place to stay if we didnโt have our camper with us.
Across the Neosho River was a bronze statue of a Kanza warrior. It was interesting to learn the stateโs name came from the name of this tribe.
On our way out of town we stopped at the Kaw (AKA Kanza) Mission. This facility served as a home, church, and school for Kanza boys in the early 1950s. It was interesting to read that Kanza families used the stone cabins built for them to live in as stables instead. As with many native American tribes, what Kanza tribe members that remained were moved in 1873 to Oklahoma.
Moving on, we traveled south through the Flint Hills to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. After making some lunch, we set out on a trail that passed through a culvert under the road and continued out across a hay field.
A typical prairie breeze was blowing the trees.
We came to a river which fortunately was low so we were able to rock hop our way across.
On the other side we entered an area cloaked with prairie grasses. Many different kinds of grasses.
Off in the distance we could see the buildings at the Preserveโs headquarters.
Along the trail we also saw a variety of blooming and seeding plants.
Looping back to the river we passed through some woods where I spied deer (or antelope?) and turkey tracks.
Having made a full circle and come back to the road, we looked back across the field, the wooded waterway, and the grassy hill we had just visited.
Then we went into the Preserveโs visitor center which had a small number of informative displays. No, not in this barn but in a building nearby.
One of the unique features of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is its pasture where you can hike among a herd of bison. As described in the last plaque weโd read in the visitor center, however, the field had recently been burned off and the bison were being kept in a corral. So we set off to find them. The trail started at an old stone one-room schoolhouse.
Then out across what looked like a charred wasteland.
With the grasses burned off, the flinty rock after which the flint hills are named was exposed.
Shoots of green showed the grasses would be back soon.
Finally, off in the distance we could see the corral.
Hey, where are the bison?
Ahah, there they are! Some additions to the heard had recently been bought at auction as evidenced by the stickers on their backs.
Donโt you wish you could do this? Or maybe not :B
Back across the prairie to the camper we went and on down the road towards home.
Day 14
Our last campsite was at Stockton State Park on Stockton Reservoir roughly 35 miles northeast of Carthage, Missouri. It was a nice, quiet stop, like all of my stops had been on this very enjoyable trip.
Thanks for riding along with us!
Very nice trip report and pictures! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. Great job as always!
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