JUNE 18-21 - KANSAS and MISSOURI
Well, now we begin the long trip home. Our first challenge is to get across eastern Colorado and Kansas. In general, it is not a pretty sight. The wild life we experienced from the comfort of our vehicle consisted of seeing barn swallow nests under the edge of a bridge while we were sitting in the ever present road construction.
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| Barn Swallow nests. |
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| Kansas Attractions |
This part of the country is long on open fields and short on cities. Instead of skyscrapers piercing the heavens, grain elevators marked the gathering points (not quite towns) for the residents of the areas.
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Kansas "skyscrapers"
Our destination for this segment is Hutchinson, Kansas. This is the home of the COSMOSPHERE...We stayed at the Kansas State Fair Grounds RV campground for under $20/night and it was fine. I would not want to be there at Fair time, though. |
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| COSMOSPHERE MUSEUM, HUTCHINSON KANSAS |
The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a Smithsonian affiliated space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. It is actually a fantastic museum teaching the history of our space endeavors and flights with lectures, hands on exhibitions, actual vehicles (e.g. the Apollo 13 space capsule itself) that have been to space, etc. We began our visit at 9:30 in the morning and finished at the museum around 4 pm, thoroughly entertained and educated.
It was Friday night and we tried to engage in the "night life" of Hutchinson, but alas, there was none!. We walked the main streets in downtown Hutchinson on Friday night looking for somewhere to "dine" and for what was happening. The fact is very little was happening. They have some beautiful
bronze sculptures on the street corners, and a beautiful little city part. A band was setting up to play (after dark I suppose when the temperature cooled). We asked two women about restaurants and their reply was, "People here don't eat out much."
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| Pied Piper |
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| The Storyteller |
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Hutchinson Kansas City Park
As we headed back to Snoopy, doomed to have sandwiches, we chanced upon an incredible Italian Bistro restaurant, near the Community College, filled with millenials and wonderful food. We had Cioppino (Italian Fish Stew) to die for! A really great ending to a really fun day. |
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| More Kansas Skyscrapers along the way |
Lunch time at another Kansas town.
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| Typical Kansas Main Street at noon. |
With our next major destination in the Arkansas Ozarks, we took a short stop across Father's Day weekend in Missouri at the Royal W. Resort RV Park in Cassville, Missouri. This was a privately owned RV park with only 6 sites and a few cabins. Our campsite was among these huge, beautiful trees, only a few miles outside the Roaring River State Park.
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| Near Roaring River State Park in Missouri |
While we were there I assisted in an "animal rescue". This adorable dog came bouncing into the area where the RVs were and started playing with a lab pup tied up to a tree at the next camper. This is the kind of happy dog that elicits love at first sight. He was in and out all afternoon. The next camper was going to call Animal Services but there is no such thing in that part of the state, besides it was Sunday--Father's Day.
Turns out the owner of the RV park has 2 or 3 dogs herself and is a sucker for dogs. She was worried that the dog might be hit on the road and set out to find the owner. She called the vet based on the dog's tags. I got the dog on a leash for a "walk" (I felt guilty about lying to the dog.) up to the office. We contained him on her porch with all her dogs protesting loudly. But it was all for good. After supper the vet contacted the owners who came to get the dog. Turns out they had spent all Sunday afternoon searching for it. The reunion with the two little girls and the dog apparently was the personification of joy and love!
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| Wildlife in our campsite. |
Roaring River State Park is a pretty park set up for the people to really enjoy. It is famous for its trout fishing and since with was Father's Day weekend, families were out in force. The river is not real big, but it is cold, clean, and accessible along a great stretch within the park.
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| Roaring River |
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| This dog watched every trout in the water and pointed it out to his owner. He never took a break from his duty. |
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| Mother Grackle feeding her young who looked big enough to pick up those morsels himself! |
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View of Large Trout Hatchery nearby to stock this and other Missouri Rivers
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| Fishing -- Roaring River in Missouri |
While Chick fished, I watched the families, and took a hike on a really pretty trail rising up in the park above the river.
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| Hiking Trail in Roaring River State Park |
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| It is so nice to be back with trees! |
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| Small Caves along the trail hidden behind foliage |
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| Roaring River State Park Missouri |
Tomorrow we have a very short drive to Arkansas for a few days in the Ozark Mountains.
It was Friday night and we tried to engage in the "night life" of Hutchinson, but alas, there was none!. We walked the main streets in downtown Hutchinson on Friday night looking for somewhere to "dine" and for what was happening. The fact is very little was happening. They have some beautiful bronze sculptures on the street corners, and a beautiful little city part. A band was setting up to play (after dark I suppose when the temperature cooled). We asked two women about restaurants and their reply was, "People here don't eat out much."
Lunch time at another Kansas town.
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