Still in Kansas!

  We left home last Sunday afternoon and it is now Wednesday evening and we haven't gotten through state of Kansas yet.  First night we set trailer at Harold & LaRhoda Neher's place and had a nice supper with them.  The next morning, after a thrasher-man's breakfast we were driven around their farm, Hiawatha, Highland, and Robinson, KS.  Toured the Brown County Historical Society Ag Museum and Windmill Lane, which is on land that Neher's had owned, and they still farm ground beside it.

Got to see where they have lived and farmed for over 55 years, and where their son Tim (who farms their place) and daughter who works in Kansas City live.  We ate at Hiawatha Lodge and then after naps played several games of Pegs and Jokers.  That is a game that is played a lot in our RV Park in La Feria, TX where Harold and LaRhoda are our neighbors.  We had also played Pegs & Jokers the night before.




On Tuesday morning we headed out about 9 o'clock and headed west on Highway 36 to Belleville, Ks and then south on Highway 81.  This was further than going more direct, but 36 was an ideal road, and very little traffic.  After we headed south on 81 there was a little more traffic, but nothing like if we had been on an Interstate.  We have decided we will avoid the Interstates if at all possible.

We went to Hutchinson, KS and directly to the   Underground Salt Mine and Museum    Undeground Salt Museum    We were a little late to take a tour then as it was close to 4 pm and they close at 5 pm.

  Asked about RV parks and were directed to the Kansas State Fairgrounds RV Park.  There were three other units there out of 211 spaces, so we were able to squeeze in.  I had tried to get some TV when we were near Hiawatha and found that the head of the antenna was missing.  Climbed up on the roof when we were there in Hutchinson and found the top had been removed cleanly, no bolts left or anything.  Will have to get a new top. We have several VCR tapes and DVD's so have looked at them in the evening as background noise/entertainment.

This morning we took the 10:00 am tour of the underground Museum.  Was quite a set-up.  It is 650 feet below the surface and has 150 miles of open areas.  We weren't allowed in the place where salt mining is still taking place, or the area where all kinds of storage is kept, but were close to it and most of the different types of machinery used were on display and even simulated (I think) dynamite and holes bored in the walls showing how the blasting and undercutting was done.  Took a train ride that was around a lot of things and a tram ride, all after spending time in their museum itself.  Even the gift shop (Always a gift shop at any attraction) was underground.

We left the Salt Mine about noon and drove several miles south to Yoder, KS and ate lunch at the Corner Carriage Restaurant, in a tiny  Amish town.  Phyllis was looking for some particular books, written by or about Amish settings and they recommended a place near Whiteside, Ks that is actually a wholesaler of many Amish books.  We found it, got some books and then headed southwest on State Road 6l and 54 to Greensburg, KS.

This is the site of the Biggest Hand Dug Well in the world (When the well was completed in 1888, it was 109 feet deep and 32 feet in diameter)

 The Big Well   Click on that link and you can see their web page.

The well went down to the Ogallala Aquifer  and was a source for watering the many steam engines that went through the area in the late 1800's.
  And this is the town that was almost obliterated from the map in 2007 by a tornado.  The museum for the well had much coverage of that tornado.  Was very interesting.

When we left that museum about 5:30 pm we headed south on 183 to Coldwater, KS and then back east through the Gypsum Hills to Medicine Lodge, KS where we are squeezed in a little RV Park filled mostly with construction workers.  Got trailer set up right at dark and will go uptown here in Medicine Lodge to the Stockade Museum.  It us to get cooler here overnight and to be 45 degrees in the morning and only a high of 55 degrees tomorrow afternoon.  At least we will now be getting a tail wind, which should help with our fuel mileage compared to the winds out of the south the last couple days.

We have full intentions of heading south on 281 and being in Wichita Falls, TX tomorrow night unless something catches our attention and holds us up on the trail.  Then will head on south Friday morning, maybe try to catch a glimpse of George W. Bush's ranch west of  Waco, TX, then spend some time near Johnson City and Kerrville, TX in the Hill Country before going on to the Rio Grande Valley.
More later, Lynn