Sunday, August 4, 2013

ROAD TRIP

                   DON'T JUDGE THE SCENERY FROM THE
                         INTERSTATE, GET OFF ON THE STATE
                             AND COUNTY HIWAYS AND SEE REAL
                                PEOPLE AND THE BEAUTY OF KANSAS

     I had the time to go on the scenic route through the Flint Hills on my way to the Lazy T Ranch, near Manhattan, for the Day of the Cowboy.  Though the reputation of US 50 highway has not been top notch for safety it is a good road and the repairs have been finished for a while where many of those grinding crashes occurred.  I enjoy the Cruise through Walton, Peabody, and Florence.  Every time I go this way I am always irritated at the Round a Bout and the engineer in Topeka who actually think these things are good.  By the way, I don't give two hoots for what they do in Europe which is where these waste of taxpayer dollars come from.
     Oh well, with the good comes the bad.  My goal this day was to see what has happened at the Clover Cliff Ranch after the auction and to eat in Cottonwood Falls at Emma Chase Cafe.  The meal was good, the conversation good, and they are still holding my secret of having cherry pie for desert, oops.
     My trip up US 177 past the Z Bar Ranch was made so much more pleasant by the fact that it had rained and the temperature was not normal for the last part of July.  This was also the Flint Hills Scenic Byway.  Wonder where that global warming went?  Oh well I digress.
     I had not been past Council Grove going on north to Manhattan before so this was all new scenery for me.  I rolled into the Lazy T with plenty of time for a nap in the K-State room at the B&B there before the Day of the Cowboy festivities.  I really enjoyed Ron Wilson and his family and friends, Ron is the owner and host of the Agri Tourism business there. 
     The show for the night was my friends Judy Coder and Jeff Davidson and they gave a great performance.  The crowd had a great time as well as a great meal and they learned something about the cowboy of history and today.
     My return trip home was one for speed so I jumped on the interstate and was disappointed that I was too late for fried chicken at the Brookville Hotel at Abilene.  The area was really soaked with rain from Salina south and I was not surprised that Lindsborg had flooding troubles when the rains cam again.  Of course I think all these soaked areas should share a little rain with us and those on west.  We have had a 1/2 inch out of all that storming.
      The point of all this rambling is that we have a wonderful state here that has a lot of great scenery and people in it and so many Kansans just don't get it.  For heavens sake get out and take a day trip in rural Kansas and see what you are missing.  Become a Kansas Explorer.  If you want to have a little help along the way and see Kansas with a whole new set of eyes join the Kansas Sampler Foundation and become an official Kansas Explorer.  We even have a secret greeting sign.  Just google Kansas Sampler Foundation and tell Marci or Wendee that Roger sent you by.

1 comment:

  1. and while you're at it, spend a night or two at the Bunkhouse! If you're really lucky breakfast will include sticky buns made by the little German Baptists in Sawyer :-)

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