September 27 - Exploring his "Old Kentucky Home"!

     On a beautiful cool, crisp Autumn day we set out to explore Kentucky staying off the Interstates.  After a short positioning drive to Madisonville, we switched to US 85 and US 431 heading north to Owensboro.  The countryside was beautiful - rolling hills, trees, and "hillocks" (what we call small mountains that stand alone, and aren't connected by ridges).  There were lots of soybeans, uncounted thousands of acres of corn stalks, and tobacco!  We saw it yellowing in fields, being staked up to dry, and then hung in drying sheds.

      Our initial destination for the day was Owensboro, the home of Kentucky Colonel Colyar P. Dodson - Becky's great uncle by marriage.  After parking the RV with the generator running for air conditioning, we entered and were directed to the nicely appointed genealogy  area.  The librarian in charge of the section was most helpful in assisting her, and discovered several articles including an obit on this very fascinating man.
       Born in 1891, he grew up in Owensboro until he was 18 years old.   He served in the Navy during the first World War.  His career was in the hotel business, and after settling in Boston became the General Manager of the Kenmore Hotel.  He had married Becky's great aunt, Florence Smith, and they enjoyed travel.  On one trip to Germany, they fell in love with and brought home a Doberman Pincer puppy.  The puppy became a show Champion, and the Dodson's enjoyed traveling around the country entering him in dog competitions.  They discovered a major problem, though.  Decent hotels did not like to accommodate pets.  "Uncle Dodd" decided to do something about it, and created a wing at the Kenmore Hotel devoted to pets and their owners.  It was a great success, and eventually spread to other mid-level and high-end hotels.  So, if you ever travel with your pet and stay in one that is pet-friendly, just think of Uncle Dodd and remember you heard it here first!
     We continued our journey eastward towards our next destination, Louisville, and again stayed on "back roads".  This time it was KY 54 and KY 261, and again the drive was pleasant with interesting scenery.   Roads were quite empty, and we only had to slow down from the speed limit when we went through the infrequent towns.  We finished the cross-country part of the journey on US 60, which terminated when we reached Fort Knox. 
     During the drive we finished listening to "The House at Riverton".  The last quarter of the book was much better paced and interesting than the slow first 3 quarters.  The author cleverly had the protagonist at a critical point say, "the end" and Becky and Jim simultaneous gasped "NO!"  Fortunately it wasn't, and all the little loose ends of the mystery were nicely tied up.  We agreed this could be a decent movie, as the slow pace building up to the climax could be significantly shortened and made more interesting. 
     We went north around Fort Knox, through Shepardsville.  Big mistake.  Note to self - don't drive on busy suburban highways exiting from a city at rush hour on a Friday!
     The Louisville South KOA is the largest in Kentucky, and is a nice one.  We're in a fairly isolated area, and booked for two nights.  Decent dog park, good internet and cable connections - all we need, and the dogs like it!
     One of the fun things that some RVers do is put a map with decals of the states and Canadian Provinces they have traveled through with their RV's.  We started doing it with our first Itasca when we got it in 2009, and after we traded it in this past January we decided to get 2 new maps (US and Canadian are separate) and continue the "quest" to fill in the states.  On this trip we added 6 more states, and we now only have 4 to go finish the "lower 48" - Nevada, Utah, Colorado and North Dakota.  We're looking forward to eventually travelling to Alaska.  We would probably drive cross country, then on the Alaska State Ferrys north, and drive back via Canada.  We don't anticipate ever driving to Hawaii!!

September 26, Thursday - on the road again!

     It is always fun to start a day not knowing exactly where you're going, or where you'll end up.  Today was one of those.  After a leisurely 9:30am start, we drove north on US 61 skirting the Mississippi River, though not really seeing it.  It was more of the same Arkansas scenery we had come to expect, until we reached the area around Wilson.  From then on it was cotton fields!  And, they were full of cotton.  At one point we saw a very long tree-lined driveway, and at the end, about a quarter of a mile off the road, was a Plantation manor home that could have come right out of "Gone with the Wind."
     After a lunch break and shopping in Blytheville, we switched over to I55 into Missouri and then I155 across the river into Tennessee.  Speaking of Blytheville shopping - Our RV uses diesel fuel, and the price when we left Boothbay was $3.85/gal.  Our highest price was in NY State, $4.29/gal.  On average, we have been paying about $3.90, and the only time we went under $3.79 was outside Dallas where we had one fill up at $3.65.  Until today.  Kroger in Blytheville, Arkansas - $3.46!  Take note - if you're going on a long trip, and going anywhere near Arkansas, fill up there!  Gas prices are similarly low!
     The reader might recall we were reading a book back on September 5 called "As Texas goes....how the Lone Star State got hijacked" by Gail Collins.  Though we normally don't care for "political" books, we tried this one as we had lived in Texas and the beginning was fairly humorous, with some good "truths".  Unfortunately, that didn't last long, and it deteriorated into just another sarcastic tome making ridiculous points out of nothing.  We stopped listening to it, and it simply reinforces our opinion of "political" books. 
     Instead, we started listening to "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton.  It's a British mystery that jumps back in time from the present (1998, actually) to the World War I period.  It's a bit slow, and it gets a bit confusing at times, but it sure does help pass the long days when we are basically just driving.
     Meanwhile, back to Tennessee!  We got on US 51 north, and headed through rolling hills with a lot of trees into Kentucky, where our route had us continue on US 45.  Interestingly, we saw a number of signs stating that this would be the new Interstate 69 corridor, like we had seen in Texas after leaving Nacogdoches.  The roads were all in decent shape, either 60 or 70mph most of the way, and had very little traffic.   

     We had decided to go visit the area in Kentucky (and down into Tennessee) called "The Land between the Lakes" - essentially a very long peninsula bordered by the Tennessee River on the West, and the Cumberland River on the East.  The TVA had dammed off the river on the north side for hydroelectric purposes and flood control, and this created two lakes - Kentucky Lake on the West, and Barkley Lake on the east.   With the waters now at the same level and with canals between the two, the whole system became part of the navigable river network started under F.D.R.'s Presidency. 
     Instead of taking the direct route to the east side of Barkley Lake, we decided to drive down what we thought would be a scenic route called "the Trace" through the peninsula (which is about 35 miles end to end).  At the northern end there is a community called Grand Rivers.  It contains among other things a huge marina, an RV park, beautiful lakeside walkways, and a theatre (theatrical kind, not movie!).  We stopped briefly to give the dogs a break and short walk, and we snacked.
     What came next, though, really surprised us.  We expected to be on a beautiful scenic highway through this U.S. National Park reservation.  Instead, we could have been driving down the middle of Southport Island for nearly 20 miles, with only a few spots where one can see the water.  No houses, just trees and roads leading to campsites that can't be seen.  Quite disappointing.
      The one big exception, though, was crossing over an ancient bridge over a waterway connecting the two rivers/lakes.  It looked very scenic as we approached it.  Then Jim had to drive over this antique structure, narrow with crumbling concrete on both sides of it.  Passing cars coming from the other direction wasn't fun, and we were glad there weren't any RV's coming towards us!

     After leaving "the Trace" and the island, we headed north and arrived at the beautiful Kentucky Lakes/Prizer Point KOA.  In addition to being a campground, it's also a very large marina that rents a variety of water "vessels".  Our campsite is literally right on the water - big, spacious, and with a spectacular view.  Temperature is down in the 70's, and Dudley and Rosie love it here!

 

Wednesday September 25th - the William Jeffeson Clinton Presidential Library

     It was only a 35 mile drive to Bill Clinton's hometown of Hope, Arkansas.  We needed to do some grocery shopping, and thought it would be a good start to our "Clinton Day" to go by the place he lived until he was 4 years old.  There was excellent signage into the downtown area, and the last one we saw pointed straight ahead beyond past the downtown buildings to an area that got progressively more destitute and poverty stricken.  We finally gave up, and headed back to I30!  Oh, as to grocery shopping - we were looking for a decent "chain" supermarket for a change, like a Kroger's perhaps.  We were hoping for something other than the ubiquitous Wal-Mart's.  Well, we passed "Fred's", and "Barry's", and a few others that highlighted the fact they were deep discount stores.  OK, no luck on that score either, perhaps in Little Rock.

     120 boring miles later we arrived in Little Rock, and the directions to the Clinton Presidential Center were easy to follow.  The complex is huge, and the Museum itself is a very modern glass and metal structure with the two ends open underneath, supported by the central entrance structure.  After going through security and checking in/buying tickets ($5 each for OAP's ("Old Age Pensioners", aka retirees!), we headed for the "42" restaurant for lunch.  It's a classy place with sit down service, good food and reasonable prices.
     The Museum is primarily on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and is state of the art and simply superb.  There is a 12" orientation film on the life of Bill Clinton, narrated by Bill who is in virtually every scene. Even the hardest core anti-Bill person would walk out of the movie impressed by what he has accomplished in his life.  We think the folks at the Eisenhower Museum should go see this, and then update their 28 minute movie. 

 The meat of the Museum is the walk through the timeline of his Presidency.  As the visitor walks down the corridor, on the right side are large panels showing the highlights of each particular year.  The photo to the right is the last panel, the year 2000.  It shows the way each one is laid out.  Notice the lower right hand corner, the line of white items to the left of the vertical blue panel.  These are 12 bound binders, each
 representing a month of the year.  Each contains the
Presidential schedule of events for each day of the month, a page for each.  Becky is examining one in the other picture.

Across from the timeline, on the left side, are "event" alcoves depicting major happenings/accomplishments of his Presidency.  There is one on Education, one of Civil Rights, one on Military Preparedness, and a number of others.  These are presented by way of pictures and TV film and movies on large screen TV's.

     Behind the timeline, as the visitor walks back towards the center of the floor, there are other alcoves holding more exhibits, movies, and gifts received during his Presidency.  There is also a full-size cabinet room that the visitor can walk through.
    The third floor contains exhibits on Clinton's early life, and time in the White House.  It is remarkable to see how young Bill and Hillary looked back in those days!

     The centerpiece of the 3rd floor is a full size mock-up of the Oval Office, equipped as it was during his years in office.  One item that particularly caught Becky's attention was an impressionist's painting of the American Flag, shown on the left side of this photo on the wall above Clinton's desk.  She thought the style looked familiar, and it was.  It was done by the famous American artist Childe Hassam, and was given as a gift to the Clinton's by Stephen Spielberg.  We actually have two prints by Hassam, of wildflowers in a field, hanging in our bathroom that Becky had selected and had mounted years ago. 
     Everyone at the Museum that we had contact with were friendly, informative, and couldn't have been more helpful.  The only criticism we have, and it's not a strong one as it probably saved us some money, is that the gift shop is not located in the building!  You have to take a (free) cart ride several city blocks distant to get to it!
     There are other buildings on the ground, including a learning center located in an adjacent building that looks like it was a major railway station at some point.  There is a  garden, and an ancient railway bridge that is now the "Clinton Presidential Park Bridge.
     This is an outstanding Museum, and well worth a visit.

     We then drove another 120 miles or so on one of our least favorite highways in the country, Interstate 40 over to West Memphis, Arkansas.  We have driven this section of road what seems like dozens of times.  It was our normal route traveling from either the Northeast or Tennessee (when we lived there), to the Dallas area.  18-wheelers always seem to outnumber cars, the concrete surface must date back to the first days of the interstate highway system (though we noticed there has been some recent macadam paving!), and the endless scenery of soybeans and rice paddies is just tough to take.  We were very happy to make it to the Memphis KOA (which happens to be across the river from Memphis on the Arkansas side), as were the dogs!





 

September 24 - It's all "relative"!

     One of the absolute best things about RVing without a fixed schedule is the flexibility it gives you.   When not in a rush, one can do the unexpected, and take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.  This day was one of them.  Our plan had been to leave Jeff's house early, and drive to Hope and Little Rock in Arkansas to see the Clinton Presidential library and museum.
     Ilse Dennis, who had been married to one of Jim's cousins years ago, lives with her present husband Jim in Nacogdoches. She and Jim (Singer) still consider each other "cousins".  Her daughter Susan Singer, Jim Singer's first cousin once removed, lives a few miles from her.  When Ilse found out we were on this trip, she invited us to drive down.  So that's what we did today, and we had a GREAT time!  This was our first visit ever to Nacogdoches, and to that part of the state.
     Dallas morning traffic, particularly inbound, can be and usually is a disaster with all the construction going on.  We were going outbound, and couldn't believe our good fortune driving the speed limit the whole trip out to US 175!  As we headed south, the scenery was much as we had remembered rural Texas - lots of open land, mostly brown, with too many mesquite trees and scrub bushes.  Cattle country to be sure, and not particularly attractive. The little towns along the way have some unusual names, such as "Gun Barrel City."  Additionally, nearly every town and hamlet has a football stadium with stands holding a minimum of 1000 people!  As an example, we went through a little town called Paynor, and it had a fairly large high school, large grandstands, and there was nice city park about 1/2 mile away.  Then Jim saw a sign - "Paynor, population 305."
     Jacksonville was a fairly large city along US 175, and the scenery changed fairly dramatically after that.  The grass was significantly greener, the fences and homes more stately, and the cattle ranches just looked more prosperous.  Not just a few ranches, but mile after mile of beautiful pastureland.  There were even a few estates that had herds of Longhorn Cattle. 

     Nacogdoches is a beautiful college town, home of Stephen F. Austin University.  Jim Dennis retired on September 1st, having been a Professor there for 30+ years.  He and Ilse live in a gorgeous home they had built many years ago on a wooded hillside, and one of his hobbies is making home improvements.  Ilse also worked at the University, and retired from there 3 or 4 years ago. They love living in the city, and are very proud of it and the University.  Additionally, they love Texas barbecue, and we started the visit with a trip to one of their favorite local barbecue establishments and had a terrific lunch.  Afterward, it was "tour time", and we started on the campus by walking through the enormous and modern Student Union Building.  We continued around the campus, which was much busier than usual because it was parents week.

     Nacogdoches is the oldest city in Texas, and has one of if not the oldest church in the state, the "Old North Church".  It is still active, and currently has an African-American congregation.  The reason it is being talked about here is because they insisted we visit the church and its historic graveyard!  It's quite the fascinating place, particularly to a "Cemetery Lady" like Becky!  The graveyard goes back to the 19th century, and it particularly sad because of all the infants that are interned there.  It's also the final resting place for a few dozen Rebel graves for Confederate Civil War veterans, and there were numerous Stars and Bars flags throughout.  There are also about 25 graves for Union soldiers, most of whom died after the war from dysentery.
     After some more touring, we went back to the house where Ilse had made Linzertorte, an especially delicious cake that is generally prepared for weddings and other special occasions.  In spite of being stuffed from the lunch barbecue, we were able to eat every last crumb.  In fact, Jim had a second piece!  Ilse was born and grew up in Germany, and came to the U.S. after meeting my cousin Bob Singer in the 60's.
     Susan arrived around 4pm after work - she is a substitute teacher in the local school system.  She is also an expert genealogist, and has traced the family "Singer" line back to Germany in the 1700's and, it appears, perhaps to Switzerland after some DNA mapping that has been done.  We had quite an interesting discussion about that! 



     We left Nacogdoches around 5pm, and headed up US Route 59 for the 3-hour drive to Texarkana, TX.  Driving in Texas is quite different from driving in the northeast.  Most of the roads we were on today, primarily US 175 and US 59, have 75mph speed limits on many sections.  These are not divided highways, but 4 lane roads with only double painted yellow lines separating traffic.   Noteworthy about this section of the drive is the scenery.  We were no longer in cattle country, but lumber country.  In fact, the Stephen F Austin nickname is "the Lumberjacks", because of the wood industry here in East Texas.  This was apparent the entire drive, as forests and trees lined almost the whole 150 mile highway.  Texarkana is as close a city to Arkansas as one can be.  It is half in Texas and half in Arkansas separated by State Line Ave. Where we are camped is about 100 yards from that road. 

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September 22 & 23 - "Hanging Out" in Dallas

     It's nice to just "hang out" with family and friends at times, and these were two good days to do it.  Sunday started to heat up again towards "normal" Dallas temperature, in the high 80's.  Jeff's family went to church in the morning while we enjoyed the dogs, lazing around, and not doing too much.   The afternoon wasn't much different. 

     Winston, their cute little dog, acted as if he had finally discovered there were two other dogs in "his" house, and he made every possible attempt to get Dudley to play with him.  Just picture this 12 pound dog trying to rouse the 180 pounder!  No way!
     In the late afternoon, Lea had to get Beth prepared for "Cotillion" that evening, and she braided her hair into two pig tales.   Beth  was really cute, and had a good time at the dance lesson.  Becky kidded her before she went that she would be doing the Cotton Eyed Joe!  At the same time, Jeff and Drew decided to brave the heat and go for a "short" hour-long bike ride.  The photo is of Jeff wearing his "kit".  Becky and Jim were invited to go along and spectate, but given the near 90 degree heat decided to remain stay put in the house with the dogs. 

     The evening was spent watching TV, playing a family trivia game with everyone participating, and reading.

     Monday the kids were back to school, Jeff went off to a meeting and Lea went walking with friends.  Washing our clothes, sheets and towels was the order of business for us.  Again, Winston tried to get Dudley to play with him, with exactly the same results as the day before!  He certainly was persistent, though!
     Late morning Jim and Becky rode over to Euless to visit with Jim's younger brother John.  John has been remodeling the kitchen in the house he and his wife Lynda live in, and he's doing a terrific job installing the new cabinets by himself.  All the lower ones were done, so this week he will install the upper ones.  We had a great lunch at the nearby Old West Café, and had a very pleasant time catching up.
     Jim used to collect airline memorabilia, such as timetables and magazines.  In addition,  he took thousands of airplane pictures over the years.  The hobby has been inactive, and about a year and a half ago he contacted an old friend in Grapevine, Will Blunt, who was a full time seller of commercial aviation material and had his own EBAY store.  Last year Jim consigned a good part of his collection to Will to sell, and made some good money as a result.  This year Jim has been selling "stuff" on his own, both for himself and his cousin.  Will still had a good part of his collection, however, and then died unexpectedly in the early summer from a stroke and blood clot in the brain.  His life partner returned most of Jim's stuff to John, and we were there to pick it up while there for our visit.  Jim called Will's partner Lisa while we were at John's, and she had found more of his collection.  We picked it up on the way back to Jeff's. 
     After returning to Dallas, the family went out to a Chinese restaurant and then we  engaged in another family trivia game for the rest of the evening.  Nice way to end a relaxing day!
     

 

 

September 20 & 21 - Welcome to Dallas!

      We had arrived in Texas yesterday, and settled into our campground in Burkburnett.  Little did we realize how well known this town was to our son Jeff, and his family-the town is on the annual "Hotter-than-Hell" 100-mile bike rally loop that Jeff and his son Drew have participated in several times.  The race is held in August each year in windy and sunny Texas, so one can guess where the moniker comes from. 
     It was a fairly noisy evening, as we were near Sheppard Air Force Base.  Sheppard is a major training command facility, and has T-38 Talon trainers taking off and landing round the clock.
     We drove through Wichita Falls in the morning and headed for Dallas.  As our son Jeff's family was busy all morning, we planned our arrival for early afternoon.  Consequently, we changed from the most direct route to Texas Highway 114 as we approached the Metroplex,  While living in Colleyville from 1990-97, Becky and Jim had really gotten into distance bike riding, and it was nothing to do 30-mile rides on a weekend day.  Colleyville was on the outer edges of the DFW commuter ring, and we could ride less than 2 miles and  be out in the country.  No longer!  We could have been on a different planet as we drove into the Fort Worth area.  After seeing nothing but "flat" for most of the drive, looming ahead was a huge structure that we were sure was Texas Motor Speedway.  Approaching closer, it was the Northwest ISD high school football stadium-bigger than many college stadiums!  We saw the Speedway soon after. That area was frequently our bike ride turnaround area, from where we would head back through the farmland and ranches of Roanoke, Keller and Southlake.  Southlake's population is now 27,000, and the McMansions extend in every direction for miles.  Very little looked familiar.  After lunch in the RV in Colleyville we drove by our old house that we had built in 1990.  We were pleased to see that the current owners are taking good care of it and the landscaping-and even more pleased to see that the 2 pecan trees we planted new had grown to gorgeous full size trees loaded with pecans.
     Jeff and his family greeted the travelers enthusiastically, and the dogs were particularly thrilled to be there.  Winston, their cute little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, wasn't too sure about seeing Dudley and Rosie again, but they all "sniffed" each other and things were fine.  It was another grandkids sports night, as granddaughter Beth had two volleyball games to play in.  She is quite the team sparkplug for the Lady Dragons, and we really enjoyed watching her skills and competitiveness! 
     Saturday morning was the best weather day Dallas has seen in months!  A perfect Fall day on the last day of summer - low 70's, no humidity and sunny.  After a leisurely morning, we had a special treat in the afternoon.  Jeff had bought tickets to the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science that opened December of last year.  It is a phenomenal treasure, and a paradise for kids of all ages with interactive exhibits and dozens of things to do.
     There is a whole floor devoted to space and the solar system.  Another devoted to the evolution of life from prehistoric signs, with many complete fossils found in the Texas area.  The one shown here has a T-Rex and a larger herbivore, with grandson Drew reading about it.  Another photo shows Becky opening a giant Geode.  There is a display of many of the plants and animals on the plains from this area.  Beth was mesmerized programing robots.  Then there were the competitive games, such as the one shown her where Lea and Drew were playing with other visitors. 

    
Beth and Drew have both been to the Museum before, and had a great time. 
We were just amazed at the level of knowledge that they, and obviously so many other kids, have going through a facility like this.  Very encouraging for the future!

They also had a specimen from Africa that just seems so appropriate for Dallas - an Aardwolf.  Why?  The only food it eats are termites, up to 300,000 per day - the perfect pet for Texas! 

     After a quick stop back at the house, we had some excellent Tex-Mex at their favorite restaurant in Richardson, Mi Cocina.  Lea's parents joined us, and it was a great way to finish a fun day!






         

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Thursday September 19 - We're certainly not in Kansas anymore!

      Dudley decided man should not sleep past 6am, so he let Jim know in his persistent way (loudly whining!) that it was time to get up and take he and Rosie out.  Jim dutifully complied. The temperature was nice, low 70's, and we broke camp and departed around 9.
     Our 2 main goals for the day were to see the Oklahoma countryside and to visit the historic town of Guthrie.  The countryside in Oklahoma, at least when one is traveling on I35 or I44, is vastly different from the beautiful and colorful topography in Kansas.  Primary characteristics are: flat land, few rolling hills; an abundance of scrub trees; acre upon acre of brown grass, flecked with low lying scrub and plants.  The countryside, at least north of Oklahoma City, has numerous oil pumping rigs, generally rust colored and just plain ugly! There are grazing herds of cattle, and the same kind of farmhouse "clusters" that appear to be in the center of most ranges.  Overall impression is that the ranchers in Oklahoma weren't as prosperous as those in Kansas. 

     Historic Guthrie is a good place to stop and visit.  It is an attractive, turn-of-the-century town populated with friendly people and lots to do.  The main street Is typical southwestern in appearance and variety of stores.  The Guthrie Museum Complex is a good place to start enjoying the town.  It contains the Carnegie Library and the Oklahoma Territorial Museum.  Out in front of the Museum is a beautiful statute built to commemorate the coming together in 1907 the two territories, "Cowboy" and "Indian".  This marked the admission of the new state of Oklahoma into the United States as it's 46th state.

 

Becky is shown sitting on the wall in front of the Museum and reference library, soaking up the sun.  The photo on the right depicts the coming together of those who had previously faced each other,  primarily as enemies.  
     The Museum is well worth a visit.  It's not particularly large and flashy, but it does an excellent job of explaining the major events that shaped Oklahoma; they are (1) the relocation of Indian Tribes from around the US to Oklahoma, and (2) the Land Rush of 1989 into the "previously unoccupied lands". 
     The Territory of Oklahoma, with the exception of the panhandle, came to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.  The Panhandle came when Texas joined the United States.  The territories had been predominantly open range, perfect for the nomadic Indian tribes that were in the region.  The U.S government and many state governments, mostly made up of white men with European ancestry, exhibited a nasty distrust and dislike of the native tribes.  Andrew Jackson, the 7th President, formulated a plan approved by Congress to relocate all Indian tribes to territories west of the Mississippi.  Oklahoma got the majority of these relocated tribes.  The story how all this occurred, and the tragedy of what the U.S. government did, is sobering to read; the Museum does a very nice job explaining it all.   

     The second major "story" told by the museum is the Land Rush of April 1889, when the government opened the "unoccupied" lands to homesteaders and speculators.  These people lined up for the rush at Guthrie and other places, and with the starting gun hundreds of people rushed forth to claim their share of this "free" land.  This photo, which is a huge wall painting in the museum, measures roughly 15' x 25'.  An interesting fact we found our was the origination of the word "Sooners".  The term was applied to people who were able to claim their stakes in the land rush "sooner" than the "hoi polloi"; generally politicians, army personnel, or other "favorite sons".

 

     There are a lot of other artifacts and photos throughout the museum, and we quite enjoyed it.  We had originally planned to visit some of the other sites in Guthrie, but after re-reading some of the brochures decided to head on to Texas.  Guthrie was the original state capitol for Oklahoma when it was granted statehood, but was moved shortly thereafter.  Other major sites of note in the city are the Carnegie Library, which is a large research facility; the State Capital Publishing Museum; the Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore and Apothecary Garden; and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Museum. 

     Shortly after leaving, a tremendous thunderstorm blew through the area.  We drove right through it, with some heavy buffeting and more leakage onto Becky's lap.  Here's a photo she took as we drove right into its path.

     Fortunately the rain only lasted for an hour or two, and we apparently missed the worst of it.  We drove straight through to Wichita Falls, and crossed the Red River.  The River, which is the dividing line between the two states, is so named because of the Red sand and dirt that make up it's bed and banks.  Because of the draught conditions, the water level is real low and one could almost call it the Little Red Stream!

We arrived at our campground around 4:30, and were surprised to find we're the only overnight transient campers here at KOA Burkburnett/Wichita Falls.  There are a lot of folks here that apparently are here for a long stay. 

  

 

    

Wednesday September 17 The Flint Hills National Scenic Byway

     It felt like it was going to be another hot, sticky windy day, and it was.  After a leisurely breakfast, we set off at 9:30 and headed north from the campground.  One of the biggest pleasures of RV'ing to us is having the ability for amble along on little used rural roads and avoid the interstates.  This was a great day to do this, as our goal was to explore seldom used roads and stay off of I70, which is undergoing heavy construction in this area of Kansas.  Like in most states, warnings are posted "Fines doubled in Construction Zones".  Here in Kansas, this means slowing down to 65 on with one lane open and traffic cones placed within that lane!

     Kansas is a truly  beautiful state when one is not racing along at 75mph.  The undulating hills, the well laid out and maintained fields, the streams lined with hardwoods and ponds everywhere make for a beautiful mosaic with the colorful agricultural fields.  Our route of choice today took us down the Flint Hills Scenic byway, Kansas Route 177.
      One of the most common sights to see is the way the farms are laid out.  The photo at the right is a prime example.  The main farmhouse, barns, silos and other out buildings are generally located in the middle of the property, frequently 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the highways.  The cluster of buildings is surrounded by a copse of trees.  The fields surrounding the cluster are a mix of different grains in varying degrees of growth or getting ready for replanting.  Its almost like watching one landscape painting after another.
     The Flint Hills area was formed 250 million years ago.  The area was under an inland sea that evaporated, leaving alternating layers of limestone and chert (see yesterdays blog!), and very mineral-rich soil.  As a result, this area is used not only as for agricultural, but also for grazing cattle.  The Flint Hills area was the destination for many of the huge Texas cattle drives in the 19th and 20th centuries; the cattle were brought to this area of Kansas, fattened up, and loaded on trains to be shipped to meat processing areas.
     Along the Scenic Byway is the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy but run by the National Park Service.  It consists of a visitor center manned by Park Rangers and offers a variety of experiences for visitors.  The property was once known as the Spring Hill Farm and Stock Ranch, dating back to 1878.  Through the years, the fortunes changed for the owners and in 1935 George Davis bought it and combined it with his Z Bar Ranch; when he died in 1955, it consisted of 11,000 acres, and it became the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in 1996.  Visitors can visit any of the buildings, and walk miles of trails around the property through pastures, along creeks, and just experience both how beautiful and unique a tallgrass prairie really is, and how the land is cultivated and used.
     There is a great short but informative film in the visitor center that explains what the area is all about.  We found the discussion of how valuable fire is to be most interesting.  As far back as the nomadic Indians that inhabited the area, prairie fires were (and are today) deliberately set to kill off all the vegetation and dead scruff that has accumulated.  The burned matter enriches the soil, and allows healthy and abundant new growth to appear that is invaluable for grazing animals (buffalo then, cattle today!).  In this photo Becky took, one can see the dark newly-ploughed earth that had been burned from the center of the photo to the right in a triangular shape.  The white-ish area bordering it on top, up to and including the line of trees, is a burned area with new grass growth coming forth.  The green field beyond that is a field of vegetation that has not been burned.
     Because this was the area for cattle trails and the land where Indians ranged widely and hunted buffalo, there are large metal cutouts (for want of a better term) on the tops of hills in various places overlooking the highways in this part of Kansas.  This is what they look like from a distance, and close up.
     We took a detour during the trip east to the city of Emporia, which is notable for a several important events past and present.  It is where Veterans Day was founded after World War II, replacing Armistice Day that honored only the veterans of WW I.  It is the home of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, which each year selects five teachers nationwide to be recognized and inducted for outstanding service.  It is the location of the home of William Allen White, the famous newspaperman and author (unfortunately it's Wednesday, and it's only open Thursday to Sunday). 
     Emporia also features a Historical Society  research center along with a historical museum.  Finally, it is the site of the Soden's Grove all-veterans memorial, America's first ever.  There are monuments throughout this interesting and bustling little city, including this strange one on the outskirts that resembles Stonehenge!  We have no idea what it is!  We ate lunch in the RV, stopped at a Braum's for ice cream cones, and backtracked to K177 to continue our ride south.  We eventually linked up with I35, as we wanted to get to the campground in Wellington KS by dinner time.  It was not a good day for speeding, and we plodded along at 50-55mph on the 75mph highway due to the very heavy winds.  It was a tough driving day for Jim and uncomfortable riding for the others with all the buffeting from the crosswinds. 
     The KOA campground in Wellington is nicely run, clean, convenient to the highway, and has great internet reception!  A plus in our book!