Through Kansas and Nebraska

May 23, 2021

The drive through Kansas was great because we did not travel on any interstate highways.  The truck drivers stay away from the secondary roads because two lanes and small towns reduce their production. Our drive to our campground at Lake Ogallala in Nebraska was just as pleasant for the same reasons.  When we arrived at Lake Ogallala about 4pm, our campsite was fifty feet from the lake and we were parallel with the lake so the view of the beautiful lake was not obstructed by anything.  The temp was 81°, sunny, gentle breeze, not a cloud in the sky. Now all of this sounds good, but as the early evening got closer, around 7pm, the sky started getting dark, the wind started picking up, and it started spitting a little rain.  By 7:30, there was a severe heavy thunderstorm warning, a tornado watch, strong winds, intense downpour, and pea sized hail.  The rv was shaking and rocking like a ride simulator at Disney.  The wind was actually coming across the lake so hard it seemed like it was pulling the water from the lake and slapping it against the rv.  But an hour and a half later, the wind and rain stopped, the skies cleared but the temp dropped to 51°.  There was no damage and no injuries so we welcomed a good night’s sleep.

May 24, 2021

We awoke to a beautiful day with clear sunny skies, but cool temps. This was going to be the shortest driving day of the whole trip so we took our time and checked into Curt Gowdy State Park a bit early.  This state park is absolutely gorgeous! But like most of the area, a bit windy.

 

May 25, 2021

On the last leg of our trip before our destination, we stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming to see the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum. The guided tour with interesting historic stories was a great insight into the lives of incorrigible people and one look at the concrete beds makes one think ‘hmmm, I’m glad my parents taught me how to behave.’  The 5’ x 7’ cells were not heated nor did they have hot water in the showers that were big enough for 30 men at a time to take a shower. The inmates were allowed to paint the inside of their cells any color they wanted and interestingly enough, many were painted yellow or light blue.

                                            Main entrance to the prison

                                            Showers for the inmates. Above and below

                                            The prisoner library room. Above and below

                                                        Rows of cells. Above and below

                                                      Individual cell with a pillow and mattress

                                                        Visitation room

The white plumbing pipe in the middle of the room above was a place where defiant prisoners were handcuffed and whipped with a rubber hose.

On to Nebraska from Kansas

 May 22 -23, 2021

We stayed at Webster State Park near Stockton, KS. Kansas has a state law for their state parks that requires campers to spend two nights on the weekends. We knew that ahead of time so it was no surprise.  One pleasant surprise was, unlike all the other small towns we drove through, there was a grocery store in Stockton so we were able to get a few things. We continued on to Webster SP, stopped at the registration office only to find out they charge $5/vehicle permit to enter the state park.  We found our pull through campsite, parked, and hooked up.  Pull through sites are nice because I don't have to unhook the Jeep.  As we were setting up, the ranger made his rounds to make sure everyone paid their $5 vehicle fee.  After checking the rv and the Jeep, he came over to me and said "you don't have a permit for your Jeep."  I explained that the registration office told me how much I owed and that's what I paid.  He said "well, the charge is for each vehicle regardless of whether one is being towed.  But, if you don't disconnect the Jeep from the rv, we'll just let it go."  Hmmmm . . . .

We did have an unusual experience later that evening. It was very windy at that state park, so we opened all the windows and door and just had the screens to keep the bugs out.  When it was time to close the solid door, I opened the screen door to get the solid door and HUNDREDS of May flies in the nymph stage swarmed into the rv.  Even though they don't bite, just seeing that many in the rv made us feel like we were itching.  We got our vacuum cleaner with the hose and took about 45 minutes clearing the rv of the May flies.  Steven Spielburg couldn't have come up with anything like that.

May 23

We left Webster SP and about 40 miles along the way we stopped at the Cottonwood Ranch. After the Civil War, the West became a symbol of opportunity.  Abraham Pratt of Yorkshire County, England, sold his liquor bottling business  and homesteaded 160 acres of land in Sheridan County, Kansas.  A couple of years later, he returned to Ripon, England and convinced his two sons to come to the US and purchase 320 acres from the Kansas Pacific Railway.  In the late 1800's the Pratts built a one room native stone house, then a few years later, wings were added to the house and outbuildings and corral walls were built.  Most ranchers raised cattle, but Pratt and his sons raised sheep.  Below are pictures of the farm buildings.

                                            The back of the house with different colored stones.

                                                        A peak inside the kitchen window

Heading to Utah

 May 18 - 22

We left home on May 18 with planned stops at state parks campgrounds about every 230 to 280 miles.  We try to follow the "230" rule whereby we drive 230 miles in one day or stop by 2:30 in the afternoon.  It doesn't always work but it's a good goal.  We are going to Utah to volunteer with the US Forestry service at a day use area popular for fishing and rafting below the Flaming Gorge dam.

Things went smoothly until we reached NW Arkansas where our wiring harness from the rv to the Jeep came apart.  Then while trying to find the part we needed, I discovered a chunk of metal piercing the sidewall of one of the tires of the Jeep.  After getting that resolved, we were on our way to Kansas.  Now a lot of people think of Kansas as a flat waste land other than there is a lot farming.  My renewed opinion of Kansas is beautiful rolling land with lots of farming.  Something quite interesting is every small town, small being defined as less than 1,000 population, seemed to have a car wash, a farm implement dealer, but no grocery store.

We discovered an interesting place near Strong City, KS that is a national preserve.  It is Tall Grass Prairie that is maintained by the National Park system.  The prairie grass on the massive amount of acreage has never been plowed, only burned or used for grazing.  At this time of year, the prairie grass was only about a foot tall, but will grow to 4' to 5' tall. Here are some pictures from this beautiful old ranch.  

                                            The barn is built out of local limestone

                                            There was a herd of 80 bison on the preserve

                                            

Aside from the barn being built out of limestone, there were 30 MILES of  limestone fence on the ranch.

                                            This is a limestone chicken house with a sod roof.

We continued on through Kansas and stopped at Cawker City for one of the largest tourist attractions in Kansas, the largest sisal twine ball in the world. 

                                            To give you some perspective, Bonnie is 5' 3" tall.

Then, since this ball of twine is such a tourist attraction, someone thought it would be a good idea to renovate an old time gas station into a one room inn directly across the street from the ball of twine.