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.