Kansas Part 3 - STR-2021-7

Saturday, 19 June

It may seem strange, but every once in awhile, it seems that Nature is inviting you to get out of your comfortable bed earlier than normal and enjoy its splendor.

Today we drive about 80 miles south to Dodge City on the Santa Fe Trail.

The draw was the Boot Hill Museum (boothill.org) - thanks to Dave and Irene Carey of the YouTube channel "Carey On Vagabond for the idea (https://youtu.be/3O5Qs1XtMgg)

Boot Hill Museum is located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery and highlights the glory days as Queen of the Cowtowns with creative, lively, interactive displays and activities. The museum portrays the area's rich history dating back to the Native Americans who thrived off of the land and the buffalo.

The establishment of the Santa Fe Trail brought settlers to the area and introduced the potential of what is known as Dodge City.

Law and order was soon recognized and Dodge City became a civilized frontier town and a center of commerce on the prairie.

One of the more interesting exhibits was an immersive experience about the bison. The floor in front of the bison and video screen shook with the visual of stampeding bison.

Another interesting exhibit was the wagon wheel odometer, which was used to locate the saloon to comply with the Army's requirement that a saloon could not be within five miles of Fort Dodge. So they use the wagon wheel and counted the revolutions to locate the saloon one foot past the 5 mile mark.

The collection at Boot Hill Museum includes more than 60,000 objects, photographs, and documents. Most of the collection is from Dodge City's early days—the 1870s through the 1920s—and actually belonged to original residents of Dodge City. Many of the items were obtained from the former Beeson Museum when it closed its doors in 1964.

We found the exhibits very well done. From a quick check their web site, we thought it might be like Tombstone, AZ, which uses the gunfight at the OK Corral as the basis for the town. The museum did a nice job of portraying the history of Dodge City. The museum also has reconstructed the historic front street to what the town looked like in the 1880s, including the General Store, Longbranch Saloon, dry goods, etc.

At noon, they have a gunfight. Having paid to see the OK Corral gunfight in Tombstone, we weren't sure what to expect.

It was a funny show, more like a gun-based skit. Afterwards, the gunfight crew sells a group photo for $1 to raise money for the gunfight expenses like the blanks. And line up to autograph the photo you just purchased.

We were glad we drove to see the Boot Hill Museum.

The next point of interest was Castle Rock in Larrabee, KS - actually about 22 miles northwest of the campground. Last night Darrell did some research on Castle Rock which proved quite useful in being prepared for the drive to the location, as well as avoiding trouble at the location.

Some of the reviews on Google Maps included:

"Really beautiful. Watch out for all the piles of dung. The last stretch of road (past the oil area) was slightly sketchy but manageable."

"very cool.. the dirt roads to get there beware and once you pull into the castle rock that's when the roads get really bad. We have a 1 ton diesel pickup and I am telling you there is two ways to view the castle rocks badlands and both roads need work. If you care about your vehicle the photos that are online is real it's not worth tearing up your vehicle..I would never take a car to see it. Lots of cow patties so beware when walking around..

"Very beautiful, but BEWARE OF THE ROADS. They are not maintained at all, and it is more like off-roading than anything else. Make sure you have all wheel drive, plenty of ground clearance, etc. We were in an SUV, it was dry, and we still got stuck twice. Lots to look at, but be careful.

"I want to start off by saying I'm kind of mad at the state of Kansas for not being more upfront about how difficult the road is to get in here. It's true that this is on private property but the state of Kansas seems to be promoting it. If you are not in a 4 wheel drive or if it has been raining you are going to get your vehicle stuck. The road is a one way road so if you meet another car halfway there you're gonna be in trouble because there is no way to turn around or make Room for another vehicle Without getting your wheels stuck in a rut. I think that my family and I will be talking more about the experience of trying to drive down here then the actual Castle Rock itself. So I guess you could consider this your warning. My family actually preferred the chalk pyramids to this formation but now we will always have the experience of driving on one of the worst roads we've ever driven on. If you'd like to go see it and you only have a car or it's been raining I would suggest parking at the top of the Hill by the oil silos and walking down. Sure it will take you longer but you will save your car."

More reviews/warnings and photos can be found on TripAdviser at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g39011-d547689-Reviews-Castle_Rock-Quinter_Kansas.html

In reviewing the route to Castle Rock, we saw that the last 16.5 miles of the route would be on dirt roads, and over 15 miles back to the campground would be on dirt roads. Offsetting these concerns for Sprinty's well being were the photos of Castle Rock, and a YouTube video of the site.

Link to short YouTube video on Castle Rock, including some drone footage:

https://youtu.be/C8Cb-f2NY2c

As we turned off Highway 4 (Kansas? County?) onto the dirt road, we just slowed down. With the dust kicked up and the 15-20mph wind, you could see the dust of other vehicles up to two miles away. As it was, we only passed four or five cars the entire time we were driving dirt roads.

When we arrived, we crossed through the cattle grate, and knew to take the road to the left from the reviews. The dirt roads at the site were much worse, and we carefully piloted Sprinty along. When we got to the oil tanks, we saw that the road on down the hill was a narrow, rutted road. That is when Kris put her foot down.

We parked Sprinty in the nice turnaround by the oil collection tank, and walked over to the edge of the rock formation to evaluate whether we wanted to hike or bike down.

We decided break out the eBikes. We had to spend a few minutes getting all the road dust off the eBikes before they were fit to ride.

Smart move. The road was bad enough that Sprinty might have gotten in trouble had he ventured any further.

The Castle Rock formation was pretty neat.

Darrell managed to talk Kris into exploring the other areas on eBike. So off we rode.

As we circled around the site, we rode our bikes up the road that went to the right from the cattle grate. And it was very narly - Sprinty would likely have gotten into deep (and expensive) trouble had he tried to venture down those rutted out tracks.

As we made our way back to the campground, Kris admitted it was a pretty awesome stop despite having to drive miles of dirt roads to get to it, and navigate the bad roads once we got there. And we were both glad we got the eBikes out and rode the entire site - almost three miles of riding. One of the reasons we chose the fat tire electric bikes was to explore places that Sprinty couldn't or shouldn't go. For situations just like this.

Tonight is our second night at Cedar Bluff State Park. This is our first two night stay at the same location in a very long time. We expect that the challenges of getting campsites on weekends will require us to get creative and adapt. And for this weekend, it has worked out well to use this campground to explore from.

Later in the evening, our weather apps notified us of a severe thunderstorm warning with wind gusts up to 60mph. As we prepared to turn in for the night, we started seeing lightening and Sprinty began to sway and rock in the gusty wind. The last time we remembered being blown around like this while parked was in Quartzsite, AZ.

Sunday, 20 June

The residual clouds from the thunderstorms that came through last night made for another pretty sunrise this morning.

We did not get much rain last night - but it was enough to wash some of the dust off Sprinty and the eBikes. It also was just enough to dampen the dirt roads so we were able to drive them without the large cloud of dust behind us.

Our first destination of the day was Monument Rocks National Landmark near Oakley, KS. After our experience yesterday, we spent some time checking out review comments to see if we had to worry about road conditions. Finding nothing of significance, we headed out. As it involved dirt roads to get there, we plotted a route to minimize the travel on dirt roads as our other stops for the day also required dirt roads.

As we headed west on Kansas Highway 4, we saw a coyote cross the road in front of us, then dart into the field of hay. Pretty cool to get our daily critter sighting quota before 8AM.

After about an hour on paved roads, we turned off onto dirt roads for the final 7 miles.

Monument Rocks is one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas (see note below for more info on the Wonders of Kansas). Monument Rocks are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. The formations were the first landmark in Kansas chosen by the US Department of Interior as a National Natural Landmark. The chalk formations reach the height of up to 70 feet and include formations such as butte and arches. While a National Natural Landmark, they are located in private property, not government property.

As we approached Monument Rocks from the south, we passed a fence that had old boots stuck on the top of the fence posts.

Just before Monument Rocks, we passed one of the Butterfield Overland Dispatch (BOD) markers. In 1963, the Kansas legislature authorized the marking of the Smoky Hill Trail in western Kansas and 138 lime stone post engraved with the "BOD 1865" were placed where the trail crossed modern roads from Kanopolis to the Kansas-Colorado border.

The Smoky Hill Trail was started after gold was discovered at Cherry Creek, near Denver in Kansas territory. This route shorten the distance to the gold fields by 116 miles compared to the Oregon Trail or Santa Fe Trail. Monument Rocks became one of the more famous and highly visible landmarks along this route.

After spending over thirty minutes wandering the southern group of rocks, we saw it was possible to drive up close the the northern group. We moved Sprinty and set off exploring.

What a great start to the day. While at Monument Rocks, a lady also viewing the rocks with her family recommended Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park, which was our next destination.

We came to Monument Rocks from the south and had decent dirt roads to drive. We decided to exit to the north expecting similar road conditions. Maybe that is the main way in and gets graded more often, but it was a lot more washboarded and we were limited to about 15mph to lessen the rattling of Sprinty and all his contents.

Little Jerusalem Badlands are Kansas' most dramatic chalk formation. Little Jerusalem is one of six Nature Conservancy properties in Kansas that are open to the public. In other words, the land that makes up the state park is actually owned by the Nature Conservancy. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism assisted in the development of the site and is responsible for the ongoing visitor management.

One of the displays presented the significance of the grasslands. Grasslands cover one quarter of the Earth's land. Grasslands emerge where it is too dry to be forest and too wet to be desert. Most of the original prairies in North America have been converted to cropland or urban uses making the remaining prairies even more precious. Little Jerusalem is on the border between the shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies of Kansas.

Prairie grasses have deep roots done allow them to quickly recover from grazing in grow again. Allowing rest from grazing increases the health of the soil and plants. Moderately grazed grasslands often produce more plant matter than those that are not grazed at all

We elected to hike both trails in the state park. The first trail, the Overlook Trail was about 0.25 miles and led to one overlook. Temperatures in the low 80s (20 degrees less than a couple days ago) and a brisk 20+ mph breeze made for good hiking conditions. As long as you kept moving - as soon as you stopped the flies started biting - ferocious little buggers.

The other trail, the Life on the Rocks Trail, is about 1.2 miles and led to two overlooks.

A very nice state park. We particularly enjoyed the trail conditions and the various exhibits along the trail describing the plants and wildlife that inhabit the badlands. If this is the result of the partnership between the Nature Conservancy and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, then more state parks should develop partnerships with the Nature Conservancy.

Our next stop was the Butterfield Trail Museum in Russell Springs, KS, located about 25 miles west of Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park. In planning the day, we knew it was all dirt road. After the dirt roads we traveled yesterday and earlier this morning, we headed west full of confidence.

Along the way, we saw a bison grazing in a field adjacent to the road. Kris used her zoom camera to get a picture. Critter sighting number two.

And that is why Kris bought this camera - for getting wildlife photos from a distance, like in Alaska.

Also as we drove along, we passed a four foot snake crossing the road. Darrell stopped, saw the snake was still in the road, and backed up to get a picture. As Sprinty neared the snake for the second time, it slithered off into the brush before we could get a picture. Critter sighting number three.

The Butterfield Trail Museum was added to our itinerary without the usual research. We first learned of Butterfield when we visited Fort Bowie, AZ, in December 2018. The historic Butterfield Trail passes through the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. John Butterfield was awarded the contract to build and operate the mail trail from St. Louis to San Francisco.

As we have traveled in Kansas, we have seen numerous references to the Butterfield Overland Dispach. We assumed the Butterfield Trail Museum would be focused on the Butterfield Trail.

From 1887 to 1963, the museum building was the county courthouse.  In addition to the displays related to the Butterfield Trail, the museum's collection includes local history, books and periodicals and a fossil collection of specimens from the Cretaceous Period which were found in the area.  There was also a prairie home complete with clothing, tools, and furniture used by early plains settlers, as well as the old county jail house are also on the site. 

While the museum had a few displays about the Western Kansas portion of the Butterfield Trail, the museum was mostly (98%) about the local history since the courthouse was constructed in 1887. It even had a small exhibit of barbed wire. From our visit to the Barbed Wire Museum a few days ago, we were able to appreciate the display more, especially since it had a sample of the Glidden patented wire from 1876.

In one of the outbuildings, there was a stage coach painted in Butterfield Overland Dispatch. There was no information, so it is likely a reproduction used in the annual Butterfield Trail days (held from 1967 to 2016), a two-day event where people walked or rode wagons on the original Butterfield Trail around Russell Springs.

An interesting museum, but was not what we expected. So far this trip, this is the first stop we have made that did not equal or exceed our expectations. Certainly not worth the dirt road drive - it is better to access it on paved roads from Oakley, KS. And only if you are interested in local history.

Even Sprinty seemed to make a fuss about the dirt roads. For most of the drive to Russell Springs, the dirt roads were similar to the dirt roads we had traveled yesterday and this morning. However, about 2 miles from Russell Springs, we saw the roads were less firm, and a little squishy from the rain last night. Likely due to the road surface having more mud content than the limestone base of the other roads. All of a sudden, Sprinty started shifting gears erratically - jumping down to second gear then shifting up to fifth gear, then back to second gear and so on. It was as if third and fourth gears just went missing and quit working. Fearing a wheel speed sensor malfunction, we were starting to have visions of needing to visit a Mercedes Urgent Care place (Denver being the closest one?), and maybe even having to get towed there. High anxiety for the remaining two miles to Russell Springs.

After we left the Butterfield Trail Museum on paved roads (and for the rest of the day), Sprinty's transmission behaved normally. We enjoyed a few minutes of relief. Until we turned north towards Colby, KS, when the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) light came on, with the message "Visit Workshop". Then we lost the cruise control. Fortunately, we recognized this tantrum from two previous occasions and suspected it the ESP yaw sensor was overloaded from the gusty winds. Once we stopped in Colby for diesel and turned off the engine, the error reset itself.

While in Colby, we decided to stay at Enders Lake Golf Course in Enders, NE, a Harvest Host. This Harvest Host is a little unusual in that they have RV sites with full hookups for free. The remaining drive was uneventful.

After checking in, Trevor, the owner, instructed us to park next to the pop up truck camper that was getting ready to leave. Indeed they were and we briefly got to talk with them. They were Trevor's parents visiting with the grandkids for Fathers Day.

As teased above, for those who have read to the very end, the Kansas Sampler Foundation (https://kansassampler.org/8wondersofkansas/) has come up with a list of the eight wonders of Kansas. They are:

* Big Well, Greensburg

* Cheyenne Bottoms/Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Barton & Stafford counties

* Cosmosphere, Hutchinson

✅ Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene

✅ Kansas Underground Salt Museum (Strateca), Hutchinson

✅ Monument Rocks and Castlerock, Gove county

* Saint Fidelis Catholic Church (Cathedral of the Plains), Victoria

✅ Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Flint Hills, Chase county

Sprinty has managed to visit four of the eight this trip.