East Kansas & North West Missouri

Our first night in Emporia Kansas was filled with weather excitement.  We thought we might be going to see the Wizard a day early but we made it through the night with only heavy winds & rain.  The next morning we drove to see the Wizard at the OZ museum in Wamego:

I take full blame for this trip as I was the one who wanted to go see the museum.  Not sure I'd recommend you stop by even if you were in Wamego & a big fan of OZ like myself.  It was very hokey!  Some good memorabilia from Judy Garland etc. but no authentic Oz stuff.  Not even a yellow brick road to walk along.  I suppose young kids would enjoy this:

We did hit the local park in Wamego which was gearing up for the annual tulip fair:

The park also contains the only working stone Dutch mill which was originally built by John Schonhoff in 1870 - still used to grind wheat and flour today:

On the way to and from Oz, we took the Flint Hills & Native Stone scenic roads.  Unfortunately we are hitting the hills in the burning season when they burn the old grass to promote quick growth of new grass.  So much of the hills were black.  The scenery was still pretty nice (even in the rain):

Another day we drove to the Prairie Trail about 80 miles away and drove about 50 miles of it.  Along the way we stopped at the John Gault Maxwell Wildlife Refuge (2800 acres of prairie). 

You could explore by horseback (but that's just mean to the horses I say!):

. . . where the buffalo roam . . .

. . . and the elk play . . .

I swear this guy smiled just before i took this picture:

We also stopped at the Coronado castle in Lindsburg.  The castle was built in the 1932 as part of an Obama (I mean Roosevelt) program to put people to work (similar to the American Recovery act going on now that has so many perfectly fine rest areas closed for renovation).  It sits 300 feet atop an erosion hill so you can see for miles across the Smoky Hill river valley:

From here we kept driving to find Mushroom Rock State Park.  We ended up in Marquette, KS.  Went into a motorcycle museum to ask for directions and checked out a few old bikes while there:

We finally made it to Mushroom Rock SP which consisted of 4-5 mushroom shaped rocks in the middle of nowhere!  Do go out of your way for this one!

We started our stay in Kansas at the Emporia RV Park conveniently located right next to the highway and the railroad tracks.  Trucks and whistle blowing trains running all day and night.  Aside from that, the campground had full hookups, wifi and cable TV.  The owner Charlotte, her husband and mother were all very accommodating and refunded us as we ended up leaving early and heading for Melvern Lake State Park just up the road.  This is an Army Corps of Engineers Lake & Park - beautiful!  We had a pull thru site on the water with beautiful sunsets:

While here we hooked up with my old GE AIMC Crotonville class bud Karen and her hubby Jim.  They have a ski boat and a house boat on the lake here along with a very nice ride to and from:

Thanks for all the laughs!  See you guys in NH next time!  While here in Melvern we stopped in at the renowned Guy & Mae's BBQ in Williamsburg.  Very small town (like most we've seen in Kansas) that looks like it's still back in the 60s maybe.  The ribs are served wrapped in tinfoil and newspaper, beer by the pitcher and 3 possible sides on the menu - that's about all they have.  What more do you need?  It was very good!  Go outta your way to check it out!

I mentioned before the grass burning going on all over the state.  Even better at night if you can get close.  We found this farmer keeping an eye on the fire:

The picture doesn't do justice here but the fields burning with a full moon lighting up the ground was pretty cool to see:

Then we headed up just north of KC to Lewis & Clark's State Park in Rushville MO.  As we pulled in the trains were whistling by.  The ranger sent us up the road to Weston Bend State Park in Weston MO.  He said the bluff between the trains and the campground would be much better (and he was right).   Most campsites have electric only around here so you need to haul your own water.  We got lucky and bagged a host site (full hookups) for the few nights we were here:

One day we went to the Weston Red Barn Farm http://www.westonredbarnfarm.com/ which was practically across the street from the park.  As it turned out, they weren't open to the public just yet however we ran into and talked with Cindy and Steve (the owners) for a while.  By the time we were done, they were asking for our blog address and gave us a complimentary jar of sweet potato butter and a dozen fresh eggs (including several green eggs).  Very nice folks!  If you're ever in the area between Memorial Day - 1st week of November, stop by.  All kinds of animals and activities to enjoy and make sure to talk with Cindy & Steve!

More cool and rainy weather while we were here but we managed to squeeze a lot of good stuff to do in good and bad weather.  On a cold overcast day we took a tour of the Harley Davidson manufacturing plant in KC:

No pics on the shop floor but really made you want one of these:

Another day we drove to Watkins Woolen Mill State Park in Lawson MO.  Beautiful ride through very nice neighborhoods in NW Missouri along the way.  The park has preserved the original wool mill, the Watkins family home which can be toured by guide.  We chose to walk the path and do our own touring:

The mill and the house were not as impressive as the surroundings.  Sheep are still raised here and sheered:

The park also has a bike path that goes around the lake there:

Another day we headed into downtown KC (25 miles) and took a private tour of the Steamboat Arabia Museum.  This was a pre civil war steamboat which sank in the Missouri in 1856 (as many did when they hit tree snags under the water).  The Hawley family decided that they were going to try to dig it up as they believed the Missouri river had changed course leaving the Arabia under ground but accessible by land.  They dug up the Arabia in the late 1980s and discovered an incredible inventory of fine china, tools, pickled foods, clothing and so much more that was preserved in the wet ground.  Instead of selling it all they established the museum to display the largest collection of pre-civil war artifacts anywhere:

The steamboat was like a Home Depot & Macy's on water - with another 40 tons of salvaged goods  still being restored.  The coolest part was after watching a video on the recovery, Bob Hawley walked in and talked to us.  He gave us more details and answered questions.  While walking out of the museum we ran into his son who we recognized from the video too.  We stopped and talked for a while.  He asked about our truck - we got tips on where to go next for dinner in town.  Very nice people!  Great place to visit!

We hit the Plaza area of downtown KC.  We had an excellent lunch at the Cheesecake factory  The Plaza was a Spanish style open mall/restaurant area.  Very nice to walk around on a nice day!

We also checked out Union Station.  Once a bustling train station and now shops, dining and entertainment area.  We checked out the small train and national parks exhibits.  There were some cool things to do with kids there like Science City & the Planetarium.  Check it out!  While in the downtown area you can't miss the WWI Museum:

If we had more time and better weather, the Power & Light District looked like a fun place to go at night.  Bars, restaurants, entertainment and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the streets - what more could you ask for?

So, we must move on.  Headed to Omaha Nebraska for a while.  More to come . . .

Table Rock State Park - Branson Missouri

The drive from Memphis TN to Branson MO was a little rough as we drove through a couple of nasty storm fronts.   We didn't realize just how mountainous it is in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri.  Beautiful scenery and a beautiful day 5 hours later when we landed in Branson.  Table Rock SP is a very nice park too.  Campsites are full hookups on concrete pads with plenty of room:

The campground is located on Table Rock Lake:

We used the bike trail along the lake every day:

We saw many colorful cardinals and woodpeckers on the bike trail and around camp - only caught this one with the camera:

Branson has a nice old town downtown area with the Branson Landing area on the Taneycomo Lake.  Outdoor mall, old fashion 5 & dime, boat cruises, restaurants and floating bars:

The rest of Branson is 50+ show houses with shows going all day and night, Ripley's hokey stuff and several restaurants:

The shows didn't appeal to us so after scoping out this area we explored the Dogwood Canyon area.  We made a day of biking the canyon and then later hiking the 7 mule pass there.   The bike path runs all along a canyon river:

The Bike trail wound back and forth across the river:

Many of the flowers and trees were just starting to blossom:

There are many waterfalls feeding the river:

If you look closely you can see the trout in the water below this waterfall:

OK, I looked closer and here's what you can see:

The bike trail eventually crosses over into Arkansas:

Not sure if this crane hanging in the river was fishing for trout but he'd have a hard time swallowing the one above:

Have to show one more of the waterfalls . . . there were several more:

The canyons and the hiking trail were lined with dogwoods (perhaps why they call it Dogwood Canyon) that were all blooming:

If you're into beautiful scenery and a nice campground, southwest Missouri & northeast Arkansas along with Table Rock State Park is a good place to visit for a few days.  If you were into shows too, you could stay here all summer!  We'll off to see the wizard in Kansas.   More to come . . .

Graceland RV Campground - Memphis TN

Down at the end of Lonely Street, behind Heartbreak Hotel:

was our campground where we were not so lonely.  The campsites are full hookup pull-throughs (little tight though):

We hit Beale Street in downtown Memphis later our 1st night.  Beale street is block off from traffic for 2-3 blocks:

We got beers on the sidewalk and walked the length and back.  All along the way were restaurants with bands playing.  Several bands were also playing on the street:

and other in the alleys:

We ended up at BB Kings for some awesome ribs and entertainment!

A couple of different bands played this night - both were excellent!

Another day we went on a riverboat ride on the Mississippi:

While cruising in Arkansas waters we had a great view of the Memphis skyline:

We also cruised all around mud island - originally formed around a sunken ship is now a tribute to Memphis and the Mississippi River:

Another day we hit Graceland (Elvis's house & museums).  The house was very nice 70s style (inside especially) but very modest for a king:

Not sure what style you call this other than Elvis style:

There was green shag carpet on some hallway walls and this room, where he hung out with his buddies playing pool, was lined with material on the ceiling and walls:

There were several places where Elvis' gold and platinum records were on display (never realized just how many top hits and movies he had done) including his racquet ball court converted to trophy room:

If you're a fan of Elvis, this is a great place to visit.  We also checked out some of his cars and his airplanes on display across the street.  This area of town is a little sketchy (used to be country when Elvis' house was built here).  We went to the other side of town one afternoon to Shelby Farms park:

Lots of people visiting and using the park - big place!  We took a bike ride around the park and down the 7 mile Green line trail.  The trail was nicely paved but it passed along some shady areas (like 3 prisons) in addition to some nicely wooded and water areas:

There are even buffalo roaming here in the fields:

This was a good take even on a 90 degree day with high humidity and 20mph winds!  We're off to Branson Missouri now.  More to come . . .