To the corner of Kansas

We had been contemplating a new road we'd never been on before to go to Wisconsin.  The night before we were going to leave, we watched this show on PBS called "Kansas From Above".  Here is the promo:

In it, it shows that at the northeast of Kansas, you can see 4 states.  "Let's go there!"

We went to Hillsboro to pick up sausage for the kids and then took Highway 77 up to Highway 70.

I have read that these dugouts from the late 1800s were used as storm shelters from tornadoes and as a cellar for food as it kept food cool.  Some have said that people might have lived in them until a proper home was built.  Today they are mostly homes for critters!

We took 18 into Manhattan and then up Seth Child Road up to 13 and over the dam of Tuttle Creek Lake.

North on 13 to 16 to 99 (for those interested)

It was quite hilly.  Kansas is not flat!

We came into Frankfort.  It was named after a man named Frank Schmidt, not after Frankfort, Germany.  The population is around 723, verses Frankfort, Germany, whose population was 753,056 in 2019.

The town lost 32 men during WWII, more per capita than any other community in the United States!

The Banker's Inn, a hotel you can stay at!  Built in 1887, it has The Trump Suite (named after the Trump Apron Factory during WWII), Skylight Suite, and the Presidential Suite.  Check out the web site to see pictures.  I'd love to stay there sometime!

And Elsie Grace's next door.

"Allen, let's stop for a piece of pie!"

It was late enough in the afternoon that they were out of pie, but they had some delicious fudge and lemon bars.

The owner told us that she began this store as a hobby and named it after her grandmother.  When her husband was tragically killed in an accident, this became her way of income.  

I told her I'd love to come back and she said she was selling the place this summer  and retiring as it was getting too hard for her.  She said she thought they had a buyer; a young couple moving out of a big city to come try small town living for their family.  If the sale fails, I hope someone else will buy it!  Or even the shop across the road!  A young couple purchased it and decided it wasn't for them.

The Frankfort school built in 1902-03.  The 1880 schoolhouse burned down after a lightning strike.

We turned east on highway 36.

We zig-zagged our way to the corner of the state.

White Cloud, Kansas

White Cloud was a thriving city in its day, with a population of 2,000.  This port town located on the Missouri River, was a popular stop for steamboats carrying supplies for the west.  It was named after Ioway tribal cheif, Ma-Hush-Kah or White Cloud.  You can read about this town here.  It is really interesting!

This was the school house.

It is almost a ghost town these days.  Population is around 115.

We turned off the main road onto this little slip of a road.

and then on to this little rutted, dirt road.

From here in Kansas you can see Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.

The Missouri River ahead

We turned left and traveled along the river for a bit and then went into Nebraska.

That was fun!

Good-bye Kansas!

Between trips

 We were home 2 weeks before we needed to head back up to Wisconsin for our granddaughter's graduation party.  Because their class is so big, they were only given 2 tickets per student.  Anyone else had to watch on-line.  But a party was planned that we could attend.

While we were home, I weeded the garden and mulched it.  Tried to get rid of the bindweed.  I got into some kind of poison leaf and my face got swollen and itched a lot.  My pharmacist husband knew just what to put on it.

We had to take down most of our burning bush as it died.  There was still a small section that was still alive though.

There was a turtle that loved the mulch!  It actually looked like it was laying eggs?  But we sort of looked later and didn't see any.

We purchased a few plants to replace those that had died this year.  Lots of people had plants die.  It was a hard year!  I still have a few to get yet.

We often take care of some of the trees around the lake.  We watered and mulched them.  I also weeded around some of the established trees.  I found this tree - another tree had grafted itself to it!

It was fastened tight!  Well, LORD, may I also be attached tightly to You!  Cling to You!  My prayer also for the young moms in the Bible study I have at church.  My friend Sarah was at our home the day we saw the snapping turtle.  We are looking at what study we might do this coming fall with the young moms.  Ideas?

I worked on the Busy Book (or Quiet Book some call them) for my granddaughter.

This is the first and last pages.

Our small group from church met.  We meet every other week after church.  We call ourselves "The Travellers" because there are usually 1 or more of us couples on the road.  But this Sunday, everyone was present!

Tarenda showed us her puppies!  12 of them!  She had already sold 5, but they weren't weaned yet so the people would have to wait to pick them up.  If you want a puppy...

Then it was time to pack and head back to Wisconsin.  We studied the map to see if we had a new route to take.  Next post!