On the way to Iowa; fires, Bushong, and more.

 "In his heart a man plans his course but the Lord determines his steps."                                                                                                              Proverbs 16:9

In the book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 8 it says that Abraham "went, even though he did not know where he was going."  Sounds a little like us when we travel!

We sort of had a plan as we set out for Wisconsin, but plans got changed.  We left after Al got off work around 3.  It was a beautiful day with some whispy clouds.

We were going to go to Emporia and on 59 to Lawrence, but we saw smoke ahead.  

They must be burning the Flint Hills!  Seems earlier than usual, but let's check it out!

We turned north on 177 before Strong City.  The Scenic Byway.

You can see the firefighters doing a controlled burn.  What is the purpose of burning the old grasses?  If you look it up, it says online that the burns " help restore the health of the native grasses that are so important to Kansas. Without these prescribed burns, the prairie could lose its most precious resource."

Sometimes in our lives, God has to "burn off" the impurities in our lives.  So that we can be renewed for Him and be used for Him.  Ever heard the song "Refiner's Fire"?

The cattle did not seem bothered in the least, even though the air was so smoky.

Love these old buildings in Council Grove.

Oops.  We had a little stop.  We didn't realize the speed limit was 20mph.  Luckily, this officer just gave us a warning!  An example of Mercy.

"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."            Frank Clark

We continued west on highway 56.

We were passing Bushong, a little ghost town.  "Let's stop!"

We had watched a segment of Larry Hatteberg's People about the little town of Bushong.  In WW2, the little town of 146 lost 10 of it's citizens. 

“'Per capita, we lost the most men in Kansas — perhaps the U.S.,' said Dianne Bedner-Smith, who started work on the wall garden with her husband, Gary Smith, back in 2020."

Continuing on, this was all new road for us.  We went under 335, the turnpike from Emporia to Topeka.

Burlingame was originally a stop on the Sante Fe Trail.

Main street was built wide enough that an oxen team could make a U-turn if need be.

Now it is a town under 1,000 and is said to have a great Farmer's Market.

A country singer named Kenny Starr was born here.  Personally, I don't know him.

Scranton?  Hey, haven't I heard of some politician who boasts about beingfrom Scranton (PA)?  This town was actually named after that town in 1871 as it was also a coal town.  The population is around 650.

The leaning tower of windmill.

We picked up 59 and drove into Lawrence, KS.

Our old alma mater town where we lived 4 years.

Al's sweet sister, Julie, lives there now.

How we love her!  We just HAD to stop in for hugs!

Drove through KC 

then on to Lamoni, Iowa for the night.