As of December 2020, I had traveled to 49 of the 50 US states (only missing Hawaii) but admittedly some of my travels through a state were a bit of a cheat. Kansas was one of those state. Previously I spent a night in a hotel in Overland Park. And that was it. So planning a route back to Philadelphia from Los Angeles came with some exciting research on routes through Kansas and things to see. Kansas is home to some unusual sites, like the World's Largest Ball of String, but a lot of these Roadside Oddities are located well off the Interstate. On the ride back we'd be traveling east on I-40 and picking up US-64 at Tucumcari seemed like a natural point to start heading northeast to Kansas. Our first stop in Kansas was Liberal. From here we headed north to Dodge City, then went east to spend a night in Wichita. The next morning we drove through cold rain (at least it wasn't freezing rain) to Cottonwood Falls then drove through the Flint Hills area to Council Grove followed by a quick stop in Lecompton before wrapping up the Kansas trip with a stop in Lawrence.
WICHITA
I've always had an itch to visit a random city like Wichita. On the 2020 cross country drives, I checked off a series of the random city itches - Oklahoma City, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque - and was pleased with the stop in Wichita. I only spent a night but the city seemed well organized, clean, and a have a good mix of new and old, big box stores and local shops. We arrived on a Monday night and unfortunately many restaurants are closed on Mondays so we scrambled a bit and had a meal from Braum's - I was excited to show my Dad Braum's because it's a combination of Wawa, a hamburger grill, and an ice cream stand. |
In the morning we grabbed a coffee from Reverie Roasters, which also had some bierocks available. Bierocks are a German stuffed pastry unique to Kansas - these are not part of the Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine at least. We drove a half mile down the road to The Donut Whole. Both of these places gave a glimpse into the cool and hip side of Wichita. We then continued our drive down Douglas Avenue, through Wichita's City Center, before driving back across 1st Avenue to I-135.
LAWRENCE
I always like checking out college towns - Lawrence is home to the University of Kanas and Phog Allen Arena. Kansas has an illustrious basketball history - Dr. James Naismith created the Men's basketball program six years after he wrote the the first basketball rule book. The Phog Allen Arena is one of the game's great arenas - my dad and I have already decided we will need to return for a game once COVID ends.
I always like checking out college towns - Lawrence is home to the University of Kanas and Phog Allen Arena. Kansas has an illustrious basketball history - Dr. James Naismith created the Men's basketball program six years after he wrote the the first basketball rule book. The Phog Allen Arena is one of the game's great arenas - my dad and I have already decided we will need to return for a game once COVID ends.
It was a nice drive through campus - the buildings consistently use limestone and there's a nice flow to how the University fits together. The town's main restaurant and dining street is Massachusetts Avenue which has a quaint, small town feel.
COTTONWOOD FALLS TO COUNCIL GROVE
It was a dreary and rainy day when we drove through Kansas but I still thought the beauty of the state shined through. Cottonwood Falls is a small town an hour north of Wichita and a wonderful step back in time. A county courthouse bookends the south side of a main street that by all appearances would be a great place to spend a night and soak up the small town vibe.
It was a dreary and rainy day when we drove through Kansas but I still thought the beauty of the state shined through. Cottonwood Falls is a small town an hour north of Wichita and a wonderful step back in time. A county courthouse bookends the south side of a main street that by all appearances would be a great place to spend a night and soak up the small town vibe.
A few of the buildings lining Cottonwood Falls main street. From Cottonwood Falls we headed north to Council Grove. This was less than an hour drive but the route cut through the Flint Hills region. It was cold. It was overcast. The Flint Hills still looked cool and interesting enough for me to consider a return visit. Between the rain and the lack of a shoulder on the road there wasn't a place to stop and get a decent photo so I'm left mostly with memories and the one photo below to the right, which doesn't come close to capturing the area.
Council Grove is an historical town that holds the distinction of being the last town before settlers reached the open plains and point of no return. As such, there's a shop on the west side of town known as the Last Chance Store - the last chance for settlers to buy supplies before heading into the wilderness.
Council Grove has a similar main street as Cottonwood Grove, albeit with a little more activity.
LECOMPTON
Lecompton, Kansas is situated between Topeka and Lawrence. The town was the original, territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861. Even if you don't know much about the history of the US and Kansas' role in the buildup to the Civil War, those dates alone give an indication of the importance of this small town. With apologies to Fort Sumpter, Lecompton claims that Civil War started in Lecompton. The town was the epicenter of the pro-slavery movement as Southern States tried to get Kansas admitted to the Union as a slave state. The white building below is Constitution Hall, where a proposed State Constitution was drafted that would allow for slavery in the state. Nearby Lawrence was the epicenter of the anti-slavery movement. I think it's fitting that Lawrence has grown into the much better small town of the two.
Lecompton, Kansas is situated between Topeka and Lawrence. The town was the original, territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861. Even if you don't know much about the history of the US and Kansas' role in the buildup to the Civil War, those dates alone give an indication of the importance of this small town. With apologies to Fort Sumpter, Lecompton claims that Civil War started in Lecompton. The town was the epicenter of the pro-slavery movement as Southern States tried to get Kansas admitted to the Union as a slave state. The white building below is Constitution Hall, where a proposed State Constitution was drafted that would allow for slavery in the state. Nearby Lawrence was the epicenter of the anti-slavery movement. I think it's fitting that Lawrence has grown into the much better small town of the two.
LIBERAL
There's no place like home! Is this really Dorothy's house? Was Wizard of Oz set here? No. In the 1970s a businessman from Liberal was in California for work and a co-worker jokingly asked what there was to see in Kansas, Dorothy's house. The businessman thought it was strange that the most famous Kansan did not have a tourist attraction in the state. A few years later he found a home similar to Dorothy's in the Wizard of Oz and moved to its present location. The site was closed when we arrived but the grounds were open and a walk around was all we needed. The house is a quick turn off US-64 and a good place to stop.
There's no place like home! Is this really Dorothy's house? Was Wizard of Oz set here? No. In the 1970s a businessman from Liberal was in California for work and a co-worker jokingly asked what there was to see in Kansas, Dorothy's house. The businessman thought it was strange that the most famous Kansan did not have a tourist attraction in the state. A few years later he found a home similar to Dorothy's in the Wizard of Oz and moved to its present location. The site was closed when we arrived but the grounds were open and a walk around was all we needed. The house is a quick turn off US-64 and a good place to stop.
DODGE CITY
Let's get out of Dodge! Put Dodge City right up there with Deadwood and Tombstone as one of the great Western towns of America's past. Dodge City was the wild west for only a few years before the law arrived and brought some order to the town. The Boot Hill Museum chronicles the City's illustrious past and has a recreated old town scene.
Let's get out of Dodge! Put Dodge City right up there with Deadwood and Tombstone as one of the great Western towns of America's past. Dodge City was the wild west for only a few years before the law arrived and brought some order to the town. The Boot Hill Museum chronicles the City's illustrious past and has a recreated old town scene.
Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are best known for the gun fight at the O.K. Corral, however, they both met in Dodge City. The town commemorates the two of them with statues along Wyatt Earp Blvd.
Unlike Deadwood and Tombstone which thrive on the tourist industry, Dodge City is a larger town with a little more going on. The area near the Boot Hill Museum retains a slight wild west vibe to the buildings. There's also a large granary west of the Boot Hill Musuem that was similar to the ones we saw driving along US-64.
Part of the reason why Dodge City's economy isn't solely reliant on tourism is that the area is a hub for beef processing and has several large stockyards in the surrounding area. The images below are from an overlook near a stockyard on the eastern side of town.