One thing we have learned about traveling is that sometimes you have to be flexible. As we left Texas, our original plan was to travel through Louisiana and Mississippi before making our way towards Indiana. Then Hurricane Laura decided to hit the Gulf Coast, so we had to come up with a Plan B and immediately headed north instead. This last minute change was serendipitous as we might never have explored eastern Kansas where we discovered some fun and interesting places off the beaten path.
Wichita:
Wichita was our first stop in Kansas. We visited the Keeper of the Plains, a 44-foot tall steel sculpture that stands at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas rivers. The land between the two rivers is sacred ground to the Native American people and is also home to the Mid-America All Indian Center.
There are 2 suspended foot bridges leading to the memorial area where this icon of Wichita keeps a watchful eye on the city. We enjoyed learning about the area’s native tribes and then had a peaceful morning run along the paths beside the river.
Hutchinson:
From our base in Wichita, we drove about an hour to the Strataca Salt Mine in the little town of Hutchinson. Salt was discovered here in 1887 where the Permian Wellington Formation is one of the largest in the world. About 500,000 tons of rock salt is mined here each year and is used for industrial purposes and de-icing highways.
After donning helmets and riding the double decker 6-ton hoist to descend 650 feet below the surface, we experienced a walking tour to learn about rock salt mining operations. We also rode the train through some actual mining rooms and got a small souvenir piece of rock salt to take home.
One surprising part was the underground vault storage area where historical documents and Hollywood memorabilia are kept. The natural environment of the mine provides controlled year-round temperature and humidity which is ideal for the preservation of paper and film. Many original films are kept in the vault (like Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz) along with movie costumes, important documents and records from around the country.
Abilene:
As we moved onward we drove through Abilene, Kansas. It was disappointing that the Eisenhower Presidential Library was still closed due to the coronavirus. I could have added several presidential libraries on this trip had we been in normal times. A bright spot, though, was the Greyhound Hall of Fame that was right across the street. It is a small museum that pays tribute to the fastest of man’s best friends, along with the history of the breed and of racing. Retired racers and residents, Ginger and Buddy, even greet you at the door!
Wamego:
One of my favorite movies as a kid was the Wizard of Oz, so we had to also visit the small town of Wamego to see the Oz Museumm. The self-guided tour starts in the sepia-toned Auntie Em’s gift shop. Then as you pass through the screen door everything becomes technicolor in the land of Oz…just like in the movie!.
Over 100 years of Oz history and memorabilia, movie displays, and rare artifacts are on display as you follow the yellow brick road. I never knew there were 14 full length Oz books as well as many other books by L Frank Baum. Outside placed around the town, it was fun to locate the 15 differently painted Toto dog statues.
Topeka:
Our next stop was Topeka, where we visited Grinter’s Farm to see the beautiful sunflowers. Theirs is a family farm that grows mostly corn and soybeans but has a sunflower field that they are kind enough to allow people to visit—for free. Our timing was good, as the sunflower blooms only last for about 2-3 weeks. Looking at all these bright flowers just makes you smile! There is a cute little gift shop and fresh fruit stand as well.
Also, in Topeka we visited the State Capitol building. I love to check out the architecture in historic buildings and this one didn’t disappoint. It has a dramatic array of art, sculpture, and colorful Kansas history within its walls and grounds.
Thirty-six of the 50 states have a dome (influenced by the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.), but Kansas is one of the few states where you can climb to the top. We would have loved to do the guided tour and climb the 296 spiral stairs to the top to see the inner glass dome and outer copper dome, but alas, coronavirus strikes again and there were no tours. We still enjoyed walking through this beautiful building.
Unless you were around in the 70s, you might not be familiar with Evel Knievel. As a child, I remember watching the daredevil’s televised jumps over cars, trucks, buses, and even Snake River Canyon back in the day. The Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka is dedicated to all things Evel and it was fun to see all of the memorabilia.
I have always been curious about his name Evel–did his mother name him that?? It was interesting to learn that after a night in jail on a charge of reckless driving, a young Robert Craig Kneivel was in a cell next to William Knofel, well known as Awful Knofel. The guard joked that Awful Knofel was next to Evil Kneivel. The nickname stuck but Bobby changed the spelling to Evel so he would not be considered evil.
This video of Evel jumping (and crashing at the end) over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas would launch the daredevil’s career. He suffered multiple broken bones and spent weeks in the hospital, but when ABC picked up the film footage it was that era’s version of going viral. After this jump he went on to become an international celebrity and multimillionaire.
So what turned out to be an unplanned detour turned into a fun time exploring eastern Kansas. We had an entertaining several days and avoided any bad weather from the hurricane. And we got to add a new state to our travel map!
Wow, this is exciting. We have not been in the Eastern part of Kansas. Love reading about your travels.
Thanks–it was a nice surprise for us to find so many fun things in the eastern part of Kansas!
Who knew Kansas has so many great places to visit and neat things to do. I remember Kansas as flat and long with pretty sunflowers as we drove I-70 from one side to the other on our trips from Colorado to visit family in Virginia and back.
We were pleasantly surprised with the fun things we found in Kansas! It’s still pretty flat though–lol.
WOW Kansas has a lot to offer! Very interesting stuff to see and do. LOVE the photo of you by the Yellow Brick Road and the sunflowers are spectacular in both their beauty and vibrant colors.
Hi Sandi, We did find some interesting sights in Kansas and had fun exploring. I’ve always loved the movie Wizard of Oz, so the museum was a special treat. I think sunflowers are one of my new favorite flowers–they are so pretty and bright!