Home Again in Kansas City

Our 10 days in our old hometown have flown by, as expected. The biggest reason for our visit was to celebrate my Mom's big birthday. Much of our immediate family was in town for the celebration. Those who weren't here were definitely missed. We all had a great time.

Most importantly, of course, is that Mom had fun. She received lots of birthday wishes and lovely gifts. My sister Susan and her family gifted this quilt they purchased in Amish country near their home in Pennsylvania. It's absolutely beautiful!

The weather in Kansas City is much more enjoyable than it was when we arrived. We've enjoyed many walks on our favorite nearby walking path along Turkey Creek.

No, I didn't do it! Another big "to-do" during our visit was a bit of skin cancer surgery for Paul. All went well, thankfully, and he's recovering nicely. He already looks much better! All we can say is, wear your sunscreen!

Look! Bullwinkle's twin followed us home from Colorado. New friends Carrie and Bill stopped and parked next door for a few days. This was their first visit to Kansas City, so we squeezed in some time to happily show them around.

They toured the Truman Library and Museum, a Kansas City "must do", on their own. After a tasty lunch at our favorite barbeque spot, Fiorella's Jack Stack near Union Station, we took them on a driving tour around some of old favorite sights around Kansas City.

And, we made time to see a few new favorites, too. We hadn't really taken a good look at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It's gorgeous! Well done, Kansas City!

We'll hit the road again tomorrow. But, we'll be back very soon. And, next time, we promise to stay longer.

North Central Kansas

If you're going to cross Kansas in late August, you need air conditioning. And, we're so pleased to report that, at long last, our moose is cooling like a champ! The team at DM Mobile RV Repair in Loveland replaced the mess Winnebago made of our heat pump and made us very happy! Many thanks to them and the good people at RVP Products (our heat pump manufacturer) in Wichita. Y'all did good! (Winnebago Factory Service is another story!) It was warm when we waved so long to Don and Mary Ann and pulled out of Loveland last Thursday morning. Having spent more time on I-25 this Summer than we had ever intended, we opted for a "blue highways" route east out of Loveland through Greeley and Fort Morgan. We clipped the southwestern corner of Nebraska for about 10 minutes before we headed south through the western edge of Kansas. When we arrived in Goodland in the early afternoon, this was the outside temperature! Fortunately, life inside our moose was cool and comfortable. (Finally!)

Our favorite Kansas overnight campground (in Ellis) was another 130 miles down the road. But, with the temperatures rising, we wisely called it a day early and chilled at the Goodland KOA, just off I-70. The park is perfect for an overnight. The lovely couple who own the place go out of their way to make sure their guests are comfortable. We felt a bit like we were staying at a bed and breakfast!

The temperatures had cooled off to the mid-90s (gasp!) by the time we arrived in the familiar Salina KOA on Friday. Life with a fully functioning air conditioner is awesome!!

Our Salina stop was timed to enjoy the Labor Day weekend with Paul's sister and her family. We had a great time catching up with them all.

A highlight of our holiday weekend was a fun and informative driving tour of North Central Kansas. (Hey! Don't knock it until you try it.) We loaded up with Susan, Doug and Kate and headed north to Minneapolis, Kansas. This charming town of about 2,000 calls itself "A Great Place To Call Home". By the looks of things, it probably is. We took particular interest in this block building at the end of Mill Street. Susan and Paul remember this building as the home of Aunt Winifred and Uncle David. Today, it's a charming four-suite inn that has been lovingly transformed by owners Pat and Brian. While we were gawking outside, they invited us in and showed us around. It's beautiful!

The owners were as interested in hearing about Paul and Susan's memories of the house and the family as they were sharing what they knew. This is a photo of the building circa 1911, when it served as home to Aunt Winifred's family and her father's veterinary practice.

When Aunt Winifred graduated from medical school in 1912, she set up her office in the front of the building. She married Uncle David, who was the high school shop teacher, and the building was their home until she passed away in 1967. In 1962, Minneapolis celebrated Dr. Winifred's 50 years of practicing medicine. Pat and Brian shared this scrapbook page that commemorated the occasion. We had a wonderful visit. We so appreciated these friendly owners making time to share their lovely inn with us.

From Minneapolis, we headed west into Russell County to visit the Grassroots Arts Capital of Kansas, the tiny town of Lucas. Along the way, Kate was buzzing about the newest addition in Lucas. She had heard all about, but had yet to lay eyes on, the town's new public restroom. Her enthusiasm was contagious. We couldn't wait.

While you ponder the question of why five intelligent adults would drive to a town of 400 people to see a new public bathroom, let us fill you in on "Grassroots Arts". According to grassrootsart.net, the term describes "art made made by people with no formal artistic training (usually of retirement age) using ordinary materials in an extraordinary way." Remember, Lucas is the capital of this phenomenon in Kansas. And, apparently Kansas comes in third among states, behind Wisconsin and California.

We knew we'd arrived at Bowl Plaza when we saw a giant roll of "toilet paper" sitting next to the giant grassroots toilet. (Look back at the first photo. Can you see it?) Bowl Plaza just opened in June as the Grassroots Capital of Kansas' response to an unmet need for its estimated 10,000 visitors every year. The "first flush" at the new privy was auctioned to the highest bidder.

The entire structure is covered (inside and out) in unbelievable mosaics created by Mri Pilar of broken bits and found objects. This is the mirror in the women's restroom. A quick peek in the men's restroom revealed boy-themed mosaics made out of things like Hot Wheels cars. This is the most fascinating public bathroom we've ever seen! Without a doubt.

A quote from a visiting Archeology student is embedded into a wall in the lobby of the plaza. We couldn't agree more!

Another thing that will make Lucas an "interesting dig" is the Garden of Eden. This is one of the reasons so many I-70 travelers stop in Lucas (and why the town needed a new public restroom). The former home of S.P. Dinsmoor is one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  This large scale example of Kansas folk art was a 20-year labor of love for Mr. Dinsmoor, who started the project in 1907 (at the age of 62) with the construction of the limestone log cabin. His worked moved on to the garden, where he used 113 tons of cement to construct 40-foot tall trees to display his sculpture.

In addition to these towering sculptures, Dinsmoor constructed his own mausoleum on the property. So visitors can stop by and say "hello" to this famous grassroots artist.

According to local lore, Mr. Dinsmoor's wife complained that she didn't see him enough. So, he crafted this self portrait just outside the kitchen window so she could always see him waving at her. Mr. Dinsmoor continued his work until he went blind in 1929.

The Garden of Eden is one of those things that has to be seen to be believed.  It's too hard to explain. But, it's definitely worth a stop.

To celebrate Labor Day, the family piled in the car and headed southeast to the tiny town of Florence. As the temperature soared into the 90s, we grabbed our seats on the shady side of the street to watch this town of almost 500 celebrate the day with a parade.

The main attraction (for us anyway) was the appearance of the middle school and high school bands from nearby Marion, Kansas. Kate's friend Barlow is the music director at both schools. On parade day, he started things off by conducting a wonderful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

The Florence Labor Day Parade was small but mighty. There were lots of flags and roaring motorcycles.

And, you can always could on the Shriners to be at a parade, even if it's only three blocks long.

We didn't have to wait long to see the biggest "act" in the parade.

They looked and sounded fantastic! Way to go kids! That's a mighty fine band director you have there.

The biggest surprise of the weekend was a visit by California Winnie club friends Bob and Linda. They were passing through Kansas and decided to stop and stay for a couple of nights. They enjoyed touring the Eisenhower Library in nearby Abilene and we really enjoyed catching up with them. We wish them safe travels as they make their way back to the Bay Area.

Another of the Wonders of Kansas we'd yet to check out is Cozy Inn, in downtown Salina. With lots of  instructions from family, (Be prepared to smell like onions for days. And, whatever you do, don't even think about putting your sack of burgers in your car!) we finally made time for a stop.

It was hot and humid when we dropped in, so we sat at the small counter inside and ordered a sack of burgers.  Beef. Onions. Bun. That's it. No cheese. Ever. We're not sure we'd call these sliders a "wonder", but the place has a fun history and serves up a tasty little burger. Definitely worth a stop. And, yes, the onion smell does linger.

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We left Salina this morning and headed east on I-70. Before long we were in our old stomping grounds and set up here in our "home park" in suburban Kansas City before noon. We have a busy 10 days ahead of us. So, we're sure to be on the run. 

The good news is the heat is supposed to break. Halleluiah!

Return to Gunnison Again

When our heat pump put a big dent in our Summer travel plans, we decided to head back to Gunnison. When we arrived in our favorite mountain valley town, we spotted a Winnebago Tour in our park that looked a lot like ours. (Except it had a working heat pump!)

Shortly after our arrival for our second stay in our adopted hometown this summer, the owners of Bullwinkle's twin stopped by to introduce themselves. Bill and Carrie are extended travelers who, as it turns out, we tried to meet up in Texas Hill Country a couple of years ago. We had been following each other's blogs for awhile and thought we were in close proximity. But, as often happens, our blogs were behind our travels and we missed each other. What a delightful surprise to find these fun folks here in Gunnison! We so enjoyed getting to know each other.

Actually, it's no surprise we hit it off with Bill and Carrie. Turns out we have more than our Tours in common. Our new friends travel with two kitties (and two dogs), too. This cutie is Tractor.

Our unexpected return to Gunnison also gave us more time for fun with friends Karen and Arvin.

We finally got our Jeeps together for an little off-roading above Blue Mesa Reservoir. We trekked through rain and hail on that fun journey. But, the views were worth it.

Grandsons Sam and Grady came along for the ride. Looks like Sam got a little Jeepin' practice in on the trail. He did great!

During our return to Gunnison, we also enjoyed catching up with Doug and Nona, who we got to know the night before we left last time. Doug, Nona, Carrie, Paul and I had a great hike on the Dillon Pinnacles trail.

Even in the least flattering light of the warm midday sun, the Pinnacles were impressive.

The trail offered sweeping views of Blue Mesa Reservoir, which is noticeably low this year. Last Summer, the full lake was an immense impressive sight. After last year's mild winter, we've heard reports that the lake is down as much as 35 feet, and it definitely shows.

We had so much fun on the Pinnacles hike that we did it again when fellow fulltiming friends Fred and Sharon arrived in town. We met these two fun folks near Zion National Park last Summer. They made a detour from their toasty travels to meet up with us and cool off in Gunnison. We really enjoyed sharing our favorite little town and its scenic surroundings with them. Thanks so much for coming our way!

Fred and Sharon's visit was well-timed. They arrived just in time to see the USA Pro Cycling Challenge come through town. We enjoyed the inaugural event so much last year. Once again, Gunnison stood tall and put on a party as the cyclists came to town.

On the second day of this rigorous week-long race across Colorado, 95 professional riders started in Montrose and "whooshed" through Gunnison as they made the turn to the finish in Crested Butte.

The next day, Gunnison hosted the start of Stage 3 of the race, also known as the Queen's Stage. The crowds gathered early to watch the riders sign in and walk along "autograph row" before the race.

Gunnison gave the riders an enthusiastic sendoff as they began their 130-mile ride to Aspen. The day's route covered two 12,000-foot mountain passes for a total climb of 9,623 feet. Incredible!

After the professionals left town, the kids hit the streets. Bicycle races were held for three age brackets. Sam and Grady were ready to roll.

Grady had a look of fierce determination during his heat. And, Sam was so fast he raced out of my camera shot. Way to go, boys!

After the race festivities, we took a drive with Sharon and Fred toward Crested Butte to scenic Gothic Road.

The cloud cover gave us a cool day and some very interesting reflections. We love this drive. It's different every time we visit!

The late wildflowers gave the valley floor a fading yellow glow.

Bits of autumn color are just starting to show. In just a few weeks this stand of Aspens will be ablaze in yellow. (We're thinking we might just have to be here for that next year!)

Our "surprise" month in Gunnison gave us many more moments that remind us how much we love this town. These ponies near the Palisades greeted us along several walks.

This crystal clear stream meandered along another path. Gunnison is a great town for walking.

It's a good thing we did a lot of walking, because we managed to visit our favorite eateries around town. We even squeezed in a couple of new places (for us, anyway). The pulled pork sandwiches at The Filling Station were "real good".

This month's visit did present a surprise or two, too. Early one morning we watched this hot air balloon pass just over the moose and make an emergency landing just two sites down. The pilot said he was running low on fuel and had to get down. Thankfully, he was able to do so safely. The whole ordeal provided a morning of free entertainment in the park.

As we were preparing to leave yesterday, a buzz worked its way through the park. "Mitt Romney is coming to town," our neighbors told each other. A quick check of the Romney web site revealed the candidate was somewhere far from here preparing for the upcoming convention. What was coming to town was Romney's bus, with folks on board stumping for local and state Republicans, and campaigning for Romney, too, of course. It's not every day you get to see a presidential candidate's bus, so we took a break from our pre-departure routine and checked it out. Regardless of your party affiliation, it was all pretty cool.

Bill and Carrie, who left for a couple of weeks then decided to return to Gunnison (And we're so glad they did!), participated in all the fun. After all the festivities, we readied ourselves to leave our mountain hideaway. We enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner celebrating Paul's 55th at Twisted Fork, our favorite restaurant in town. I must confess I got a little teary on the way home. We really love Gunnison. We're going to miss it. But, we'll be back!

We made our way over Monarch Pass (for the FOURTH time this Summer) this morning and arrived in Loveland late this afternoon. With just a few miles to go on I-25, we spotted Air Force One landing in Loveland/Fort Collins for the President's appearance at CSU. (But, we didn't get a picture.) Wow! Two presidential candidate vehicle sightings in as many days. Such is life in a swing state!

We're back at DM, enjoying Don and Mary Ann's gracious hospitality for another night. Everything is set for tomorrow. If all goes as expected, the work will be completed tomorrow and we'll spend one more night here. Then, we'll head west with our freshly repaired basement air blazing. Good thing, too. It's hot in Kansas. We're gonna need it.

One of our fulltiming "to-dos" has been to spend an entire Summer in Colorado. Little did we know this would be the year. It wasn't where we expected to be, but Colorado has been a great place for us to be this summer, especially with our crippled AC. On this, our (fingers crossed) second to the last night in the Centennial State this year, we are grateful for the good times we've had this Summer. It's been fun.

To spend two months in Gunnison was a very pleasant surprise. And, we loved it. It made dealing with our heat pump maladies just a bit more tolerable. Thank You, Gunnison, for a wonderful time.

We will definitely be back!