8-3-24- Scott City, KS

If I were to describe Kansas in a few words, they would be, “flat and windy.”  Or, “completely flat and very damned windy.”  Our last two drive days have been difficult and at times scary. 

You really don't want a sudden
wind gust to blow you over 
the centerline when you 
encounter these.

The back roads tend to be shy on shoulders, which doesn’t give us a whole lot of wiggle room driving this billboard in a sidewind.  And so we don’t make very good time, as you can imagine.  The interesting things we see and learn make it all worth it but often it does scare the shit out of me.

 

Lake Scott State Park sits in a massive canyon surrounded by rocky bluffs.  The canyon was formed over the millennia by the Ladder Creek.  A fellow named Herbert Steele and his wife, Eliza, homesteaded in the canyon in 1892, originally living in a dugout in the side of a hill.  By the following year, they had constructed a seven-room sandstone house where they lived for the rest of their lives.  They farmed vegetables and fruit and had a variety of ranch animals and survived in this way.  The park was initially formed when the Steeles sold 640 acres of land to Kansas in 1928 for $18/acre ($205,000 today) with the understanding that they would continue to live in their home.  Their dream of the land becoming a park thus became a reality.  Herbert died in 1929 and Eliza died in 1930.  All 3 of their children preceded them in death and the door to their home was apparently locked by the state.  The original contents remain today exactly as the Steeles left them.  

Steele Home built in 1893

Eliza's sewing machine and washtub
in her workroom in the basement

Still sitting on the table,
Sears Roebuck Catalogue from 1897

Pond in the back with 
a rock love seat

Kitchen and dining area

Front room with china cabinet
and cook stove

Ice house and food storage building

Herbert's workshop in the basement

Herbert and Eliza Steele

The master bedroom

Back of the house with a
door to the back yard

 

In the near future, this will be a
cabin for rent in the park.  How
cool is that?!  (Where's the a/c?)

Now the park is over 1,000 acres in size.  In the 1930s, the state of Kansas and the CCC built a dam on Ladder Creek to create the beautiful 100-acre Lake Scott (named after General Winfield Scott, a hero of the Mexican War).  All of this is the more recent history.  Evidence exists and tells of tribes who have passed this way since the 1300s.  Herbert Steele did a bit of digging himself and, when he found artifacts, he invited scientists to excavate.  In 1899, led by Professor S. W. Williston, they determined that it was the ruins of El Cuartelejo, a village that was occupied at various times by different tribes of Indians.  The Taos and Plaines Apache tribes were the first to occupy the pueblo as far back as the 1604.  Williston and his crew attempted to reconstruct the foundations of El Cuartelejo based upon the artifacts they uncovered.  The ruins lay within the limits of Lake Scott State Park.

El Cuartelejo monument

Partially-reconstructed ruins
of El Cuartelejo

 

John Lennon (and many others) wanted mankind to imagine peace but there are always assholes around who want to kill other people, sorry John.  In 1878, a band of Cheyenne who had been banished to a reservation in Oklahoma, got homesick and decided to escape and head for home in Kansas.  The US Army caught up with them and the final battle of the Indian Wars in Kansas took place at Punished Woman’s Fork, just south of Lake Scott State Park.  There were 92 Cheyenne warriors.  One hundred women and 141 children were hidden in a den, safe from the battle.  The final score was Cheyenne-1, Army-0.  Eventually, the Cheyenne were rounded up elsewhere and herded back to Oklahoma.  The Punished Woman’s Fork battle, the den and several rifle mounds are now a protected monument but it wasn’t always called that.  In fact, it was called Squaw’s Den but recent pc idiots protested over the word, “Squaw,” and forced the change to Punished Woman, whatever that means.

Squaw's Den

Punished Woman's Fork Battle monument

 

In the afternoon heat and humidity, Lake Scott water beckoned.  We spent the afternoon on the beach, swimming, cooling down with a cold brew and paddleboarding.  It’s been a year since I was on my paddleboard and my knees were very wobbly but it was fun and refreshing.  A nice wrap-up to our stay.

Beaching it at Lake Scott

Cooling down

Lindy gets up on the paddleboard!

7-30-24 Lee's Summit, MO Part II

 Since 1880, the big news was printed in the Kansas City Star.  Walt Disney applied for a job as an illustrator at the Star but he was rejected and became an apprentice elsewhere.  Lore has it that a mouse often ran across his desk and Walt, not having the heart to waste it, made it a pet.  Walt was a gifted artist and cartoonist.  In time, he and his partner began animating their cartoon characters and Mickey Mouse was born.  Meanwhile, J. C. Hall moved to Kansas City as a youngster with a box of handmade postcards.  He sold them on the corner for a few pennies until it occurred to him that he could turn this into a bigger business.  Eventually, he was the founder of a greeting card corporation:  Hallmark.  His friend Walt Disney gave him the exclusive rights to his cartoon characters.

 

Like many of the western wild and wooly cowtowns, outlaws of all stripe terrorized the territory.  In Kansas City, a fellow named Tom Pendergast ran the show in the early 1900s.  He was not a part of the mob but a political boss who ramrodded his cronies into office with maneuvers such as voter fraud.  Sure, he made the trains run on time, but he doled out political positions and government jobs as he saw fit and ran the local area with an iron fist.  Ultimately, he wound up in prison for tax evasion.  The real mob left its mark on Kansas City, also.  The, “Kansas City Massacre,” occurred in 1933 at Union Station.  Federal agents were transporting a mobster named Frank Nash to the pen in Leavenworth by train.  In an effort to free Nash, a gang of mafia men including Pretty Boy Floyd opened fire.  The only deaths in the melee were the 8 (unarmed) FBI agents and Nash who was also unintentionally killed.  As a result of this incident and public outcry, in a rare moment of constructive activity, Congress enacted legislation to arm the FBI.  (Fat lotta good that did on July 13, 2024.  Just sayin.’)

Bullet holes, some repaired,
in the Union Station wall

 The Negro National Baseball League Museum is located in Kansas City.  It celebrates the accomplishments of black baseball players through the decades since 1920.  The Monarchs were the baseball team representing Kansas City.  Guys such as Ernie Banks and Satchel Paige played for the Monarchs for a time.   Also on this list of stars are Josh Gibson, known as, “The Black Babe Ruth,” and Jackie Robinson, who broke the barriers and paved the way for black guys to play in the National and American Baseball Leagues.  The Negro National Baseball League died of financial starvation in 1948.  Seems Kansas City was the birthplace of many a legend!

Murals on the NNBL Museum

 

No trip to KC would be complete without a trip to a barbecue/smokehouse, right?  In 1956, Russ Fiorella and his wife, Delores, opened a small barbecue stand serving smoked meats. They called it Smoke Stack Barbecue.  The business grew into a restaurant and in 1974, their son Jack took over and renamed it Jack Stack Barbecue.  There are several now and they are wildly popular in KC, serving many cuts of smoked beef, pork, chicken, lamb, salmon, trout and shrimp.  Coming to us highly-recommended by Trolley Tom, it was the restaurant de jour for our last evening in Lee’s Summit.  While there, I was snapping a few pictures, sneaking into the kitchen a few steps.  A lady employee approached me.  I thought she was going to reprimand me and say, “No pictures!”  Instead, she asked if we would like a tour!  We were enchanted!  What a great experience and how lucky to have had this alteration to our “plans!” 

Two of the smaller smokers, fired up 
at 3AM and smoking meats for 16 hours

Smoked shrimp, burnt ends 
and smoked beans (my dinner)

Taking ribs out of the smoker

Tim, our tour guide, and Rob -
The only wood used is hickory
harvested from their tree
farm contractor.

One of the meat lockers -
Most of their meats are
obtained from the local
slaughterhouses.  Fresh off 
the hoof!

Smoked lamb ribs and
barbecued beans (Rob's dinner).

Lindy and Tim in front of the big-
ass smoker.

Tim explains:  Beans are in pans
on the lower shelf of the big-ass
smoker.  Drippings from the
meats above fall into the beans.
They are marvelous!

 

As for the funny way Kansans talk:  I had to leave a voice mail at our previous campground.  Jennifer’s recording said, “Y’all please leave a message and I’ll gitcha called back.” 

 

That ends my stories about Kansas City!  And I cross another item off of my bucket list.

7-29-24 Lee's Summit, KS Part I

Call it dumb luck, call it serendipity, call it the hand of God.  Any way you look at it, it worked out perfectly.  First of all, we suffered brain fade and accidentally stayed an extra night in our last park, which in theory threw the whole remainder of the (pre-paid) trip off by a day.  On the plus side, we didn’t break camp in a downpour, but beyond that, the slide malfunction would have meant that the slide was partially deployed (and unsealed) in the deluge.  In addition, the next day was sunny for our drive to Blue Springs Campground in Lee’s Summit, where we waited over the weekend for parts.  Instead of checking out on Saturday, we were delayed till Tuesday (assuming the parts actually came in).  The down time allowed for a laundry day, the last one of this trek.    The repair was completed on Monday as we hoped.  The bad slide motor electrical wires and the whole unit was found to be dripping with water, thus shorting it out.  How this happened will forever remain a mystery but George, our repair guy, says he has seen it all, including that.  This whole comedy of errors shorted us by a day on the front end and added two days on the back end to allow for sight-seeing in Kansas City after all!  And as of tomorrow, the entire trip will be back on schedule!  (We even got a senior discount on our extra 2 nights in Lee’s Summit!)  (Frankly, I don’t consider it, “lucky,” to have time to do laundry…)  Uh oh.  When I double-checked the itinerary, I found that I had made our reservation at our next stop for June instead of July!  So we didn’t have a place to stay next!  Shit!  But we contacted Jennifer in Hutchinson, KS and she said we were not charged for those days because we didn’t actually show up!  However, she does have a slot for us for a one-nighter on Tuesday, so we’ll be off like a prom dress!

Noobee and the Jeepster in site 59,
Blue Springs Campground

I guess if you have to be delayed
by a few days, this is the
place to be!

 

Where did the word, “Kansas,” come from?  The Kansa Indian tribe, the Kansas, lived nearby.  Thus, Kansas City.  It is nicknamed, “The City of Fountains.”  There are 200 fountains in KC, second only in number in Rome, Italy.  Our guide, Trolley Tom, drove by many of them on our Sunday tour.  The Henry Wollman Block (as in H. & R. Block) fountain is in front of Union Station where we were to board our trolley. 

 

When Rob made our tour reservation, it was suggested that we plan time to walk inside Union Station.  It is massive and a monumental achievement designed by architect Jarvis Hunt.  Construction began on August 27, 1910 and it took 4 years to complete.  The floor plan is 850,000 sq. ft., the ceilings are 95 ft. high in the Grand Hall, the clock face is 6 ft. in diameter and each chandelier weighs in at 3,500 lb. 

Passenger Hall then

Passenger Hall now -
Along the sides, you see the
doorways to the stairways down
to the tracks.

To the side is another massive hall where folks sat waiting to board their trains on 16 tracks down below.  In size, this station is second only to Grand Central Station in NY.  In the center of the Grand Hall is the ticketing booth.  As you can imagine, it is huge and now, it is the location of Harvey House Restaurant. Created by Fred Harvey in the mid-1800s, Harvey  thought train food was disgusting, inedible and the service sucked.  He made a deal with the Santa Fe Railroad to operate eateries along their lines.  The food was exceptional and he hired and trained good-looking single women, “of good character,” to serve meals.  They became known as, “Harvey Girls.”  Harvey kicked ass and it was a class act.

Escalator and stairway down 
to the lower level

3,500 lb. chandelier

Walt Disney is an icon 
in Kansas City

Union Station and the 
Block Fountain

Grand Hall and the 
Ticket Office - Now, Harvey's
House Restaurant

 

Harvey Girl's uniform
(A Harvey Girl had to agree
not to marry for 6 months
after being hired.)

Lindy in Union Station 

Steamboat Arabia was built in 1851 and transported passengers and cargo up and down the unruly Missouri River.  In 1856, the sidewheeler and a fallen underwater tree had a run-in and the tree won.  All of the 150 passengers and crew survived but the steamboat and all of its cargo were swallowed up quickly by the Missouri and covered with silt and muck.  No one ever saw the boat again until 132 years later when it was found 45 feet underground ½ mile from the Missouri River after it changed course.  It was uncovered and restored and every item in it was found to be perfectly preserved including clothing, china, food (including canned fruit and pickles) and wine.  (I’d be happy to try the wine.  The food, not so much.)  Parts of the ship were also recovered including the machinery and the paddlewheel and all can be seen at the Steamboat Arabia Museum.

Steamboat Arabia

To be continued -

7-26-24 Keokuk, IA

Rob planned the trip out from home, I planned the trip back to home.  How did Keokuk, Iowa make the roster?  Let me explain how it works:  I have a USA map (Yes, a paper one.) laid out in front of me.  Kansas City was a bucket list item for me.  I don’t know what the haps are in KC, therefore, I need to find out.  So I put my L finger on KC and my right finger on Utica.  Then, I ballparked a midway point and Keokuk, IA won this one.

 

There is a paddlewheel steamboat permanently dry-docked in town.  It was originally the S.S. Thorpe until George M. Verity bought it.  The function of the Verity was to push barges up and down the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  George made good use of it to move the coal necessary to manufacture his product, Armco steel.  The Verity is now a museum and visitors can explore all over the vessel, including the engine room, boiler room, living quarters, mess and the bridge.  The boat was capable of moving 10,000 tons of cargo, 20,000,000 pounds, on the barges it pushed up and down the river.  A flood in 2008 did serious damage to the Verity and it was brought out of the water and put on land.

Verity's paddlewheel and one
of the 3 rudders

Among the crew, there were 2 or 3 women
who did laundry and cooked the meals.
This is the kitchen area and the table
where the big shots ate.

Stinky guys,
like the ones who worked in
the engine room, were 
relegated to eating in this
separate area where the women
didn't have to smell them.

Captain Rob

One of the huge pistons that
drive the paddlewheel

In the boiler room

George M. Verity

Flood of 2008 that damaged the Verity

Diver's shoe weighted with
about 25 lb. of lead.  Would you
jump in the water wearing these?
Me, neither!

Crew's quarters

The engineer in the engine room 
could communicate with the
Captain by shouting into this
horn or putting an ear to it to listen.

 

The 38’ drop in the Mississippi River at Keokuk and the shallowness of the water made it impossible to navigate.  Back in about 1907, bids went out to anyone who might want a dam project.  Three hundred bids went out.  There was not much interest in this massive project.  There is a saying, “When Hell freezes over.”  Back then, it was, “When someone dams the Mississippi River.”  Of the bids that went out, there was only one proposal submitted:  by Hugh Lincoln Cooper.  He was a self-educated civil engineer and a genius who considered no challenge too great.  He had just finished building a hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls and was hungry for a new challenge.  Cooper designed and oversaw the dam project and it was completed in 2 ½ years.  It originally called for 30 generators but the flow of water could effectively drive 15.  Still, this was a substantial number and was considered the largest power plant in the world at that time.  To this day, the achievement of Hugh L. Cooper generates enough electricity to power 75,000 homes.  The associated Lock # 19 accomplished 1,769 lockages last year assisting in the transportation of over 15 million tons of goods.  It could easily be considered one of the engineering wonders of the world.

View of the dam from upstream

One of the original turbines

This trophy was presented to
Hugh Cooper by the citizens of
Keokuk as a thank you for creating
the lock, dam and power plant.
He left it in Keokuk when he departed
saying that it rightfully belonged here.

Cooper's thank you document

A white pelican teenager 
hanging out below the dam

Power plant and lock # 19

Cooper's drafting table in the museum

 

The only national cemetery in Iowa is in Keokuk.  It originated during the Civil War when 600 Union soldiers and 27 unknown soldiers died in the military hospital here.  Eight confederate soldiers were also buried here when they died in prison.  It is now the resting place of more than 6,000 servicemen and women and their spouses.  The oldest gravestones have no birth or death dates and we presume that these were those who died during the Civil War.

"Unknown"

Sentry guards our brave heroes

 

The second largest water tower in the nation is located here in Keokuk.  It holds 4 million gallons, that is 32 million pounds, of water.  Don’t ask me what the largest one is.  Google doesn’t know.  It was fun to see this monstrous structure.  I walked 134 steps around the base and by my calculations, that puts the base area of this big-ass water tower at roughly 5-6,000 square feet.  Just in case you’re wondering.

If you look closely, 
you can see Rob
at the base of the tower.

Looking up.... holy buckets!

 

This is all I know about Keokuk, IA.  We read our itinerary wrong and stayed one night more than originally planned.  Probably just as well because packing up on the day we were supposed to depart would have been accomplished in a deluge.  Three inches of rain fell in one hour and there were flash flood alarms screaming on our phones. 

More holy buckets and buckets!

We survived it but left a day late due to brain fade.  Unfortunately, we are also experiencing a slide malfunction.  We drove 320 miles today, including a one-hour-long detour, with the slide not fully retracted.  Naturally, these things happen on the weekend.  Our itinerary is modified now while our repairman waits for parts.  Shit happens to these beasts and we deal with it but we’re grumpy.  Now that we’re parked, a martini is helping to put some latitude in our attitudes!

Attitude adjustment in Noobee