Travel posts – OsteoPraxis on the road

Buffalo, Wyoming …What’s not to Bud Love….!!!

We always have to stop for a couple of days when we get to Buffalo, Wyoming. It’s just a lovely small town with cool unique stores and abundant artwork, we love to spend a little time here.

Indian Campground has these lovely big old Cottonwood trees that provide great shade without dropping weird tree stuff on the trailer…!!!

The mornings were cool enough for breakfast to happen on the BBQ….

Travelling further north we were beginning to see some of the wildfire smoke from the devastation happening in Oregon and Washington States…..a smidge of that yellow haze in the sky…..

Our choice for hiking on this visit was Bud Love Conservation area. Alltrails gave it a pretty good review….so despite the air quality warnings…the sky in the morning still looked OK….and with our early start strategy it was not yet too hot to contemplate a decent hike for the day.

The last part of the drive in was a daunting dirt road ….and it felt like a forever drive before we landed at the designated parking area for the trail head…..

There was no one else around….it seemed remote and incredibly peaceful…..

Off we set…..

You have to keep an eye out for that bright pink shirt to find me in some of these pictures…..the landscape was HUGE…!!!

The first part was through meadow….an easy trail to follow….

We made our way up to the entrance to the canyon…..

…then we turned into the trees….

It’s harder to tell from the pictures on the way up….you will see better on the way back down…..but this part of the trail was steep with sharp switchbacks….

Even this early in the morning we were grateful for the shade…..it was warm…!!! But despite the air quality warnings the sky was still bright and clear….

The path was steep enough in places that we were climbing hands and feet…

With the occasional spot to watch some fluttering butterflies….

…and trying not to look down as the path continued high on the side of the canyon…..(for me anyway….!!!)

The boundary of the Bud Love area……

We then turned another corner and followed the path out into this impossibly vast landscape……breath-taking……

…and we still were not done with the climb…..

This incredibly beautiful place set against that magnificent sky…….just awe inspiring…..

I have to admit to slowing up the walk at this point….partly because it was warm, partly because it was a long climb….but it was mostly because it was hard not to stop and stare around to try and take it all in….

As ever my intrepid blogtographer is waiting behind to get the picture…running to catch up…then running on ahead to get that next shot he sees…!!!

As we approached the top of this rise…..with nothing other than rocks and trees….there were these old fenceposts……some past structure we are guessing….but who knows for what…!!!!

As we head back down…I hope we managed to demonstrate the scale of this place……here is the same picture with an arrow to help you find me…..

You might have to click on the picture and enlarge it to see how small the little me in bright pink shirt is……

It was definitely warming up as we headed back down….and you can see the sky beginning to change with that smokey haze seeping in….

It was no less magnificent on the way down…..I think this might be one of our favourite hikes

I love this picture…with a little peek of the world down below in the V…..

Back into shade for a bit…..it always seems so different on the return journey….could be cos going down is easier than the grind up….lol

…and back to the boundary fence again…

…a few more flutterbys made an appearance….

This steep part was hard to keep your feet under you….it was dry and lots of loose gravel….

…and the welcome deep shade

The last part down…as we came out of the trees this incredible (and expansive) rock formation re-appeared…..leading us back to the truck for that all important re-hydration….!!! (we always leave a flask of coffee in the truck for the end of the hike….!!!)

One of the big bonuses on this trail was the complete absence of anyone else…. made it feel so much more remote than it really was. …this is definitely one we will come back and do again……

Extra Pix

The drive north…with a few surprises along the way.

As much fun as this summer has been…there comes a point every year when we are just ready to go home. Colorado Springs was a fantastic spot…but that time had arrived….so the north road beckoned.

We generally try to keep the hours driving low…….we do, after all, have nowhere to be and all summer to get there….

I always like to use BoonDockers Welcome when I can…it’s a great way to travel and meet fantastic people…..in the summer season tho’ and booking only a few days out…..I was struggling to find spots.

I eventually realized my problem was Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a huge annual rodeo event for the area.

I snagged the very last site at the KOA just outside Denver. At Fort Collins….(full because of the Cheyenne event)

It was just a stopover for us….the Rockies to the west gave us a sunset show…!!!

The next stop I booked…based purely on the distance on the map …was Douglas, Wyoming….which turns out to be a happening place as it’s the location of the Wyoming State Fair and home of the jackalope…

…and quite the jackalope he was too….!!!

We had a wander downtown…

Standing outside the White Wolf Saloon…..with the jackalope pawprints on the sidewalk outside….of course we had to go in for some refreshment.. (it was also 38°C ( 100°F) that day…!??) this little pub was an experience and a half….and as always the people were wonderful, friendly and curious. Where were you from, going to, where have you been and why stop here. They tend to take for granted the very genuine value of what they have and live with everyday.

I mean….alligators crawling across the tin tiled ceiling……!!! Thoroughly enjoyed the beer too (it was hotter than Hades that day…!!!)

The KOA in Douglas, where we stayed, is either new…or newly renovated…it was a lovely park..if a little exposed

..beautiful new swimming pool, new pickleball courts

Cornhole set up under shade……

new cabins…

and a row of custom built Airstreams on site as holiday cottage rentals.

Plus the absolute best staff in the front office..!! Yes we played some pickleball, swam…..and had a go at the Cornhole too….!!!

Scott found a local feature, Natural Bridge Park……sounded interesting…..so we headed up there for a peek. (Editor. You never really know what’s in an area until you get there, even the locals might not value something as they’ve grown up with it, but everywhere has something special as I’ve hope we’ve shown over our years on the road)

An absolutely amazing little park……

…and sure enough…this rather spectacular rock arch…..much like the ones in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky.

On that very hot day it was just a little cooler by the water in this fabulously lush green little slice of paradise hidden away in the middle of nowhere Wyoming

……the site was the perfect place for hydro electric….

….and campground…..although I’m not sure we could have safely taken the 30 ft Airstream down the very windy, very narrow access road.

The trails were cryptically signposted……

….and quite worryingly this one…..tho we did not see any …I am happy to report…

Natural Bridge park was one of those unexpected hidden gems that we immediately added to the list of places for return visits…

A couple of days of travel that turned into an adventure in itself….😁

Extra Pix

Colorado Springs.. Mount Muscoco

Rising before sun and heading to the trail was a great strategy for both the heat and the crowds on these wonderful trails around Colorado Springs.

Our next pick was Mount Muscoco where the trail, Daniels Pass to Mount Muscoco, was listed on Alltrails as just over 7 km. So a bit further than 7 Bridges….and a bit higher with the peak at 8,020 ft above sea level.

The drive was a convenient 20 minutes from the campground……in the same vicinity as the 7 Bridges…the drive was up the switchbacks of North Cheyenne Canyon….which is quite beautiful in itself.

We were delighted to be the only vehicle at the trailhead….

There are many, many trailheads off this road…also a popular spot for cyclists (crazy people slogging up this road….and careening back down at high speed round these blind switchbacks….totally crazy….!!!))

Back to us….heading out on the trail…early enough that the air was cool….

The trail begins as a well marked gravel path……with steady upward switchbacks……

Around one of the corners is this little lookout spot that reminded me very much of the Black Hills in South Dakota…..

Then we continue winding our way up the switchbacks…they seem to go on forever……you can see that I am warm enough now to have shed a layer.

….I have a whole collection of these neon coloured t-shirts now, in the interests of spotting me in the pictures………

It was interesting to look at this map halfway up the trail to orient ourselves to just exactly where we were….and there was a short piece of the trail that was not going up…..a pleasant…tho brief reprieve from the upward grind…

as I said….brief…..before there was some scrabbling up rocks required…

Around another corner …to another lookout point….. (the other upside of lookout points is that you get to stop for a breather…!!!)

….and then a bit more scrambling…..the trail was hard to see at this point….so it was more about navigating as safely as possible up this slope…

Further up the trail became clearer again……it’s one of the advantages of Alltrails…it helps to keep you close to the trail and/or tells you when you are headed off in the wrong direction…

At the top…there is actually a double peak……

…so you get this……

Then traverse the shoulder across to the second peak…

…where you get this….

…that’s Colorado Springs down there through the morning mist…. a truly breathtaking view

and the panorama of the mountains behind too…

That blogtographer guy is always trying to get me out on the edge of these precarious mountain tops/cliff edges…..

It was not so much a rest at the top…as a collection of moments to breathe in that totally awe inspiring vista before and around us….

…and then begin the journey back down..

The path to the peak that had been so difficult to see on the way up was astonishingly clear from the top down….

…and as the morning progressed we could feel the heat building….and, as ever, we met a bunch of people on their way up as we headed down….

Those switchbacks are way easier on the way down too……lol

As I wade through the pictures to make the blog happen it allows me to relive that whole beautiful hike…..what I really love about the pictures in this one is that I think they let you see how steep the path is…

Arriving back at the truck…with other cars around us and more arriving the sun was now up and blazing……as we headed home for breakfast and a hot shower..

This was our last hike in this area….for this trip….I am quite sure we will be back to this area…we just loved it.

Time to hitch up and pull the rolling house to the next stop. This time under our own steam….leaving in a more dignified manner than we arrived…

Extra Pix

Colorado Springs..Seven Bridges Trail.

Colorado Springs is a gorgeous city, hard not to be when the whole city is balanced on the edge of the Colorado Rockies. I was a bit worried about hiking some of the trails around here as the elevation we were starting at is over a mile above sea level…..and then the hiking trails go up from there.

Garden of the Gods was a bit of a test run…a beautiful but relatively short hike.

The next hike I picked out, 7 Bridges, was a bit longer. Another early start (it is still July and starting on the trailhead at dawn was the best way to avoid combining the altitude with uncomfortable heat)

The drive up to the parking area was stunning…..and a bit scary….narrow road…lots of steep and tight switchbacks……

It was a lovely morning as we set out on the trail….

As we headed out there was another lone hiker starting at the same time as us…Hi Courtney…..so we joined forces and hiked together.

Turns out the 7 Bridges trail only has 6 bridges……the first was washed out in a storm, now the beginning of the trail starts with a detour….

The bridges criss-crossed with the switchbacks as the trail wound its way up the side of the canyon……

I do enjoy having someone to chat to on a hike……my blogtographer (energizer bunny style is always running ahead or waiting behind to get ‘the shot’…lol….so chatting and hiking doesn’t happen too often….!!!)

This trail was a moderate according to Alltrails….. a well marked steady climb…..not easy but not overly challenging.

Bridge no 2…well actually no.3 if you count the missing one…

We were chatting pretty hard LOL…well I think I was….Courtney was a great sport at listening ….and making me stop to hydrate…

Bridge no.4

There’s a bit of rock scrambling in some spots…..nothing crazy…but enough to keep it interesting

Bridge no.5

All in all a very pretty trail…

Bridge no.6

….after that last bridge the trail became a lot more vertical…

….and at the last part for us….. was climbing up over the rocks

…but totally worth it….the view from up there was quite something….

This was the end of the 7 Bridges trail and time to say farewell to Courtney as she headed on up to the peak…..us old guys headed back down after this. I was almost persuaded to go out to the edge of the rock for the picture….but I made it to the tree as long as I did not look down…LOL…

In the exposed spots we could feel the sun getting stronger….we were very pleased with ourselves for being savvy enough to start out early as the heat began to build.

We found this little chap lurking by the side of the trail…

I think the pictures on the way down demonstrate just how steep the path was…..it was much easier going down…!!

I’m not sure how we missed the last bridge on the way up….but apparently we got it on the way down.. (just the picture….we did cross it both ways)

We passed quite a few hiking couples and groups on the way down too…..I’m imagining that it got busier through the morning….we were grateful to be out early in the quieter, cooler time…

Nearing the bottom…we decided to investigate the washed out bridge…

We had considered having to turn around and retrace the detour…..but the creek at this point was so low crossing it was no issue….

…and much to the disappointment of the blogtographer I did not get my feet wet……(Editor. There’s always another creek)

The final part of the route back to the parking area…..did I mention that this is a beautiful part of the country….!!!

Extra Pix

Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods

It took us a couple of days to recover from the somewhat challenging journey to Colorado Springs before we felt ready to set out on the trails. Colorado Springs is a beautiful place…..nestled into the foothills of the Colorado Rockies with a truly spectacular skyline.

Garden of the Gods is a public park owned by the City of Colorado Springs since it was deeded to the city in 1909 to preserve the spectacular landscape and ensure full public access in perpetuity.

The temps were pretty high (it was July after all…!!) so we planned to hit the trailhead at sunrise and beat the heat….and hopefully the crowd. We arrived in that morning halflight to find the parking lot already half full

But it was still relatively cool…so time to get going….

It was much busier than most of the trails we travel……and the first section was beautifully paved and fenced (unlike our usual hikes…but it speaks to how busy this place is, and this section is all disabled accessible).

Different only in that we usually pick far less populated trails…..this one was busy….but spectacularly beautiful…and kinda strange. Easy to see how it attracts people of all ages and abilities to be out enjoying the landscapes.

The geological formations have a surreal, almost ‘fake’ look to them….

The carefully engineered pathway added to that ‘fake’ feel…..almost like being on a movie set. (not that I know what that feels like…LOL)

Then we reached the end of that manufactured path and onto a more rudimentary trail…..

The terrain underfoot became a little more interesting…..and the views added a touch more WOW….

We then had to follow the Scotsmans loop…!!!…Now we were far enough out for some creature encounters…

This trail does not really have much elevation gain….but still has a few short steep climbs….

Once we moved away from the more manicured area, the path was considerably less busy

…and there were even some shady patches……pleasant because the day was beginning to warm up..

…one of the featured viewpoints is called the Siamese twins…..a very impressive rock formation….

There is a fabulous photo point at this spot….so there was a constant flow of people…..we had to wait for quite some time for the next pix….the view through the portal is of Pikes Peak.

The portal is big enough for someone to sit in it and still see the view beyond…..we decided it was a picture that everyone else had…..so after we took the people free picture……we moved on…LOL…

We debated doing the Pikes Peak hike……but it’s 13 miles pretty much straight up with very little shade….and it was July…!!!

….back to the path…..

…there was a bit more shade on this side of the park….and more weird rock formations……and more creatures…..😊

….and now it felt like we were going down again….such a beautiful place….

The last part of the trail followed the road….the park has a paved road for vehicles in a single track one way loop around the park. You can drive or bike it, on your own bike or rent one. Also guided tours on extended safari style jeeps circumnavigate the park. There was a high hedge separating the trail from the road…so most of the time you could pretend it wasn’t there….

When we arrived back at the truck…the parking lot was mostly full….people just starting out on the trail….which by now (around 8am) was rapidly becoming much warmer than I would have liked……but it was easy to see why so many people come here.

Extra Pix

Quick…Call AAA …..we are not in Kansas anymore…!!!

The next destination on our journey is Colorado Springs…..our first time in Colorado…checking off our 28th of the 50 states in the US.

Colorado Springs, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain range is at an elevation of just over 6,000 feet above sea level…..so the road represented a significant climb pulling the trailer. We thought it sensible to have an oil change done on the truck before heading out the next day (yes we had one done before we started our journey…and yes we had put on significant mileage to date)

I totally believe the online forums telling us that the I-70 west across Colorado is a terrible road…..so we planned on taking the 40 across. Less busy and reportedly a better road surface.

Campsite in Colorado Springs was booked…..oil change on Saturday…tank full of gas, hooked up and ready to go on Sunday morning, 231 miles…google time 3hr 45 min drive…..

Uneventful drive …..’til about halfway. My ever vigilant driver asked me to look in the mirrors and see if I think there is smoke coming off the truck wheels…or is it just dust….(it was hot, 36degrees C…97F….a dry and windy day so it could have been dust…!!!)

There’s no point in taking risks…we decided to pull over and double check…..

Nope…it was indeed smoke…….the truck proceeded to vomit most of its oil onto the tarmac…….not a good look.

So now we were at the end of a double lane/overtaking section of a mostly single lane highway with lots and lots of truck traffic (you know the bit where everyone jostles for pole position before dropping back to one lane…!!!)……and not only stationary….but not going anywhere under our own power……fun….!!!

AAA…thankfully we have premium service that covers both the truck and the trailer in both US and Canada. The problem is…trying to explain to the person on the phone (remember we are now in the middle of absolutely nowhere in Colorado….to describe the cell service as spotty would be highly optomistic)….find the highest point of ground….turn in circles ’til you have a bar….and hold the phone as high as you can while still being able to hear (as giant transport trucks rip past…buffeting you as they pass)

It took the first two hours (while we were standing outside the trailer for fear of being crushed by the transport trucks jockeying for their positions as the road narrowed….in 36 degrees C…no shade) for the AAA peeps to actually figure out where we were (yes we sent a pin…yes we were EXACTLY one mile from a T-junction).

This good samaritan stopped to chat….he said he already knew he couldn’t help…but just stopped to make sure we were OK……

Many thanks to him….we really appreciated him stopping…..

Strangely just after we stopped….within 10 minutes we had two phone calls from good friends who rarely call….but just wanted to check in……sometimes people are just tuned in, no rhyme or reason. It helped, we were not alone.

Eventually the tow truck arrived…….no long train like the last time with Matt from Hoooked-on-u in Montana.…..but this time the truck on the flatbed …the trailer hooked on the back.

On a day full of ironies…our AAA coverage covers 100 miles of towing for the trailer……the KOA in Colorado Springs….our destination…..98 miles…!!!!

Brandon…our saviour and tow truck driver was beyond awesome…….he quickly spotted the oil plug hanging by its last thread..

……and he reseated it so we would not lose it……

Then loaded us up, and hooked up the train…

We are hoping that being towed by AAA is NOT becoming an annual event….LOL….but here we go…

And by the way….I dread to think just how bad the I-70 road surface is….b’cos the 40 was……….well it was rough…..!!!!

Brandon also went above and beyond by stopping along the route at an Autozone store…so we could pick up replacement oil….in the hopes that we had been quick enough stopping to not incur engine damage…..

We arrived at the Colorado Springs KOA campground on the back of a tow truck….must’ve been a sight for the people there….mind you I’m sure they have seen the likes before.

Brandon drove the trailer through the campsite and got us set up (AC on and fluffball in the trailer to cool down) and helped us pour the replacement oil into the poor truck before taking it off the flatbed. Of the 8 litre capacity…only five were needed to fill….so all indications were that the engine was safe. The truck started no problem before we took it off…..and having gone above and beyond, Brandon went on his way.

If you have ever been to a KOA..(Kampgrounds of America) when you check in they have a guy in a golf cart that leads you to your site to get you set up. On this day it was Percy…..Percy was marvelous….and very sympathetic to the bedraggled state we arrived in…….he left us by instructing us to , once we had everything sorted out, come over to the food concession…and our supper was on him.

I’m sorry I did not get a picture of him, he was a ray of welcome sunshine……it had been a day….!!!!

Next day was a trip to a AAA auto shop in the city to have the truck checked over to be absolutely sure it was OK. We have, you will not be surprised to hear, been towed to a AAA shop before and been reassured by the goodness of humanity.

I cant say enough good things about Academy Car Care ..a AAA certified auto shop. They checked the truck over thoroughly….and also washed/degreased the whole underside where the oil had been dripping on the exhaust and burning…..!!!.

They also took the oil out, put a new washer in the oil plug and put our oil back in. They were sympathetic, friendly and courteous, took us in straight away…..and did not charge us a dime for their service.

Bullet dodged…..

Faith in humanity fully reaffirmed….!!

Further adventures in Kansas…Little Jerusalem and Monument Rocks.

In my research for interesting things in Kansas, I identified Little Jerusalem State Park as a place we should stop and visit. It’s the top rated Kansas State Park and the guides also recommend visiting Monument Rocks which is a hop and a jump from there.

The pin in the map took us to Oakley in the northwestern corner of Kansas. Of the two RV parks close by one had pretty awful reviews for their washrooms and showers….so we went to the other one. High Plains RV campground…..

I actually had to check to see how much elevation we had gained as I had not really considered that we would actually be in the High Plains….3050 ft above sea level…..so we had begun the climb towards Colorado.

High Plains RV was an old and somewhat run down campground…but had new owners and is slowly being rejuvenated…..the showers were dated but immaculately clean……and that’s important…!!!

It was pretty warm as the summer was advancing…so the hiking strategy was to start early on the trail….and be home by lunch….

Little Jerusalem State Park……it’s a drive across an increasingly remote landscape…up some dirt roads…and then voila…this lovely little park appears.

When we arrived the sky was cloudless, the photo of the truck above is when we arrived. The photo of the sign is when we were leaving with clouds beginning to appear giving the sky more depth and interest……a lovely day for a short hike…

It turned out to be two short hikes…but a quite spectacular landscape….

There is something quite mesmerising about badlands landscapes……even tho we have seen many examples now…they never fail to impress…...from Badlands National Park, to our own little version just along the road at Writing on Stone...and a few others along the way. (New Mexico, Dinosaur Park, Horsethief Canyon, Arizona, Theodore Roosevelt NP)

The second trail…..

It was early enough that there were still blooming wildflowers…

…..and some funny looking waspy things……

This park was donated by the family who ranch the greater area all around…..it’s a relatively small park but preserved now for everyone to enjoy.

….and, as with most badlands……you have to walk right up to it to really see the formation of the land…..

…and then those thousands of years of deposits, followed by thousands of years of erosion demonstrate one of mother natures great art projects…..

I disturbed this little bunny who had been sheltering in a shady spot….

The park has strategically placed benches….and information boards as you mosey along the trail

It was very quiet that day….probably because it was pretty warm out……but it’s also quite a remote spot………..very peaceful….

From Little Jerusalem…we headed down a few more dirt roads towards an even more remote area to find monument rocks…….

These rocks, still on private land but with full public access, are just out in the middle of nowhere……..incredible structures gradually wearing away….

You might notice …as the day progressed…the sky increasingly formed these fluffy cartoon like clouds….quite beautiful on that blue blue sky…..

Incredibly….as far inland as Kansas is….this is another area that is part of an ancient sea bed……there were large areas of these fossilized seashells…..

We spent quite a bit of time watching these swallows (swifts..?) as they feasted on the local bug population……when you looked up into the rocks….there were lines and lines of their mud nests……

Fascinating……

The journey home took us past Oakley…and the Buffalo Bill Centre…..great little visitor centre (with very clean flush washrooms…!!!) and a twice life size bronze sculpture of the man himself….

Here is me in the frame for scale……

Extra Pix

More Kansas Craziness :-The Garden of Eden

As we were driving up to Wilson Lake for an afternoon swim….we passed a road sign (regular green road sign..!!) that said Garden of Eden:-16. It was an odd enough thing to see that I utilised the wonders of the internet and google to find out what it might be.

A brief search told me enough to know we definitely needed to go there. It was one of the most utterly unique and distinctly strange roadside attractions we have tripped over on our travels so far.

It’s actually hard to describe……and very hard to represent with photographs…but I will do my best to do it justice.

The whole phenomenon that is the Garden of Eden was created by one SP Dinsmore. Dinsmore was a nurse in the American Civil War…..and though he must have been quite a character even before that…the experience brought out a creative expressive artist.

He built a ‘log cabin’ with the local limestone ‘logs’ that are so unique to this area. He built the house himself.

Dinsmore created sculptures and functional buildings on his property from concrete with his bare hands…using his own secret recipe for the concrete. This next picture…he made the ‘spokes’ from beer bottles filled with concrete, then broke the glass mold away leaving the concrete bottles.

The inside of the house is an interesting journey in itself….Dinsmore built much of the furniture….his woodworking skills were not lacking…..and his artistic and quirky sense shows in everything. The eyes of the of the taxidermied animal rather followed one around the room.

His political beliefs were most certainly on full display….as the sculptures mostly depict all that he believed was wrong with the politics of the time….right from Adam and Eve at the front gate…

The journey through the (not very large) garden is incredible…

The museum has a printed guide to take you through the journey…

…and the work is extraordinary…..

In one corner is the mausoleum he built for himself and his wife.

Apparently…when his wife died he was not allowed to bury her there according to local bylaws. So after the funeral…he and a couple of buddies dug her up in the middle of the night and he put her in the mausoleum and covered her casket in concrete so they could not take her away again…!!!

She is there under his open casket where he lies on display as per his specific wishes. No photography allowed inside for obvious reasons….but you can go in and visit with him…!!!

On the property there is also a birdhouse, a petting zoo, a wash house and a covered gathering place Dinsmore built …all out of concrete….

He must truly have been an extraordinary man……in his eighties he remarried a twenty something second wife and had two more children with her…!!!

It’s an out of the way place…..but if you ever find yourself in this area……go visit The Garden of Eden and see it for yourself, we’ve seen a lot of things on our travels but nothing like this.

The town of Lucas (which is the town where this house is located) has a whole personality for folk art and whimsical sculpture. The town has multiple artisan stores with some really interesting wares…..

Extra Pix

Kansas may be flat but it’s full of surprises

The next chunk of driving west, north homeward took us to the town of Wilson, Kansas. I picked a full service campground close to the missile silo to leave the fuzzball in the cool while we investigated the area.

Not only was the silo a fantastic spot to have found…the Town of Wilson turned out to be a pretty special little place itself.

The self proclaimed Czech capital of America.

The town has the worlds largest painted egg…….

..and many more giant eggs placed around town.

We were also quite delighted to find whimsical sculptures scattered around.

Wilson is one of those towns that used to be something so much more. Beautiful limestone buildings and remnants of the rail and coal era.

The old opera house burned in 2009. The site has been saved by reinforcing the basic framework of this beautiful building and it now serves as an outdoor theatre.

The old jailhouse stands just off the main street……prison standards have sure changed…LOL…

Many of the older buildings are built with slabs of limestone…Kansas had no trees so early settlers carved slabs of limestone for building…but also for fenceposts………

…many of the fields are still lined with these ‘posts’…..if you look closely you can see the holes drilled through the slabs for the wire.

One of the most impressive limestone buildings is the Midland hotel. It was the old railway hotel….and has quite the history…!!!.It was also the subject of an extensive renovation to restore it to its current glory.

We stopped in hoping for a beer…but they didn’t open ’til after 5…. checking it out online, their menu looked pretty tempting so we stopped in there for supper and a beer. The food was fantastic…and the local beer was pretty good too.

The town of Wilson has definitely seen better, busier days…….

..but a few conversations in local stores revealed that it is very much a happening place on the weekends due to its proximity to Wilson Lake…a very popular weekend spot for fishing and water sports

…so next day we set off with our swimming gear headed to one of the swim beaches at Lake Wilson…

Extra Pix

Atlas Ad Astra:- decommissioned missile silo

We hopped from Big Brutus to an overnight stay with power available at a dairy farm just outside Hutchinson, Kansas, a lovely place with lots of dairy and meat products for sale.

We just had to include the picture of us stopped here……it’s just so…..Kansas…!!! Don’t you think….!!!

It was a lovely quiet spot…..well….farm quiet…..just animal noise…no traffic noise….

A peaceful overnight stop….with 50 amp power (keeps the A/C running) and farm fresh products (meat, dairy and honey)available for purchase.

We also met the neighbours….LOL…lovely couple came and knocked on our door….fellow Airstreamers dropped in to say hello and brought us cookies….😋

I was very pleased with myself for not planning too far ahead on this part of the trip……and having started with no great expectations of Kansas….Boondockers Welcome threw up another intriguing spot just outside Wilson, Kansas. The Atlas Ad Astra missile silo. Camping available on site and tours of the decommissioned missile silo……well…..that sounds like a spot….!!!

The weather was still a bit too warm to leave the fuzzball without A/C…so I booked a campsite at an RV campground in the nearby town of Wilson (and that’s a whole ‘nother story..stay tuned..!!!) and we drove out to the missile silo.

The last part of the road was like something from and apocalyptic movie set…..

We were glad to not have the trailer behind us…(it was rough…!!!)

So….first thing next morning…bright and early we met up with Matt….Under the metal hat is the emergency exit, the underside of which you’ll see later. On the right is the main entrance and the lower left is the main missile doors, once again photos of the underside later.

This exceptional human has spent the last ten years restoring and repurposing this incredible piece of American history purchased from the U.S Government. His story is as fascinating as the history of the silo itself, a real project of passion.

There were 12 Atlas missile silos built in Kansas in the late 1950’s, opened in the 1960’s during the cold war in response to fear of nuclear attacks. There is a comprehensive explanation of the history on Matts website …click here. Incoming missiles arrived with around 40 minutes warning, it took 30 mins to raise the missile and launch.

The construction of these things was of such high quality that, other than having been stripped out when they were decommissioned, the structures themselves show very little deterioration considering how old they are.

Below left is the top of the escape hatch, and on the right the back up radio mast. Radio communication to the silos was essential to maintain, especially after an attack, so should the main antenna be destroyed the back up would rise out of the ground once it was safe to re-establish contact.

As you descend into the chambers it’s striking how fresh the air is…..and how roomy it feels……tho maybe that’s only cos we knew we were not going to have to stay there for an indefinite time…..

Below left, doors were shaped to dissipate the force of the blast, should it ever arrive.

It’s surprisingly light and bright…….and the blast resistant doors are huge and heavy…….

This level has been converted into a complete living space…and beautifully done, actually available as an Air BnB….you can book this and stay here….and you would not be slumming….!!!

The middle picture and the one on the right show the bottom of the escape hatch as built in the original silo.

The original control panel is still in situ…..but with all the electronics stripped out by the government….Matts future plans include revamping this panel with modern screens and controls.

In order to weather the anticipated blast….all the floors in the silo are suspended on springs inside the main’tube’of the construction and not connected to the walls…..

The connecting tunnels lead you through to the other half of the silo….this one has been completely stripped…allowing you to see the vastness of the structure….and a view of the underside of the launch doors. You can see the springs on the walls where the structure for raising the missile was attached.

The bottom of this shaft has flooded over the years as water has seeped in through the concrete, he estimated the water at 70′-90′ deep…..you can see the humidity in this section….Matt demonstrated the point by emptying the humidifier tray and tossing the water down into the dark….

As we made our way back out…Matt suggested that I try closing the door ….just to see how powerfully heavy….and expertly engineered it is….Still working perfectly 65 years later.

We don’t usually do the selfies….but he offered to do a pic for us….it’s not everyday you find yourself deep underground in a cold war missile silo.

Back outside again….the ventilation shaft air intake bottom left, it could be closed in the event of an attack……the outside of the launch doors…..and the old base of the transmission tower top right ….

Matts grand plans are to turn this place into an educational centre and include constructing proper full service RV sites…. an incredibly beautiful spot with terrific views of the surrounding landscape.

We also got the explanation for the condition of the road in. It’s the original road built by the military way back when the installation was being constructed……The municipalities response to being asked to tend the road (to support this historical landmark and local tourist attraction) was to erect the sign stating that the road was not maintained…..!!!

Even if you are not in the area….this is a visit that is well worth the price of admission….and if you are looking for a cause to support…..consider making a donation.

Extra Pix