Kansas – OsteoPraxis on the road

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

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

When ‘Big’ just seems inadequate ….Big Brutus

Thoroughly satisfied with the trip to Crystal Bridges….now we had completed any ‘plans’ that had been made for 2026. Next up…the plan was a ‘where the wind blows’ travelling vaguely in the direction of home.

It was hot enough now (in July after all) that I needed to find spots with power to run the AC for the comfort of the now elderly small fluffy ginger guy who travels with us. I was searching for either a Boondockers Welcome or a campground. I have to say I did not have high hopes for Kansas…….boy was I in for some surprises.

What I found in the South east corner of Kansas was Big Brutus. What the heck is that ? you ask……well….!!!!

Big Brutus was the largest electric shovel ever made and was used in the strip mining industry in Kentucky between 1963 and 1972. This gargantuan piece of machinery has been partly restored and now serves as the major player in a museum site of mining equipment. It’s all volunteer run…and it also has a little beauty of a full service campground on the grounds.

We were there all by ourselves….!!!

With a front row view of Big Brutus himself and difficult to demonstrate the scale of this monster…..but I will try…!!!

The museum itself has a collection of historical documents and photographs of the mining operations, the equipment and people involved in the strip mining operations that were once the industry of this area, as well as the whole story of Big Brutus himself.

Outside in the grounds …..you can actually climb up into the belly of the beast…..I had my matching bright orange t-shirt on to make me easier to spot….!!!Yes I am in this picture.

Its a winding path of catwalks to get up under the main body…….

…then up some steel ladders to look around the inside….

It’s also incredibly hot inside…even with none of the actual machinery working….and the noise must have been off the charts

The shee scale of this thing is almost unimaginable….even as you are standing inside it. Here is my arm with the ginormous cables.

You can climb inside the cab and sit in the drivers seat……(the cab actually had an a/c unit running in it…!!!)

The shovel itself could move 80 cubic yards of material in one scoop. They had pictures in the museum of a bulldozer parked inside the shovel…!!!

An impressive thing no doubt…..and you can see all the places this thick thick steel warped and buckled doing its job…..with lots of additional reinforcing strips welded on………and a little bit of mother nature to illustrate the point…..

There are many other large pieces of earth moving equipment that have found a resting place on this site……this one……which originally was used to dredge the Mississippi.

The noise, vibration and heat sitting so close to these engines must have been almost unbearable, and all for 10c/hour.

Sometimes, there are people who just cant resist playing with the big toys…..LOL

Who would have though that all this old mining equipment could be so fascinating….but it was

The other big plus….when the museum closed…and they locked the gate….we were the only trailer in there……..it was sooooo quiet……just us and a fully illuminated Big Brutus.