June 10-11, 2018 White Cloud, Kansas

Another day of the heat index around 100. Phew.

We are staying at the White Cloud Casino in White Cloud Kansas. The RV lot is in the back of the parking lot with a view of a soybean field and lots of green grass. We have full hookups including sewer for only $5 a night. Once again we cranked both AC's since is HOT and humid. We came here to go to the low point of Nebraska which is where the Missouri River leaves Nebraska into Missouri. It is on the edge of a cornfield. John at the low point and me near the low point. The corn is huge already. 

We drove from Kansas back into Missouri, through St Joseph, MO with the topless pancakes, over the Missouri River into Kansas on the Pony express bridge. It is named that because it is near where the stable at the end of the pony express route was. Hwy 36 from St Joseph to Marysville, Ks is on the pony express route and is  called the Pony Express Hwy and the bridges are over the house of Johnny Fry who was the first pony express rider.  We went to White Cloud because it is near the low point which is on the state line, White Cloud is home of the 4 state scenic lookout, and the Ma Hush-kah museum and on the glacial hills scenic byway. We are on the Iowa Indian Tribe reservation in Kansas. The state of Iowa is named after their trip. Kansas is also named after an Indian Tribe Kanza's. The US in all their wisdom moved the Iowa tribe to a reservation in Kansas and the Kanza tribe to a reservation in Oklahoma. Here are two signs also in their tribal language. I keep thinking this sign says leaving Kansas again because we have criss-crossed the border so many times in the last couple days. Miles and miles of cornfields. 

This bear claw necklace is a symbol of power for the Iowa tribe. It has been passed down from father to son in the White Cloud family since the early 1800's. It represents the chiefs authority. It has just recently been returned to the tribe, and is made of prairie grizzly bear claws, another species that has been killed by the white man. The Missouri River is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail.The sunflower was in the ceiling of a kiosk of information of Kansas. And some mulberries, they grown on trees, but look like raspberries.  When I was doing my photos I actually read the White Cloud sign that I snapped in passage and saw there was a 4 state scenic view point in White cloud so we went back to see it.  Here is the viewing platform.

The view east of Missouri and Iowa and the view west of Kansas and Nebraska over the Missouri river. 

Mainstreet of White Cloud. Most of the buildings are empty. The Ma Hush-Kah museum building was closed when we got there.  John and I are standing on the historic marker on the border of Kansas and Nebraska and explains the 4oth parallel is marked by an iron obelisk on the hill placed in 1854. When they were surveying the Louisiana Purchase they used the 40th parallel as the baseline and  a north south longitude which I don't remember for surveying the rest. The 40th parallel runs through Colorado in Boulder as Baseline Street. 

We hiked up a nice trail with pipe handrails the whole way to the obelisk. The original one was red stone, but his cast iron one was placed in the early 1900. John with the Kansas and Nebraska sides and the other two have the date and the 40th parallel. The sun turned bright red and huge at sunset from camp. We could only see it through the trees but is was stunning. 

Road scene driving through south east Nebraska.  Downtown Beatrice, Nebraska.

Outside of Beatrice is the Homestead National Monument of America. It tells of the lives of the homesteaders and the Indians who used to live on the land. The building is built to look like a plow. A wall of ads and flyers proclaiming free land to anyone who will homestead it. 

Some quotes from the museum.  Manifest Destiny, get rid of the indians and 'rain follows the plow. The depressing part was the Indians. They believed that they did not own the land, they were stewards to protect it. Then along came the white man and they told them they owned the land and the Indians had to leave, then they ruined the land. An original  homestead log cabin. A family of 12 lived in it. 

Part of beautiful historic downtown Sutton, Nebraska. We are parked tonight at Crystal Lake Recreation area. The lake is closed they are renovating it. But we have a great site with green grass, lots of shade trees and 50 amp power. Hardly anyone is here so it is dark and quiet. 

The basket is coming along. I am working on a lid for it. I have not finished the bottom yet, you are supposed to make the lid first, then fit the basket to it.  Nebraska highway signs have this covered wagon on it. I am not sure if they all have it or just the ones on the Oregon Trail. These bright pink poppy like flowers are blooming in the lawn here. A really weird looking cell tower along the way. 

June 8-9, 2018 Linn County Park, La Cygne Lake, Kansas

Sunny, hot, hot and humid. The heat index was 97 today. I don't think it is much  cooler in Colorado, but at least it is not this humid.

On our way north today we stopped in Carthage, Missouri to visit the Precious Moments chapel. The artist Sam Butcher created these angelic figures with the large eyes. He is very religious and only uses his talent for the Lord. So he designed this chapel. Entrance building with a cute fountain. This is usually not the type of thing we visit but is sounded so over the top cute and unique I just had to see it.  Once inside you walk through his long area over decorated for Christmas. You also go through or by two gift shops. Here is John in the cuteness. 

Some of the figures. Then you walk through this nice garden and fountains to the Chapel.. Past an even bigger gift shop.

 John approaching the outside of the chapel and the inside is covered with art. We passed on the free guided tour and had a look around. 

The stained glass was beautiful.

John in a fanfare of angels in the garden. Welcome to Carthage , Home of 14,648 friendly folks. Another welcome to Carthage with a Civil War cannon. The Battle of Carthage was fought here.  After Carthage we passed the DD and EE exit and Welcome to Nevada. We thought we had time traveled to Nevada State, but this is the town of Nevada, Missouri. During the 1850's Nevada was in the middle of the violent border conflict occurring in the Kansas Territory between abolitionists and proponents of slavery. The situation worsened after the outbreak of the Civil War, when Kansas gangs called Jayhawkers roamed the Missouri border counties between Nevada and Kansas City.  In response to the attacks, Confederate partisans banded together to fight behind Union lines. Considered outlaws by the Unionists and heroes by border residents. the guerrilla fighters were known were called Bushwhackers and Nevada was deemed the Bushwacker Capital . 

During the Civil War downtown Carthage got destroyed. When they rebuilt they used the local marble. Part of historic downtown Carthage. The marble castle like court house with turrets and an clock tower. 

We are now camped at Linn County Park at La Cygne Lake. We have a large campsite with grass, trees, picnic table and 50 amp electric. We need it to run the AC, it was in the low 90's when we arrived. I went out to take a photo of the nice light in the trees behind the bus and saw this back lit deer.

Welcome to La Cygne, Kansas. There were these really cool clouds this am, then a long thunderstorm. A barn in front of cool clouds.

Downtown La Cygne. Get the Funk out Laundromat, cool roots on tree trunks, dead snake and red trumpet flowers. 

Rain soaked white flowers. The evening primrose and the wild petunia look rain damaged too. White flowers with rain drops on them, The evening primrose and the wild petunias look hail damaged.Black and white dragonfly, white asters, wild rose and white flowers from a tree. 

The camp ground is on this lake, Lake La Cygne and there is a big coal burning power plant across the lake . I put the baskets out to sun today.  Nice looking stash. 

The birch basket is coming along. I work on it when we are driving. We have been doing a lot of driving heading back to Colorado. I finished this blue one finally. 

Sunset tonight

June 7, 2018 Joplin, Mo and Coffeyville, Kansas

Cloudy, rainy and hot still.

We drove into Kansas and went to the low point. John  at the low point where the Verdigris river leaves Kansas into Oklahoma. I stayed up on the bridge above and took John's photo.  We drove to Kansas, then back to Missouri, the safe from the First Bank from the robbery in Coffeyville, Ks, downtown mall in Coffeyville has the parole office and the Christian Karate Academy,  we went to the Dalton Museum. The Dalton gang attempted to rob 2 banks at once in Coffeyville and the citizens in town had a shoot out with them and saved the money and the town and killed the Daltons. Chicks Pool Hall and darn, we are missing the revival this weekend. 

Bones on the bridge above the low point, flowers by the bridge by the low point, reward poster for the Dalton Gang and a memorial in the sidewalk where one of the citizens defending town died. Downtown historic Coffeyville, Ks and a mural with a map of the historic places of the robbery. 

Also at the Dalton museum was a display about Walter Johnson a famous hometown baseball player, an ad for a campsite I wouldn't mind staying in and a collection of historic bricks made from the 5 brick making plants in town. Another mural on the sidewalk of a photo of 4 of the outlaw's bodies laid out. John in the teller window of one of the restored banks that was robbed that day. 

Historic Death Alley is where the outlaws tied up their horses and 3 of them were killed. They painted the outlines of their bodies on the street in the alley. The restored jail where they laid the bodies out and the exhibit in the jail of the bodies.

 Sunset at the RV park.  We are staying at the RV park at the Downstream Casino on the Quapaw Reservation. The front with a teepee in front, the lobby and the sign for the casino. 

The current masterpiece next to a finished on similar to what it will come out looking like. I am healing nicely. Here is John stepping into the bus where I fell out of. The two black steps under him are broken and do not come out. I had stepped out thinking the steps were out and dropped onto the step and fell forward and got beat up. It is a miracle I have never broken anything in all the falls I make. Bruised foot, huge bruise on my thigh and my elbow. Much better than they were already.

Kansas is Nado country, part of Route 66 goes through Kansas, we saw this scissor tail bird at the RV park and a campaign poster on the reservation.