Hello please tell me where to go.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by TravlinMan

Yes, the continental divide really is something. At monarch pass you can stand at the point where Gunnison and San Isabel forests meet and San Isabel drains to the Atlantic while Gunnison drains to the Pacific. Pretty neat stuff.

I titled this one "Peeing in the Pacific Again"

[TravlinMan]

Originally Posted by pcskier

I titled this one "Peeing in the Pacific Again"

Attachment 289497

Ha!

[switz]

Neat photo!

[TravlinMan]

Folks......


I have got me quite a nice lil site here at Cimmaron National Grasslands. It's $7/nite dry campin next to a creek and a pond with birds and flowers everywhere it kinda sounds like a rainforest here.... Kinda feels like one too ha!



Eastern Colorado sure is interesting with all it's abandoned industrial towns. Fowler, La Junta and Lamar have all got some real interesting buildings and structures.

And Bent's Old Fort is very much worth a visit, the fort and displays are very nicely done and well kept and that little section of 149 is nice if ya like lil farm roads.

Oh, and in case anyone is wonderin, Nevada's hwy 50 only calls itself America's Lonliest hwy cause it ain't met Kansas hwy 27.

Y'all have a good nite.

[PKI]

Picture reflects a nice place there at Cimmaron Grasslands. Understand the jungle reference. Welcome to summertime at flatland elevation.

Lamar and La Junta were places we visited in the 50's and hope to uncover some memories when passing through on our trip. Hope you made some for yourself.

Looking forward to hearing about your next stop. Pat

[OTRA15]

Glad it worked out to camp right there, and thanks for the photos and comments about abandoned areas. So much of that in our country.

50 may be lonely, but is it safer than the Interstates? How has the road surface been? Easy to make good time?

Great earlier tip, Pat, to check out Cimarron.

What's between Cimarron and KC? Hmmmm . . . Dodge City then 350 miles of feedlots on some even lonelier roads? Speaking of the feedlots, how has the stench been?

Thanks again for an interesting journey.

Travel safe!

Cheers,

Peter

[Gneiss Guy]

Hey, Travlin' Man.

Dude, I gave you some false info a while back. I mentioned Mountain Home, AR, as a good place for music. I should have said "Mountain View, AR". Mt. View calls itself "The Folk Music Capital". Sorry about that.

Richard

[GettinAway]

If you want to stay a little south into Oklahoma, here's a track a lot of folks have followed. It's a network of gravel roads from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I've not been on all of it, just the Colorado sections. I've read about the Oklahoma sections though, and it seems like they are pretty nice. I doubt you'll actually want to follow it, as it's fairly rugged, but it goes through some cool spots you may want to check out.
http://www.transamtrail.com/the-trans-am-trail/
Travel safe.

[TravlinMan]

Thank you, Pat. Cimmaron was a great suggestion I just love it here. Last night there was a beautiful thunderstorm off in the distance and the bullfrogs and crickets sang me to sleep. It's a very interesting place with lots of history and wildlife. It is a really rugged place too, very surprising to find right in the middle of all this farmland. The campground is 4 miles down a dirt road off Hwy 27. There were so many different bird songs this mornin I couldn't count em. And apparently, this place is home to the rarest mammal on Earth. If y'all are interested ya can read about it in detail here: https://www.fossweb.com/delegate/ssi...n/content.html

I certainly made memories along the way, I enjoyed the route a lot. I will say that if ya went last in the 50's ya may be saddened to find how desolate the area is now. There is still lotsa industrial activity in each town, a few lil reaturants and an amazin amount of character, but most of the buildings have been abandoned and the streets, on a saturday afternoon, were empty. Like Peter said, there really is so much of that in our country.

Peter, I have found hwy 50 to be safer and more enjoyable than the other interstates in the sense that there are less folks that wanna go 90 and less trucks whizzin by. But there are still both of those things, just less. The road has been just as good as any interstate. There have been real smooth areas and patchy rough spots, just like on 10 or 70. But it ain't widened out much bigger than 2 lanes since I've been on it. I think it does as I get near KC. I feel.like I'm able to make good time. I ain't exactly hurryin, so I never really notice if I'm goin slow. But there sure ain't traffic or so many potholes I gotta slow down. Flagmen here and there. But I like it.

So far the feedlots ain't too bad. Ya just gotta make sure that little 'recirculate' button is on on the a/c or its gonna suck in some pretty stinky air. Good news is they all got signs for fresh beef and milk so I can buy direct from the varms instead of markets, which I like.

Richard, no problem! Thank you. I'm sure I woulda made a good time outta Mountain Home... maybe I woulda seen something that woulda blown our minds. Ya never know. But thank you, I will make sure to make a stop in Mountain View.

Gettinaway, those are my kind of roads! Very interesting I am going to take a look at your link and see if I can get over there. Thank you.

Have a great mornin, y'all!

[pmclemore]

You have been on a Great American Road Trip and I have much enjoyed following your reports.

See you on the road. Pat

[PKI]

TM, kinda expect the reduced occupancy thing. It's evident in a lot of places.

Hamilton, a town to the Northeast of KC has reinvented a bit. It is the home of the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Several related stores were developed in vacant buildings and it appears to be quite a quilting mecca. We look forward to visiting it as a mini destination.

The creativity and drive of folks keep some small towns, businesses, and communities vital and inviting. Others not so much. Kind of hard to really understand the dynamics by just passing through, but it is interesting to try.

Glad Cimmaron was a good stop. It's an area that I have never visited and only found by investigating attractions along your route. Amazing how one question triggers new info and opportunity.

Believe that Northern and Eastern OK can be an interesting path to the Ozarks, if you find Kansas less than exciting. There are a lot of small towns and interesting two lanes to travel. Used to be car hoods with political messages scattered around those roads. An interesting example of low cost political communication of years gone by that may still work.

A prior comment mentioned the Flint Hills area of Eastern Kansas. It is more interesting than the plains. And at least a few of the lakes should be considered, but on weekdays to give dodge the crowds.

Feed lots - The smell of grain from farmers being combined with the cattle from ranchers to make money. Bet that fresh beef tastes good hot off the grill. It was interesting to see the transition going West on I80 to get home after 9-11. In the east we saw corn growing. Then we started to see a few fenced areas for cattle mixed in with the crops. That soon transitioned to more pasture and less crop land until finally it was all pasture.

Happy trails. Pat

[TravlinMan]

Thank you Pat & Pat. I have enjoyed postin on this forum and bein able to document my journeys.

PKI Pat, these are more great suggestions I really appreciate them and plan on exploring some of these areas.

Cimmaron Grasslands really was a great find, I'm havin a blast here.




The roads are mainly wide and graded but they can be decieving cause after rain there can be an inch or two of soft clay under the surface which made my truck slip a lil bit uphill in 2wd. Was fine in 4wd. Not bad but just somethin to be aware of.

Anyhow this place has just so much to explore, I took a short drive to Point of Rocks which is a section of the original Santa Fe trail that was marked by the Daughters of the Revolution and ya can really get a sense of what is was like to come through these parts in a wagon.





But that ain't all. If ya keep heading down these roads for miles and miles to the very end of the grasslands, ya hit the tristate marker.




So TravlinMan has now been in Arkansas, Kansas & Colorado all at once. There is an easier way to the marker that is still on dirt, which I followed into the town of Elkhart, which was another very interesting town with a market and gas and also a not-so-terrible lookin RV park.

Course I prefer campin here in the grasslands.



Have a fine one, folks.

[PKI]

Santa Fe Trail - Brother and his wife as teachers had summers free. When younger they looked for a new adventure and a way to make a few bucks on their time off. One year they worked for a company that took folks across the Kansas prairie on a wagon train recreation. The group traveled on covered wagons and stopped each night as the pioneers heading West would have. Campfires, daily horse wrangling, cooking and honey wagon duty made for a mixed experience, but they still talk about it.

Not sure if it is of interest, but the Frank Phillips Museum, founder of Phillips Petroleum, is in Northeastern OK. It is located SW of Bartlesville on 123. Animal preserve, lodge, history info and art are available for your viewing pleasure. http://www.woolaroc.org/

Surprised to see that the Osage reservation is located NW of Tulsa. Feeling just a bit embarrassed about that one. There was also a note in the news that the Osage Tribe purchased Ted Turner's Bluestem bison ranch located to the West of Pawhuska.

Lots of Western History in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Travel safe. Pat

[TravlinMan]

So many places it's hard to decide! Thank you, Pat.

I could see how that kind of wagon adventure would be one to remember... Wow!

Thank you.

[PKI]

Suspect your "drive down the road until you see a sign that intrigues you" approach is a very interesting way to proceed. It has netted you some very cool experiences.

Carry on with similar style and posting frequency. You have our attention. Pat

[OTRA15]

Thanks all for the interesting history lessons. The early wagon train tales have always resonated with us. Neat photo of the simple survey marker for the tri-state corner, out in the middle of nowhere!

Are you still aiming for Kansas City, Alan?

Happy Trails!

Peter

PS -- FYA -- for your amusement -- the OTRA Music I thread has interesting clips from the movie Paint Your Wagon, with Lee Marvin, and some comments by Tn Traveler at Post #165:

[click on arrow in quote to go there and see the YouTube video]

Originally Posted by Tn Traveler

There have been some mentions lately on TF of the Oregon Trail and pony express routes. It made me think of a great movie, Paint Your Wagon, and the memorable song by Lee Marvin. Hope you enjoy. Best if full screen.

[1:14] -- "I was born under a wanderin' star . . . " -- pretty nice visuals in Full Screen mode.

[crispyboy]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

What's between Cimarron and KC? Hmmmm . . . Dodge City then 350 miles of feedlots on some even lonelier roads? Speaking of the feedlots, how has the stench been?

I always tell my daughter "that's the smell of money". I usually get a little grin and a roll of the eyes from her!

Love the pictures of the grasslands. I will have to visit the Cimmaron area in Kansas someday as I love the grasslands of the Dakota's.

[TravlinMan]

Pat - it's been my philosophy in life pretty much. I learned some years ago that life will take ya where ya need to be if ya let it. Thank you.

Peter - great! Now that song is stuck in my head. Watching that was great fun and brings back memories. Thank you! I should play that while I'm travelin along the next dirt road.....

Crispyboy it's a very interesting area. The grasslands here in Kansas are quite small compared to the ones in the Dakota's, they don't take long to see but if you're in the area they are worth the stop and this campground is very nice.

Where next?

Well, I gotta grab those cables from Garden City cause that's why I went to Kansas. I figured I'd stop down here and make my way back up to Garden City and continue along 50 but now I'm startin to get interested in these southern parts.... I think I'm gonna stick with the hwy 50 plan for now and keep goin up through Missouri and Illinois and then when hwy 50 veers up toward Ohio, I'll head through Kentucky home to Virginia. Somethin like that. Cause I got an appointment at JC in late September and I wanna stop at home before that. So that gives me a few more weeks to explore and then I can see the rest of hwy 50 when I go to JC, I've already seen most of the eastern parts since I grew up near warrenton.

And then I figure I can head back down here and see Oklahoma and Arkansas on my way back to California where I will spend winter in the desert and then I'll come back to Virginia across the north through Canada and Montana and the Dakotas and such.

So I guess that's my 'plan'? Ha! I'm sure it will change tomorrow. I usually try to follow the weather but sometimes I just end up doin the opposite!

Thank you.

[crispyboy]

We recently stayed at Breaks Interstate Park which may be a place for you to go on your way home. This is a shared park between KY an Virginia though Virginia actually runs the park. Lots of good hiking in the area, very rugged and deep terrain.
You may want to check out some Corp of Engineer campgrounds on your way back - there are several here in KY that are nice places to stay.

[TravlinMan]

Thank you crispyboy I do believe COE campgrounds are a good way of campin and I will be visiting some for certain.

Folks don't let anyone discourage ya from visiting Kansas, it's a real interesting place. It ain't Montana or California but it's a sight to see.

I enjoy driving down small endless roads with nothin but farmland. They have a good feel to them. I went out of the grasslands through Rolla and then I took Road D to Liberal. Yup. Just road D. It was a nice lil farm road for 30 or so miles.

So now I'm in Liberal, Kansas. It's another interesting place. It's got Wizard of Oz tributes everywhere. Dorothy is on every corner and they got 'her house' by the tourist center with a yellow brick road and a shop and some diplays and a young lady dressed as Dorothy showin ya around. It was somethin.




Their main road hwy 54 is called pancake street cause they got this real eccentric tradition of havin a pancake run against a town in England and seeing who can run the fastest and flip a pancake? Like I said before I can't make this stuff up.



So I'm endin my day and I see a trailer park that looks just ok and I keep on goin towards garden city and just 8 miles north of central liberal is a park called Arkalon Park. This park is about a mile down a dirt road but it has catch and release fishin, nice bathrooms, a dump station, vending machines and a nice camp host and folks it is $5 for water hookup campin and $15 for water and electric. I went fancy and spent the extra $10 for electric. Check out is 4pm. That's pretty nice too. But only gettin service with my booster there's some sorta interference here.

And that was my day in Liberal, Kansas.

Thank you.