Off the trail

You can’t spend all your time hiking, biking, and riding – here are our recommendations for other ways to enjoy your time in Kansas along with upcoming events.

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The answer is…

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

This schoolhouse is on Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve. Tallgrass prairie used to cover hundreds of millions of acres of land across the country. 4% of this unique and dynamic ecosystem remains, and much of that is in the Kansas Flint Hills. The preserve has a bison herd, a series of trails, and of course, the Lower Fox Creek School.

Photo by Mark Conard

Photo by Mark Conard

The Lower Fox Creek School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1974. Made of local limestone, this one room schoolhouse saw its first class in the fall of 1884.

It was a “common school” – designed by Horace Mann, the schools were free, which meant families who hadn’t been able to afford school previously were able to get education for their children.

If you would like to check it out, it’s open weekends (Saturday and Sunday) from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. in May, June, September, and October.

And for some fun, check out the rules for teachers (women must not loiter in town ice cream stores and men must not get shaved in a barber shop) and an 8th grade equivalency test that would have been taken at a school like this: School Rules and Tests.

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Snow daze

With a thick blanket of white over most of the state, it may be easy to start suffering from cabin fever.  There are plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy the snow this month, so don’t let shoveling the driveway by your only outdoor activity this winter.  Before the snow melts, make sure and take advantage of some of these great opportunities to enjoy the winter!

1. Cross-country ski at Clinton Lake

Located along the North Shore of Clinton Lake State Park, the trailhead starts near the park office and there are around 5-miles of cross-country ski trails through the park. With the bare trees and the blanket of white, you can more easily spot wildlife.  The best (and only) designated cross-country ski trail in the state!

2. Sled at Shawnee Mission Park

Cross country skis. Photo by Jeremy Bronson

Cross country skis. Photo by Jeremy Bronson

During the summer, the numerous trails at Shawnee Mission Park are frequented by singletrack enthusiasts and trail-runners.

During the winter, there is more solitude and with a deep snow there are great opportunities for sledding along the steep hills (just watch out for trees!).

Another top sledding location is Indian Rock Park in Salina.  The 35-acre park is centered around a high steep hill and when the snow flies, the parks department will close the gates and turn the long steep driveway leading to the top into a massive sledding hill.  The downhill run is popular, fast, and free of obstacles.  Personal experience and a broken sled leads to the recommendation to not venture off onto any insanely steep, tree-ridden, but oh-so tempting side trails.

3. Go ice-fishing at Kanopolis State Park

The bonus of sub-zero temperatures is that the ice will thicken on many state fishing lakes and reservoirs.  Venture out with caution and make sure to drill to check the depth of the ice before getting started.

4. Ice skate outdoors at City Park in Manhattan

With the winter Olympics underway, take your best shot at a triple lutz (or just enjoy gliding around the unique outdoor rink).  Access to the rink costs $3 per skater and skates can be rented for the same price.  Open through February 28th.

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Comfort at the Comfort Inn in Emporia

I have to admit, I had my guard up a bit when I got the booking for the Comfort Inn in Emporia. As a two-star place (and I’ve stayed in some two star places where I wish I’d brought my own sheets), I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of cleanliness and updated furnishings. But my fears were proven very misguided; I was surprised and overwhelmingly pleased with Emporia‘s Comfort Inn.

DSC06046

Simple, clean, pleasant

The freebies list includes everything I look for in a hotel:

  • Free WiFi
  • Free breakfast
  • Free parking

Bonus – the breakfast was actually good. I mean, it wasn’t luxury chef, Top Chef style dishes, but it was a good spread of hot and cold options including make your own waffles (when does that ever get old?), fresh fruit, and crunchy, tasty bacon.

Staff were attentive, friendly, and helpful; I had a brief challenge in getting the TV to work – they’d just updated the cable/TV system when I was there, but my dilemma was solved quickly and with plenty of patience. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and everything from the carpets to the curtains to the cable TV was in what seemed like new condition.

Some rooms, like the one I had, include mini-fridges and desks – perfect for someone researching a trail guidebook! Snacks in the fridge, work spread out on the desk. I didn’t hit up the exercise room, since I’d had a workout on the trails, but I did stop by for a dip in the indoor heated pool. It’s close to the highway and super easy to get to.

Overall, it was an exceedingly pleasant and comfortable stay, and anytime I’m in the area, I’ll be staying there.

If you go:
Rooms from: $89

2836 W. 18th Avenue
Emporia, KS, 66801
620-342-9700

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Vote for Kansas as best state flag!

The Kansas state flag has been nominated as a best state flag for 10best.com, a division of USA Today Travel. You can vote on the website once a day until November 25.

Flag of Kansas

Flag of Kansas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The description from the site:

Kansas got its own state flag in 1927, eleven years after turning down the winner of a flag design contest staged by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The official flag includes the state seal on a blue background with a sunflower above and the state name below. The design was originally meant to be hung from the top as a banner, but it was eventually converted to a flag for ease of hanging.

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REI and Dinosaurs: Prairiefire opens in Overland Park

Overland Park is now home to Kansas’ first REI store in its new $427 million development Prairiefire. Opening weekend was the first week of October, and you should stop by for a visit!

While I’m a fan of independently owned, smaller stores, REI, though it’s a big company, has to be one of my favorite stores in terms of quality hiking gear, in large part because of their return policy.

If you use the item, and it doesn’t work out for you (shoes give you blisters, shirt shrinks in the wash), they will take it back within a year of your purchase. So instead of having to hope for the best in terms of your gear working they way you want it to, you’ll always know you can go back and try again. They also sell Garmin devices, including the Oregon 650t, which we’ve tested and love.

Activities coming up with REI that will get you out exploring the Kansas City area (which, yes, does include Kansas City, Missouri, though our book will just focus on the Kansas side of the city).

And coming in May 2014 to Prairiefire will be a natural history museum called The Museum of Prairiefire. It ties in perfectly with the idea of our book – along with mapping out the trails, we’re going to be including some of the natural history of the areas, so you’ll have some context to where you’re exploring. And this museum is going to be a pretty big deal. It’s a partnership with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

For a sneak peek at part of the exhibits, there’s the World’s Largest Dinosaurs temporary exhibit that opened the first week of October 2013.

Featuring a life-sized, detailed model of a 60-foot-long Mamenchisaurus, the exhibit will run through the beginning of January.

Ticket cost: Adults: $10; children 12 and under: $5; Museum of Prairiefire Members: free.

If you go:
Prairiefire at Lionsgate
5750 W 137th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66223
The center is between 135th Street and 137th Street  between Nall Avenue and Lamar Avenue.

Staying the night in Overland Park? We’d recommend the DoubleTree by Hilton.

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Paola Inn & Suites

About 20-30 minutes south of Kansas City and 15 minutes southeast of Hillsdale State Park and its miles of horse and walking trails and about 40 minutes northwest from La Cygne Lake with its winding horse trails is the city of Paola.

Tired from hiking for hours and occasionally getting lost in the winding trails of Hillsdale Lake (won’t be a problem for you with the guidebook!), I pulled into the Paola Inn & Suites, and to my surprise, I got a Jacuzzi Suite room. It means exactly what you think it does from the name – it features a large spa bathtub. For someone who’s been on the trail all day, it’s about as good as it gets.

Jacuzzi Suite

Jacuzzi Suite

That’s not the only option for rooms. They have standard double queen rooms up to king suites with a separate living area with a fold out couch, seems like the best option for families or groups traveling together. They also have handicap accessible options with walk-in showers and handrails in the bathrooms.

Paola has a couple of bed and breakfasts, but this is the one full service hotel. All the 39 rooms (not just the ones with giant bathtubs) in the 3-story hotel have a microwave, mini-refrigerators, an iron and ironing board, and free WiFi. And in the morning, there’s a full, free! continental breakfast spread. During the summer, you can enjoy a dip in the pool outside, and if the trails nearby weren’t enough of a workout, there’s an exercise room at the hotel.

It’s on the east side of town, just off the Highway 169/7. It’s listed as two-star, and I stayed in some not so nice two-star hotels over the summer working on the book, but this is definitely one of the good ones! It’s clean, the beds are comfortable, and the staff seemed genuinely happy to help.

If you go:
Rooms from $107

1600 Hedge Lane Court
Paola, KS 66071
913-294-3700 or 877-402-3700

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Family Day 2013: Free day at the Flint Hills Discovery Center

Flint Hills Discovery Center

Flint Hills Discovery Center

From noon to 5pm on Sunday, September 29, 2013 at the Flint Hills Discovery Center, there will not only be free admission to all the exhibitions but there will be fun family activities.

The day will include live entertainment, food, games, prizes, arts & crafts, and a brand new exhibition.

The latest temporary exhibit is titled “Looking at the Flint Hills of Kansas Through Artists’ Eyes.” From the website:

In the second-floor gallery Sept. 21, 2013 – Jan. 5, 2014. Looking at the Flint Hills of Kansas Through Artists’ Eyes demonstrates the truism that we all see our tallgrass prairie environment through the lens of personal experience. What differentiates these seasoned, skilled artists is their ability to share those personal visions with the rest of us.

The exhibit includes artists who are Kansas natives and those who immigrated to the Flint Hills from as far away as China—those who depict the Flint Hills in both realistic and abstract styles—and artists as different in age as 40 years. In addition to demonstrating the diversity of visual experience in the Flint Hills, the exhibit also serves as a broad history of the tallgrass prairie as subject matter, beginning with the “father” of plein air – outdoor painting – in the region, Robert Sudlow, to the most contemporary artists basing their work on these local prairie images.

Besides the purely pleasurable aesthetic experience of art depicting the Flint Hills, the growing appreciation of its beauty has helped to heighten our awareness of the need to preserve the endangered tallgrass prairie ecosystem.

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135th Anniversary of the Battle of Punished Woman’s Fork

Cave in Battle Canyon. Photo by Mark Conard.

Cave in Battle Canyon. Photo by Mark Conard.

It’s been 135 years since the Northern Cheyenne and the US Cavalry were both at Punished Woman’s Fork, and this weekend, both will be back.

It was on September 27, 1878, the Northern Cheyenne, on their way back to their homeland, fought their last battle with the US Army in Kansas, a mile south of present day Scott City and Lake Scott State Park along Highway 95. In honor of that historic event, El Quartelejo Museum and Jerry Thomas Gallery and Collection are hosting the 135th Battle Canyon Symposium on September 27 and 28, 2013.

For a national historic site, it’s surprisingly unchanged from what it would have been like 135 years ago. That’s part of the beauty of the western prairie. Much has remained unchanged, and the rolling hills and canyons that were the site of such history and bloodshed remain steadfast, silent witnesses to a story that has often been overlooked.

Events

Dedication from 4:00 to 5:30pm on Friday 9/27 at Punished Woman’s Fork National Historic Site. It was at 4:00pm on September 27 that the fighting began at the site.

Following the dedication and at the El Quartelejo Ruins Monument Site in Lake Scott State Park: native song and dance performance by the Northern Cheyenne and a 4th US Cavalry exhibition from 6 to 8:30pm.

Saturday is the big day with the Jerry Thomas Gallery and Collection at El Quartalejo Museum hosting the speakers, including Northern Cheyenne leaders, descendants from the Cheyenne chiefs, and historians.

History

Sent to a Southern Cheyenne Reservation in Oklahoma in 1877, the Northern Cheyenne had little food and there was a measles outbreak, and there was little hope of survival. Dull Knife and Little Wolf, Cheyenne chiefs, took matters into their own hands, and the night of September 9, 1878, with the fires left burning, they led over 300 Cheyenne off the reservation. They were headed back to Yellowstone Country, 1500 miles away.

Rifle pit

Rifle pit. Photo by Mark Conard

By September 13, 1878, troops had found them, and surrender was offered as an option. Dull Knife refused to go back to the reservation, and Cheyenne and army troops began fighting.

A cat and mouse game continued through the next week with the Cheyenne trying to get away and fighting back until they reached “Punished Woman’s Fork” on September 25, 1878.

This was to be the place of their last stand, and it was chosen specifically. The remote canyon had a natural cave at one end where women, children, and the elderly could take shelter, and along the hills and bluffs, rifle pits could be dug to provide cover for the Cheyenne fighters. The US soldiers could be lured into the canyon (now known as Battle Canyon) and ambushed with the landscape acting as an additional weapon for the Cheyenne.

One of the fighters described the incoming soldiers: “A great angry snake of whites come against us in the morning.”

September 27, 1878, those not fighting took shelter in the cave, and the battle began. The Cheyenne ended up backed into Battle Canyon, but they drove the army back and took out Lt. Col. Lewis, Commander of Ford Dodge, Kansas, who’d once said “I will run the Cheyenne to ground or leave my body on the prairie.” He did the latter.

The night of September 27, the US army pulled back to camp, and the Cheyenne again made their escape in the night with their fires left burning and continued heading north.

Nearby trails

The trail around the perimeter of Lake Scott State Park will be one of our top 10 trails in the guidebook. Easy to follow, it’s got some incredible views out over the lake and of the nearby cliffs.

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Favorite fair foods: Funnel cakes

The Kansas State Fair is in full swing and we’re hard at work getting the book ready as well as information on the Hutchinson area’s best hikes, so just a quick update on one of the highlights of the fair – the food!

English: A funnel cake covered in powdered sugar.

A funnel cake in powdered sugar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For those of you who love the sweet, fried taste of funnel cake, there are at least five locations at the 2013 Kansas State Fair where you can get a funnel cake.

Varieties this year include Birthday Cake, Chocolate, Dutch Apple Pie, Maple Bacon, Red Velvet, Strawberry, Strawberry Shortcake, and Turtle–not to mention a Funnel Cake Sundae.

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Kansas State Fair Turns 100!

2013 is the 100th year of the Kansas State Fair. This year’s extravaganza takes place from September 6 – 15. The mission of the fair is: “To promote and showcase Kansas agriculture, industry and culture, to create opportunity for commercial activity, and to provide an educational and entertaining experience that is the pride of all Kansans.” We’re hoping that in 2014, we’ll be a part of the fair activities with more detailed information on the book and (hopefully) the chance to preorder, and by 2015, you’ll be able to leave the fair with a copy of our book in hand!

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism will have an aquarium exhibit at the fair, north of the expo center near gate 9. The 400-foot long aquarium will be stocked with fish from around Kansas.

Along with carnival rides, arts & crafts, and livestock, the fair always has an amazing selection of fried foods (cookie dough, peaches, Kool-Aid – all can be deep fried). Let us know in the comments what your favorite fair foods are!

To help you get in the spirit, here are some photos from fairs past. All photos by Mark Conard.

Favorite fair food? Let us know in the comments below! Me? I’m partial to the classics: turkey leg and funnel cake.