Kansas (day #2)

Many who know us well will not believe the following:  we were driving down the highway at 8 a.m. today!   This was to avoid heavy rain and wind, which we successfully managed to do.  An interesting fact:  there are gates that can be lowered across the highway, effectively closing it, in the event of a blizzard, dust storm, or other such hazardous weather.  Not that any of that was a threat today – we just wondered why they are there. 

Anyway, after stopping in Colby to shop and have lunch, we made it to Goodland, KS, around 1:15.  (We actually thought it was 2:15, but we crossed over to Mountain Time along the way.)  Check-in isn’t until 1:30, so we got ourselves into our campsite per instructions on the office door.  When the proprietors returned for the afternoon, they could not have been more welcoming and helpful, offering us maps, menus, and advice on where to go in the area.  Thanks to them, we had quite an interesting afternoon. 

This is a hundred-plus-year-old house that was moved from several counties away to property adjacent to our campground. It belongs to the owner of a restaurant in downtown Goodland, who is renovating it in his off hours (he is also the chef at the restaurant).  With eight bedrooms in the house, it is rumored that back in the early 1900’s, it may have been occupied by “ladies of the evening.”
This Vincent Van Gogh “Three Sunflowers in 
a Vase” replica painting measures 24 x 32 ft. and sits on an easel weighing 40,000 lbs.  It is one of only three in the world.  Since Goodland is the heart of the local sunflower industry, and the Sunflower is the state’s flower, the giant painting found its way to Goodland thanks to Canadian artist Cameron Cross and the trade group, Sunflowers USA.
The National Weather Service has a station in Goodland, so we drove over to see if we might be able to chat with someone there and learn about the sometimes-wild weather conditions here.
We were warmly welcomed by Coletta, who showed us replicas of hailstones that have fallen in Kansas.
This is the most recent hailstone from the immediate area – it’s being kept in the freezer until a replica can be made.
There were many photographs on the office walls, this one of a tornado that touched down in Colby, where we just came from.
Outside the NOAA offices
We thanked Coletta for spending so much time with us and making our afternoon so interesting and informative.
Grain silos near downtown Goodland
We drove downtown and stopped at
Crazy R’s restaurant to see if the owner was there – yes, he was, and he was more than happy to tell us about the old house he’s renovating plus the old gas station he also moved into town.  This little town is being revitalized, thanks to energetic folks like this.

Our destination tomorrow (Tuesday, 6/4), is Estes Park, CO, where we’ll spend three days exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. 

One thought on “Kansas (day #2)”

  1. We LOVE traveling the KS, even though many friends say “sorry you have to drive thru KS”. We’ve always enjoyed it and how it changes with the seasons. Got a giggle out of your surprise the gates on 70, I guess we’ve done the trip so many times, we just take it for granted…but the views are so wonderful. We even enjoyed it when the weather chasers kept passing us one day…although it was scary too 😵‍💫 Never a good sign when they’re going the same direction as you.

    Looking forward to hearing your travel account to Estes. If you’re a fan of The Shining, be sure to see the Stanley Hotel.

    BTW, if you end up on I-25 at Longmont, be sure to stop at the truckstop there for their world famous cinnamon rolls. They’re to die for…even if they speed up that event 🤣

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