KANSAS! Magazine | No. 4 2023

2023 | vol 79 | issue 4 | kansasmag.com

StGETAWAYS unning A L S O I N T H I S I S S U E // Five Ways on the Byways // A Wandering Vine Recipe Salina’s Boom! Festival // DeArmond’s Landscapes // Heartland Farm at Pawnee Rock Rolf Potts Is Vagabonding Again ... and More!

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HISTORIC TROLLEY TOURS - MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND THROUGH LABOR DAY Climb aboard the Historic Trolley for a tour that will transport you back in time. Learn about the city’s rough and rowdy history from the first settlers through the modern-day agriculture industries that fuel the economy of modern Dodge City.

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Features Enhance your weekend getaway experience

5 Ways on the Byways

Kansas’ 12 Byways offer some of the best ways to sample sections of the state. Here are five routes to enjoy Kansas this summer …

PHOTOGRAPH Nick Krug

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Eclectic Kansas Stays

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Theatre Theatre Music Music Golf Golf Murals Murals Zoo Zoo Sculpture Sculpture Museums Museums Water Water Park Park Festivals Festivals Great Great Eats Eats Unique Unique Shops Shops Hospitality Hospitality Cool Cool Spaces Spaces and... and...

FRIENDLY FRIENDLY FACES! FACES!

KKOA KKOA Leadsled Leadsled Spectacular!

Spectacular! art on wheels! art on wheels!

where where art art is is unavoidable! unavoidable!

July July 27-30, 27-30, 2023 2023 kustomkempsofamerica.com kustomkempsofamerica.com

mural festival! mural festival!

Scan for Visitors' Guide!

Scan for Visitors' Guide!

Oct. Oct. 5-7, 5-7, 2023 2023 boomsalina.art boomsalina.art

EXPERIENCE THE EXCITEMENT OF SUMMER IN TOPEKA! From Fiesta Topeka to Topeka Music Week to Country Stampede, our city is buzzing with fun and entertainment. You don’t want to miss out on the many tastes and sounds of the season! With food, music, dancing, and so much more, Kansas’ capital city is the perfect destination for your summer getaway.

VisitTopeka.com

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Departments KANSAS DETAILS

WIDE OPEN SPACES

10 Cuisine Fine Food and Good Eats

24 Sharing Experiences and Celebrations An interest in global wines led to tables full of themed dishes and pairings at Shawnee’s Wandering Vine

12 Culture Arts and Experiences

PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Jason Dailey, Deborah Walker, Kevin Anderson, Karen Bonar/Heartland Photography

14 Heartland People and Places that Define Us 18 Behind the Lens A Conversation with KANSAS! Photographers 20 Kansas Captured Authentic Life in the Sunflower State 22 Reasons We Love Kansas Celebrating Unique Attractions

28 Inner Vagabonding One of the nation’s premier international travel writers reflects on inner journeys and slow trips on the Kansas plains 32 A Way Forward An experimental farm by the Dominican Sisters of Peace seeks to establish a model for strong rural communities and agriculture of the future, guests included 36 Revived Century-Old Barn A canvas for family’s rural roots

IN EVERY ISSUE 7 It’s All in the Extra Details 8 A Hello From Our Editor 58 KANSAS! Gallery 64 From the Poet Laureate

ON THE COVER Graham’s Treehouse, one of three tree houses at the Hidden Valley Wilderness retreat, offers a peaceful forest immersion for visitors.

Photograph by Nick Krug

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disc

er ov Kansas Tourism, a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce

Andrea Etzel

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Laura Kelly GOVERNOR

David Toland

LT. GOVERNOR & SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Bridgette Jobe

TOURISM DIRECTOR

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DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Bill Uhler

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PUBLISHER

DIRECTOR

DESIGNER/ART DIRECTOR

MANAGING EDITOR

Joanne Morgan

MARKETING JMORGAN@SUNFLOWERPUB.COM

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PRINTER

Kathy Lafferty

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

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ACCOUNT MANAGER

KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published five (5) times per year

by Kansas Tourism 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612; 785.296.3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: 785.296.3487.

Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS, and at additional mailing offices.

Newsstand price $5 per issue; subscription price $20 per year; $36 for two years.

All prices include all applicable sales tax.

Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: 800.678.6424 KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 Email: kansas.mag@ks.gov | Website: www.KansasMag.com POSTMASTER: Send address change to: KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146.

Please mail all editorial inquiries to: KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 email: kansas.mag@ks.gov The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner.

Unauthorized use is prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply.

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FIESTA TOPEKA This summer marks the 90-year anniversary of Topeka’s Fiesta Mexicana, which has been renamed Fiesta Topeka for the milestone celebration.

The gathering for worship, musical performances, carnival rides, street parties and more began as a celebration of the city’s Mexican American community that grew up around the Topeka railroad industry and the Lady of Guadalupe Catholic parish in the north Topeka neighborhood of Oakland. Look for KANSAS! magazine photographers and Kansas Tourism staff around this year’s event as we prepare a story on Fiesta celebrations across the state for our 2024 story lineup.

GET SOME ART!

GONE BAD!

If you enjoy writer Cecilia Harris’ story in this issue about David Douglass DeArmond’s quest to paint a landscape of every Kansas county, then you might be interested in viewing or purchasing some of DeArmond’s work at the Kansas Originals shop in Wilson. kansasoriginals.com

Things are taking a turn for the worse in our upcoming issue as we bring you stories focusing on some of the baddest and most despicable yahoos from the state’s Wild West history. But don’t worry … we’ll have a few rogue heroes in the mix to balance things out.

A R O U N D

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S T A T E

PHOTOGRAPHS Jason Dailey (2)

page 54 Mt. Sunflower page 32 Pawnee Rock page 23 Dodge City

page 44 Coolidge

Above (from top) Musicians perform at Topeka’s Fiesta Mexicana; David Douglass DeArmond paints a landscape near his home in Merriam.

KANSAS! EVENTS page 37 Fairview page 47 Perry page 14 Salina

page 64 Minneola

If some of the great destination ideas in these pages has you considering a Kansas getaway, then go online to the KANSAS! events calendar to discover festivals and other happenings going on in your chosen region at the same time. travelks.com/events and travelks.com/things-to-do

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It’s summer! Let’s hit the road.

facebook.com/KansasMagazine @KANSASMag KansasMagazine (get spotted; use #kansasmag to tag us)

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ANDREA ETZEL

EDITOR, KANSAS! MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPH Andrea Etzel

I’m overdue for a good road trip. My last out-and-back trip to western Kansas was the summer of 2020. I impulsively decided to drive the 4.5 hours to Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park for a special event. Sara Kay, the park’s naturalist, was guiding a group on a sunset hike through the formations, followed by stargazing and watching the Perseid meteor shower that happens every August.

As with all road trips, I left time to explore. I arrived the evening before the event to hike Historic Lake Scott State Park. My best memory is trudging up an unforgiving hillside, the “quick” way to the top. Once I arrived at the highest point, the view of the lake was breathtaking—not that I had much breath to spare. The next day I woke early to see the sunrise at Battle Canyon, but, due to an unexpected early-morning rainstorm, I was treated to a misty landscape instead.

Then came the main event. This wasn’t my first trip to the park I fondly refer to as “Little J.” However, I had not been to the site at sunset or later. (Note: The state park is open from dawn to dusk unless a special event is happening.) The guided hike set out as thunder clouds brewed in the distance and threatened to rain out our evening. It’s funny how sometimes fate and Mother Nature work with instead of against you. Ultimately, the rain stayed to the south, and the clouds offered the perfect backdrop to the formations.

By nightfall, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. It always amazes me how well our eyes adjust to darkness. Even in a moonless sky, the Milky Way was easy to spot. Every so often I’d see a flashing streak of a meteor. More often I’d see the blinking lights of a passing plane. The people in that plane were closer to space, but I know I had the better view.

It is my hope that this issue of KANSAS! inspires you to pack your bags, jump in the car, and embark on an unforgettable adventure through the Sunflower State. Maybe you haven’t thought about sleeping in a treehouse or an old railroad box car since you were a child, if ever, but we think our feature story might entice you to consider doing just that. Our state’s byways are also ready to guide you along themed journeys. Allow yourself to be captivated by the beauty of the open prairies, awed by rolling sunflower fields, and humbled by the vastness of the Kansas sky. Embrace the spirit of adventure, seek out the hidden gems, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

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D E T A I L S

C U I S I N E

Old Fashioned Soda Pop Louisburg Lost Trail Sodas are on the head of a national trend toward artisanal drinks … simply by doing what they’ve always done for nearly four decades S T O R Y

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Cecilia Harris

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ouisburg Cider Mill—perhaps best known across the state for its fresh apple cider and baked treats— is approaching the 40th anniversary of one of its other locally made treats, old-fashioned root beer.

Artisanal sodas such as Louisburg’s Lost Trail Sodas have been rising in popularity as consumers look for sodas that provide a healthier and more eco-friendly option in comparison to mass-market colas, according to Polaris Market Research. Craft sodas are typically made with the natural flavors of pure cane sugar, squeezed fruits and spices, and they come in glass bottles that can be recycled.

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An additional explanation for the explosion of craft soda’s popularity is offered by Josh Hebert, president and CEO of Louisburg Cider Mill, Inc. “I think that the draw towards craft soda is a combination of people’s interest in supporting local and other small businesses, and the interest that people have in things that are done on a smaller scale and possibly with a little more artistry and craftsmanship than you might have with massproduced products,” he says.

The Cider Mill “An argument can bottling plant near Louisburg creates drinks be made that glass through a small batch, is the best vessel for draft-style, micro-brewed that ensures an soda because of its process authentic, old-fashioned ability to keep CO2 flavor. Made with pure gas from escaping, cane sugar, the product is low in sodium, caffeine but to me there’s free, and has 150 calories something nostalgic per bottle. Lost Trail also offers a diet root beer. about drinking The success of the soda from a glass root beer led to other Lost Trail soda flavors, bottle.” including black cherry, —JOSH HEBERT sarsaparilla, ginger, cream, orange cream and strawberry cream. According to Hebert, root beer is the most popular, followed by sarsaparilla, which comes from a blend of roots and herbs with a slight note of vanilla and is known historically as the original root beer. The third favored is the creamy and smooth cream soda, which is rich in vanilla. The light and tingly ginger brew soda with a sharp ‘kick’ can be sipped alone, added to a favorite fruit juice, or used as a cocktail mixer in such drinks as a Moscow Mule or a Captain and Ginger.

The sodas, which can be found at the Louisburg Cider Mill Country Store and at various retail locations, come in glass bottles.

“An argument can be made that glass is the best vessel for soda because of its ability to keep CO2 gas from escaping, but to me there’s something nostalgic about drinking soda from a glass bottle,” Hebert says. “It reminds me of something I would have done as a kid.”

Louisburgcidermill.com | 913. 837.5202

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Louisburg Cider Mill

K A N S A S !

Things are jumping in Labe e County this Summer!

st “ The proguI dcaen thin is that claim I am f rom

Abilene.”

- Dwight

ower D. Eisenh

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Old Abilene Town Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Great Plains Theatre Dickinson County Heritage Center Greyhound Hall of Fame Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum Seelye Mansion Unique specialty shops & restaurants World’s Largest Belt Buckle

K A N S A S !

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C U L T U R E

Following A the Old Road Trails, County by County Artist David Douglass DeArmond has driven the backroads of Kansas to create themed paintings influenced by history and wanderlust

S T O R Y

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Cecilia Harris P H O T O G R A P H Y

Jason Dailey

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chance meeting with a fellow artist led David Douglass DeArmond to paint landscapes across the entire span of Kansas.

“I met a man who had painted in all of Missouri’s counties,” says the 86-year-old DeArmond, who has been sketching since he was in fourth grade. “Driving home, I decided that if he could do that, so could I in Kansas— but I’d do more than one.”

Since Kansas has 105 counties, and DeArmond initially set out to create two paintings of each county, the result was 210 plein-air, or outdoor, paintings. But DeArmond wasn’t finished. He challenged himself to create an additional two to four pieces of artwork, each measuring 11x16-inches or larger, in each county. In all, his adventure racked up 16,800 miles on his car before the project was completed.

DeArmond, who has lived in Kansas for 30 years and currently resides in Merriam, uses all the common media but prefers ink drawings colored with watercolors. Not surprisingly, his work has evolved into various series of themed pieces.

When asked to create art for a magazine promotion for the Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Alliance, he was given a copy of a century-old motorist’s guide to identify places of interest for the project.

“I took that guide book and made a list of every place mentioned and went out and painted my way to the Colorado border,” he says.

The result was DeArmond’s book titled Sketching the 1916 Midland Trail Across Kansas: As I Found It a Century Later printed by Mennonite Press in Newton.

“I’d been bitten,” he says. “I found another road, the Great White Way. I made another list, went out and sketched the road and made another book. It is titled An Open Road, Sketching the 1914 Kansas White Way.” DeArmond has sketched the scenery along several intertwining, historic Kansas road routes, including the Golden Belt Road, the Rock Island Highway and the Victory Highway. He’s also painted scenes inspired by the 1973 movie Paper Moon, and a group of watercolors he calls the Lincoln Series—his merger of authentic landscapes and imagined events in Lincoln, Kansas.

“While photographing buildings built with post rock, I happened to see the Town Hall in Lincoln,” he says. “I got home and did a little watercolor. It seemed to lack life. In the foreground was a gas station and tire shop. Taking another shot at it, I carefully reproduced the original art but added something going on at the gas station. I have a series of perhaps 20 of these where I intended to be amusing or surprising.”

DeArmond’s work can be found at the Kansas Originals Market in Wilson.

davedearmond.com

Above Detail of a recent landscape by David Douglass DeArmond Opposite DeArmond paints a landscape near his home in Merriam.

C U L T U R E

THE KANSAS AUTO TRAILS Auto trails were an informal network of marked routes in the early 1900s, before state highways were numbered in Kansas. Many were marked simply by paint on telephone poles with the route’s name or abbreviated letters, such as MT for Midland Trail.

According to the Kansas State Historical Society, popular auto tour guidebooks, such as Midland Trail Tour Guide 1916, provided travelers with information about the roads and provided a travelogue linked to mile markers and existing landmarks such as schoolhouses and grain elevators.

These are some of the state’s historic early auto routes.

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MIDLAND TRAIL

Considered to be one of the first marked transcontinental automobile trails in the country, the Midland Trail was established in 1913 from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, California. In Kansas, the Midland was the forerunner of Kansas Highway 10 and US Route 24.

KANSAS WHITE WAY

The Great White Way highway system linked Chicago to Denver in 1914. Posts along the Kansas White Way were painted with a four-inch black band at the top and bottom of an 18-inch white band, according to kswhiteway.wordpress.com. The route later was designated State Route No. 9.

GOLDEN BELT HIGHWAY

Originally established as a route from Junction City to Salina in 1911, it later joined other roads to the east and west, linking Kansas City to the Colorado border; thus, it became one of the first trans-state highways in Kansas. When the United States Numbered Highways System was introduced in 1926, Golden Belt Highway became US Highway 40.

VICTORY HIGHWAY

Following the western expansion of the nation, Victory Highway was a transcontinental route from New York City to San Francisco dedicated in the 1920s to Americans who died in World War I; bronze eagle markers were erected in each county with a plaque honoring the sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives while serving their country. Once in Kansas, the route continued over the Golden Belt Highway, which later became US Highway 40.

ROCK ISLAND HIGHWAY

The Rock Island Highway paralleled the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad that mostly ran through the northern tier of counties in Kansas. It became integrated into the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway and was later designated US 36.

KING OF TRAILS HIGHWAY

This early-20th-century cross-country highway stretching from Canada to Mexico was over 319 miles long in Kansas. A King of Trails bikepacking route planned in Allen County will follow the historic highway through Iola and Humboldt. Old US Highway 169 roughly follows King of Trails Highway through much of the state.

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Salina Goes Boom! (Again) Innovative street art and murals festival taps some of the globe’s top artists for its second year

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David Clouston P H O T O G R A P H Y

Karen Bonar

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he Boom! Street Art and Mural Festival returns to downtown Salina for a second year this fall, bringing in some of the genre’s most talented artists from around the globe to create new works across the city.

Joe Iurato, a prominent murals artist from New Jersey, is curating the public event that will run October 5–7. He tapped the festival’s initial success to create a fresh lineup of artistic stars for 2023.

“The artists could vouch for the experience they had and the welcome they received,” Iurato says. “That carries into this year—I’m using all of that to convince these artists that, look, October is a busy TRANSFORMING THE CITY time of year, and you could The Boom! festival arose from be anywhere in the world, working, but I need you in conversations about rebranding Kansas, and you’ll enjoy it.” downtown Salina in the wake of German artist Claudia extensive renovations.

Walde, known in the mural According to festival coart world as MadC, is one founders Eric Montoy and Travis of the artists recruited for Young, murals and street art this year.

She rose from a seemed to be effective ways to teenager using aerosol spray bolster tourism and increase cans to one of the world’s foot traffic. top urban contemporary “Done in the right way, it’s artists, with two graphic a good reason to explore Salina,” design degrees, three books Montoy says. “You can go from about street art, and several (seeing a mural) in an alley, to a gallery shows to her name. business front, to a courtyard, MadC, who says the and more.”

Salina event seems “well “There are a lot of walls thought-out and well in Salina,” Young adds. “You organized,” studies photos don’t recognize the wall until of the buildings where she’s something is painted ... We invited to create a mural to have a lot of people who own gauge the condition of the properties and businesses who wall surface, as well as to understand what we’re trying see the surrounding streets to do.”

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THE 2023 BOOM! ARTISTS

Six artists or artist duos are scheduled to paint walls for the 2023 Boom! Street Art and Mural Festival in October.

Name Claudia Walde, known as MadC From Germany Known for One of the world’s top urban contemporary artists, she’s painted colorful murals for the Sinkka Museum in Finland, The Dulwich picture gallery in London, for the city of Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and the prestigious Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia.

Name Artist duo PichiAvo From Spain Known for Artists Pichi and Avo formed their partnership in 2007 and are recognized for their skill at creating connections between painting and sculpture in galleries and urban settings such as Valencia, New York, and Berlin.

Name Miles MacGregor, known as El Mac From Los Angeles Known for Public murals and graffiti drawing on influences from classical European art, social realism, symbolism and devotional art, as well as the Chicano and Mexican culture of his childhood. He paints murals examining feminine beauty and honoring ordinary, overlooked, or marginalized people.

Name Andrea von Bujdoss, known as Queen Andrea/ SuperFreshDesign From New York City Known for Bold use of color, design and advanced typography. She befriended some of the most prolific oldschool subway graffiti writers and diligently taught herself the complicated art form, going on to earn her BFA in graphic design, create worldwide product brands and become recognized as one of the world’s most notable graffiti artists.

Name Chris Stain From Baltimore / Queens Known for Stain adapts images from photographs and works with spray paint, stencils, and paper to create interior as well as exterior work.

Name Pat Perry From Detroit Known for Large-scale murals supporting various social causes, including the Beehive Design Collective, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, No More Deaths, and others. boomsalina.art

Opposite Prominent street artist Joe Iurato (wearing cap) is curating the Boom! festival in Salina with the support of organizers such as Travis Young, CEO of Salina-based Vortex Global.

Above Iurato and Young stand in front of a mural created during the 2022 festival.

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KANVAS PROJECT AND THE LANDMARK MURAL

Discover

Salina’s festival is sponsored by the Salina Kanvas Project. To date, the Kanvas Project’s largest artwork is Mural at the Mill.

Spanning the 100-foot-tall former H.D. Lee Flour Mill on North Santa Fe Avenue, the mural shows a group of children playing Ring around the Rosie.

The mural was completed by Guido Van Helten of Australia, who has created similar, large-scale projects worldwide. A private donation paid for the project.

The Kanvas Project is funded through the Greater Salina Community Foundation, which builds and manages donor endowment funds to meet charitable community needs. This year the Kanvas Project will spend about $250,000 on the mural festival, up slightly from last year’s total of $200,000.

to get a feel for the area. Then she paints a canvas that serves as a sketch for the mural itself. She can adapt her work and time frame on site.

Photographer Martha Cooper, well known nationally for documenting the street art and graffiti art scene, will be one of the festival’s returning artists. She says the landscape of Salina provides unique opportunities.

“I was intrigued by the idea that the phenomenon of street art was being embraced in the Midwest since, for the most part, street-art festivals have been concentrated on the East and West coasts,” Cooper explains, noting that Salina’s Midwestern architecture, open spaces and walkable downtown helped facilitate her work.

“As a photographer, it meant I could easily walk around and keep an eye on the walls being painted and how the light was falling on the walls in order to get the best photos,” Cooper notes.

For the 2023 event, the artists will create new murals and street art using a variety of methods and paints. Iurato notes some of the featured artists generally use stencils to create a guide; others project an image to sketch an outline; and some are comfortable totally free-hand. Some of the artists use aerosol spray paint, and some use acrylic latex.

The murals completed last year during the inaugural Boom! Street Art and Mural Festival have already transformed Salina and are displayed on downtown walls facing alleyways and parking lots. The subjects range from butterflies and sunflowers to geometric designs and historical figures such as Amelia Earhart.

Kansas’ bigge st barn at the Prairie Museum of Art & History

tic park

Refreshing aqua

WHERE ART

MEETS AG

Scenic walking

25 Murals in the County

Zoo • Museums • Rodeos • Festivals • Milford Lake • Water Parks Hunting • Kansas Landscape • Arboretum

ins Pickin’ on the Pla July Third weekend in

trails

Just 53 miles east of the Colorado border on I-70

claycokansas.com

785.632.5674

OasisOnThePlains.com

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Carter Gaskins

A conversation with KANSAS! photographers about their lives in photography

@gaskinsphotographycollection

gaskins-photography.com

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My father died when I was 25 years old, and that’s when I left construction. When I was 26, I met my wife. We were expecting a son who passed away at birth. We didn’t have any photos of our son and I regret the lost memory. When I moved to Kansas at the age of 30, we had a beautiful daughter. I picked up a camera and started catching all the moments of my family—scared that I would lose her. This is how I fell in love with photography.

What was your first camera? I bought a Canon Rebel from the Pawn Shop. It was old and bulky. I didn’t know anything about photography. All I knew was to hit the shutter button and take a photo. I learned most of my photography from YouTube University.

Describe your photographic style. My photographic style

is bold and powerful. I love to catch people in the moment. [Much of Gaskins’ photography style mirrors the way his father lived life.]

He was powerful and outgoing. His presence and energy would be known when you saw him—a lot like my work when you see it.

What are some objects that you like to photograph that are not common in other works? Outside of people,

C

I am a huge nature guy. I love taking photos of wildlife, birds and other animals. Most people see me with my camera at events or in the studio, but some of my favorite spots are in nature.

arter Gaskins is the owner of Gaskins Photography Collection. Based in Lawrence and specializing in maternity photoshoots, corporate headshots, sports, and events, Gaskins aims to make his images bold and empowering. Originally from Charlestown, West Virginia, Gaskins has deemed himself a Jayhawk since 2013. His goal with photography is to change lives through the lens of a camera.

Who was influential for your career as a photographer? As for photography, I look up to Nick Krug. I

What was the moment you wanted to become a photographer? I always had a passion for art. In grade school,

What have you learned from being a photographer that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise? I have

I used to draw photos of my favorite artist. The best part of drawing was shading. I put down the pen and started helping my father run a construction business after high school. I left my passion of art and did what was necessary for my family.

have always been a fan of his work and always followed his path of photography. I asked him many questions when I first started.

I don’t think he knows how much he helped me. I am grateful for his support and for helping me in the industry. His work, especially in KU sports, is amazing.

learned patience and to be a social person. I am an introvert—one of the reasons I am behind the camera and not in front. Being a photographer takes patience, knowing that you have to wait for the shot, and also sometimes making people comfortable being in front of the camera.

Sometimes that takes a little conversation and then [consenting] if I can take their portrait. Having the conversation breaks the tension in the room and helps them find their smile.

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“In the photo are father and daughter duo Cooper and Logan Brown. Mom Taylor is present but out of the shot. Logan is an aspiring cowgirl and loves all things rodeo, horses, boots and spurs, and of course ... longhorns. I’ve spent years documenting this beautiful family together and there’s never a dull moment.”

—AMBER HOSKINS, PHOTOGRAPHER

Location: Saline County

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Instagram: @ahphotographyandco

What began as a self-taught hobby 14 years ago for Hoskins has evolved into a full-time career. Her love for photography has many facets, but finding a way to freeze a beautiful moment is most rewarding for her. Based in Salina, Hoskins captured this image using a Canon R6 body and a 50mm f/1.2 lens.

PHOTOGRAPH Amber Hoskins

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IN THIS ISSUE

Trolley Tours

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Above Visitors prepare to board Dolly the Trolley in Fort Scott.

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In the mid-1880s, the electric streetcar or trolley was invented in the United States by American engineer and inventor Frank Julian Sprague (1857–1934).

DOLLY THE TROLLEY Fort Scott

Dolly the Trolley’s 50-minute narrated tour begins at the Fort Scott Visitor Center and travels by historic landmarks, points of interest, the downtown historic district, and late-1800s mansions featuring unique architecture in this city established in 1860. The Fort Scott National Historic Site, National Cemetery No. 1, the Gordon Parks Museum, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, and Gunn Park are among the points of interest. Phone the visitors center for the precise schedule on any particular week. Dolly runs from the first weekend in March to the first weekend in December. visitfortscott.com | 620.223.3566

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Fort Scott CVB

HISTORIC TROLLEY TOURS Dodge City

The Dodge City Trolley travels back in time to the 1870s with visits to the original locations of the cattle trail town’s Longbranch Saloon, Gospel Hill, Front Street, and the “deadline,” the railroad tracks that separated the proper north side and the infamous south side.

Guides provide colorful stories as the trolley follows the Santa Fe Trail and tours Fort Dodge. The one-hour narrated tours depart from the visitors center daily beginning Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; reservations are encouraged but not required during peak summer season. visitdodgecity.org | 620.225.8186

ATCHISON TROLLEY Atchison

Atchison’s rich history is highlighted during the hour-long trolley tours offered from May through October. Departing from the Santa Fe Depot and Visitors Center, the trolley travels past Victorian mansions, views of the Missouri River, and historic points of interest such as aviator Amelia Earhart’s birthplace, St. Benedict’s Abbey, and the Lewis and Clark Pavilion. Special themed tours, focusing on topics such as Earhart, Black heritage, and tales of haunted houses, are offered at various times in the year. visitatchison.com | 913.367.2427

MCPHERSON CVB TROLLEY McPherson

McPherson CVB Trolley offers year-round tours of the city’s sites, including the colorful downtown murals portraying the city’s history, such as one featuring the Globe Refiners basketball team, which won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. The route includes historic buildings such as the McPherson Opera House and the McPherson County Courthouse. The trolley celebrates the holidays with a fun-filled hour of trivia and music while touring the community’s holiday lights. Tours can be either public or private, and reservations should be made in advance. visitmcpherson.com 620.241-3340 or 800.324.8022

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FEARLESS FRED TROLLEY Iola

Reminiscent of the electric train that carried workers to and from Iola factories in the early 1900s, Fearless Fred Trolley travels through the city’s streets as its driver and host gives history-themed tours each year from April to December. Visitors choose from a variety of excursions, including historic homes, cemeteries, 100-year-old churches, Works Progress Administration (WPA) sites, and general history. Special Christmas tours occur in late November and December. Fred also offers expeditions to surrounding towns, including Moran, Humboldt, Yates Center and Chanute. Contact the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism for a listing of Fearless Fred’s scheduled tours. The trolley also is available for private rentals. iolasfearlessfred on FaceBook iolachamber.org | 620.365.5252

MIAMI COUNTY TROLLEY Paola

Every Saturday and Sunday, the Miami County Trolley offers tours to three wineries: Nighthawk Vineyard and Winery, Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery, and Isinglass Estate Vineyard and Winery. The five-hour, reservationonly tour allows for a 70-minute stop at each location for wine tasting. The trolley picks up passengers at a local hotel and bed and breakfast. miamicountytrolley.com 913.306.3388

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Sharing Experiences and

Celebrations

An interest in global wines led to tables full of themed dishes and pairings at Shawnee’s Wandering Vine

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astles are usually associated with enchanted fairy tales or faraway places, but Kansas lays claim to a memorable historic limestone fortress located on the edge of downtown Shawnee. Built as a home meant to impress, it has housed a number of businesses over the years; its latest incarnation is fine-dining establishment Wandering Vine, which opened in November 2020.

Owners Daniel and Carla Dyer were both born and raised in the Kansas City area but wandered around the world as adults. Exploring and sampling cultures and cuisines, they discovered the joy and celebration that can be linked to food and drink. “Those are the “We run a experiences we try to share with our guests,” hospitality business Carla explains. that goes beyond About fifteen years ago, the Dyers just providing good began making wine as food and drink.” a hobby. As the couple considered their active —DANIEL AND CARLA DYER retirement project, wine clearly needed to play a central role. After purchasing the Castle, it was time to turn the winemaking hobby into a core part of the Castle experience. Dreams began to take shape when they connected with Grace Hill Winery, a family-owned business based in Whitewater, Kansas.

The Dyers work closely with their partners at Grace Hill, designing the wines, directing the sourcing of the grapes from Kansas and the West Coast, and overseeing the process from grape to bottle to create signature Castle wines.

Wandering Vine’s extensive and impressive wine list boasts more than 120 wines from 19 different countries.

Diners may order wine by the bottle or glass or indulge in a wine flight—each a sampling of three two-ounce servings of wines with diverse themes, ranging from Whites of the World to I Say Syrah. Staff sommelier Evan Spieker leads the beverage program and helps guests wander the diverse wine list, exploring new tastes, and learning new pairings. For the seared scallops, a guest favorite, Spieker suggests one of their unique full-bodied white wines like the Greek Malagousia or Hungarian Furmint Sec.

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The food dishes at Wandering Vine were initially meant as “some level of food along with the wine experience,” according to Carla.

But that changed when the couple hired Hannah Winnett as executive chef.

Winnett’s small-plate offerings, perfect for starters or smaller appetites, include almond-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates—onebite packages that combine naturally sweet and savory flavors with soft and crisp textures.

Or, try tantalizing the taste buds with the Vine’s caramelized onion dip that uses creamy Gruyere cheese as a base and is accompanied by the house’s potato crisps.

Bacon jam adds a flavor-packed punch to their Cattle Burger, 12401 Johnson Drive a lunchtime Shawnee offering that’s wanderingvine.com also decked out 913.379.1300 with cheddar, tomato and lettuce. Sunday brunch-goers choose from traditional fare, such as biscuits and gravy, or trendy offerings that include a waffle breakfast sandwich, spicy Southwest Benedict, or campstyle cheesesteak hash.

Evening entrées offer something for everyone from meatless to meaty herb-crusted lamb chops, honey glazed grilled pork chops, comforting chicken pot pie, and fall-off-thebone braised short ribs. Roasted vegetables, creamy polenta or risotto, whipped potatoes, or herbed greens are just some of the upscale side dishes. Inspired desserts, such as Chef Winnett’s peanut butter tart, which encases peanut butter mousse in a chocolate crumb crust, is served alongside a hefty scoop of homemade banana ice cream.

In addition to food and wine, the Dyers believe the restaurant’s success is due to their attention to detail. They like to say, “We run a hospitality business that goes beyond just providing good food and drink.” Attentive service by professional wait staff, table stops by the owners, and a meal that ends with a “kiss,” a nod to the fact that Remi Caemen built the castle in 1907, the same year Hershey Kisses were first introduced.

Wandering Vine

Executive chef Hannah Winnett helped expand Wandering Vine’s reputation into gourmet meals.

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MOM DYER’S APPLE PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Food celebrations have always been a part of Carla and Daniel Dyer’s everyday lives, says Carla. “We started making these muffins with our son and daughter when they were very young.”

Now the Dyers carry pumpkin pie spice to New York in the fall so they can repeat that experience with their grandchildren.

APPLE PUMPKIN MUFFINS Yield: 1½ dozen to 2 dozen INGREDIENTS Streusel Topping • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • ¼ cup granulated sugar • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon • 4 tablespoons cold butter Muffins • 2½ cups all-purpose flour • 2 cups granulated sugar • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice • 1 teaspoon baking soda • ½ teaspoon salt • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 cup solid packed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) • ½ cup vegetable oil • 2 cups peeled, chopped apples

INSTRUCTIONS 1.

Streusel Topping: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

2. Muffins: In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Set aside.

3. In medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add liquid to dry mix. Stir just until moistened. Stir in apples.

4. Fill paper lined muffin cups about ¾ full of the muffin mixture.

5. Sprinkle streusel topping over top.

6. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to the pick.

The Vine’s Wines Working with their partner Grace Hill Winery, located in Whitewater, Kansas, near Wichita, the Dyers are committed to offering the best wines produced in the Midwest. These Castle-exclusive wines are made from Grace Hill estate– grown grapes and grapes sourced from extraordinary vineyards in California, Oregon and Washington. “These wines, with their unique names and stories,” Carla Dyers adds, “are a way we have some fun amidst the work and confusion of running a restaurant.”

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French KS Rosé: This “French Kiss” dry rosé is an offspring of the pandemic, born out of a conversation between Carla and Daniel as they road-tripped from Florida to Kansas.

They wanted to create a wine suited for a romantic evening.

KWest: Pronounced quest, this wine is a Tempranillo-Noiret blend made in the style of Spanish Rioja, as a tribute to the Spanish explorers who first planted vineyards and introduced winemaking to the U.S. K Sera Syrah: A bolder red made in the style of the great Grenache— Syrah (red-skinned grape) blends of the French Rhone valley, with a label drawing that invites you to contemplate “what will be ….”

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Inner Vagabonding One of the nation’s premier international travel writers reflects on inner journeys and slow trips on the Kansas plains

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rom the day he began outlining his thoughts to the moment he submitted the final draft for his most recent book, Rolf Potts never used his passport. That might not be unusual for many writers, but it marked a drastic change for the award-winning Kansas author who is celebrated for defining a new approach to ethical, curiositydriven, and independent global travel.

Potts describes The Vagabond’s Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel (Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House) as “a book about inner journeys, and the mental and emotional preparation that will make for a richer travel experience.” It is a series of essays written during Covid-19 by a travel writer who found himself in lockdown at his cabin home on the Kansas prairie and then began slowly, intentionally focusing on the internal landscape of travel.

Kansas roots to global recognition Potts, who is in his early 50s, grew up in Wichita, the son of two teachers. His mother taught second grade and his father taught high school and college biology. Potts recalls a childhood with ongoing dialogues about ecology, natural resources, and appreciation for the often overlooked and invisible elements of nature.

“Dad was always picking something up to show me, then explaining how it all For more on Rolf came together. Learning was Potts’ books, podcasts, never limited to a classroom, workshops, events and but a life-long process of blog, go to rolfpotts.com. experiencing, always growing, always changing.”

After graduating from university, Potts began traveling and then continued exploring, writing, and sharing his journeys. His 2002 breakout book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, was, at the time, almost revolutionary, so different from checklist guidebooks dictating what was important. In Vagabonding, he encourages readers to dream big but never ignores the financial realities we all face. He shares his own experiences, reinforcing that the best memories often come from the invisible and that to appreciate we must not just see, but listen, smell, touch. Meaningful travel requires mental and emotional shifts as well as a physical change of place. By presenting global travel in practical and

More from Rolf Potts

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Opposite Kristen Bush and Rolf Potts sit outside their home in Saline County. Photograph by Jasmin Shah.

Top Bush and Potts take a pandemic-era bike trip through Sterling.

Above The Vagabond’s Way is Rolf Potts’ fifth full-length book.

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philosophical ways that focus on interacting with authentic lives of the people in each region, Potts very much heralds the origin of the slow-travel movement that has grown so tremendously over the past two decades.

After the publication of Vagabonding, Potts continued to encounter and describe a range of travel experiences, from voyaging on Star Trek– themed boat cruises to traveling across the world with no luggage—only what he could fit into his pockets. His essays have won numerous awards, and he has taught at venues such as Yale University.

All this time, he and his writing have been connected to Kansas: the land, the history, the culture, the people. He is never dismissive of where he comes from or what he encounters. Everything he says about international travel can be applied to a walk on the prairie or to a visit to another town. His writings include destinations but are more about “how” than “where.”

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Admission The Washington County State is always Fishing Lake is located 12 free. miles NW of Washington.

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What the lockdown led to When the global pandemic shut down international travel and tourism, Potts found himself around the Smoky Hills and, like much of the rest of the world, trying to make sense of things.

“Covid has been a learning experience for all of us,” Potts reflects. “We all had to make significant adjustments. Many find ourselves on different paths than before Covid.”

For Potts, that different path included someone else in his life.

Kristen Bush, a Kansas native, actor, and filmmaker, had returned to Kansas from Germany at the start of the pandemic.

Soon, Potts and Bush began their own socialdistancing epistolary relationship, writing to each other, talking, and reading to each other each morning. Their first date was sitting outdoors 10 feet apart, listening to one another. They were married within a year of meeting—a

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COUNTY TOURISM

SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART SPENCERART.KU.EDU

785.325.2116 | washingtoncountyks.gov FISHING AND PUBLIC HUNTING

The Washington County State Fishing Lake is located 12 miles NW of Washington

romance fortified by bike rides, hikes, and slow travels close to their shared home.

It was during this time that Potts completed his most recent book.

The Vagabond’s Way expands on the psychological challenges we experience with travel and explores how mental walls we construct can limit what we see. It also celebrates the intrinsic satisfactions and delights of travel, how journeys change us if we allow them to.

Potts’ disclosures in this book are more personal, even intimate, in comparison to his previous writings as an observer. The Vagabond’s Way reads like layers of meditation upon core themes that echo and intersect: letting go of agendas; being open to serendipity; embracing cultural differences; understanding that what we bring to any journey will affect, more than any specific

Whatever your mode of transportation, please head to...

PHOTOGRAPH Mike Marlett

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destination, how meaningful or memorable the experience will be. Potts explores the cultural obsession with selfies, how documenting for others undermines our ability to experience the moment.

Potts opens each meditation with a quote from wildly diverse sources: works of philosophy, travel writing past and present, memoirs, novels and films. Hundreds of other writers are cited, often from lesser-known works that will tempt a reader to investigate further. The book’s progression mirrors the stages of travel: inspiration, logistics, more meaningful engagement, and finally to post-travel reflection on how we can continue a journey upon our return by allowing it to change the rhythms of our daily lives, on whichever prairie or in whichever city that might be.

Chanute, Kansas

Chanute will be celebrating its 150th birthday during 2023.

Several community-wide events are being planned. Follow 150th Anniversary Celebration-Chanute, KS on Facebook for more information.

Chanute Has Lots to Offer For a Summer Getaway!

Attractions in Chanute include:

21 N Lincoln • 620-431-3350 information@chanutechamber.com www.chanutechamber.com

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Martin & Osa Johnson Safari Museum Summit Hill Gardens Soap Shop Chanute Art Gallery Chanute Historical Museum Wright Brothers-Octave Chanute Memorial Sculpture Howard’s Toys for Big Boys Automotive Museum Cardinal Drug Store Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain Chanute Welcome Mural and ARCY Historical Mural Maring Aquatic Center Stone Creek Golf Course Conveniently located in the heart of Southeast Kansas

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A Way Forward An experimental farm by the Dominican Sisters of Peace seeks to establish a model for strong rural communities and agriculture of the future, guests included

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n 1987, the Dominican Sisters of Peace established Heartland Farm on 80 acres west of Great Bend, Kansas.

“This came out of the wake-up call to the crisis in our planet’s ecology, pollution, and food supply as well as the farm crisis that was going on in the United States. Our farm was an expression of solidarity with the agricultural community, and it was also an environmental project and a way to support small Kansas communities who rely on agriculture,” says Sister Jane, a farm resident for the past 14 years. “The farm is also an alternative to conventional agriculture, a way to highlight how to grow food while protecting the land. The farm comes from a spiritual, religious conviction, as well as from an environmental Originating in France in the approach. This land is our pulpit to preach those year 1211, the Dominican things.”

Sisters of Peace established Today, volunteers themselves in the United and visitors from around States 200 years ago. They the world continue to join operate numerous eco the sisters in their official centers, schools, health mission “to practice and care centers, spiritual promote stewardship of life centers, and learning the Earth and healthy centers across the United living through ecologically States. In addition to sound agricultural and Heartland Farm, they environmental practices.” support the Dominican With two sisters in Sisters of Peace Mother residence full-time, as well as House, the Heartland a staff of agricultural workers, Center for Spirituality and Heartland Farm supports Cedar Park Place Senior 80 acres, alive with gardens, Center in Great Bend, orchards, alpacas, chickens, Kansas. oppeace.org and bees. A greenhouse and high tunnel extend organic growing seasons, and a barn more than a century old houses livestock and machinery.

Water is supplied from five different wells and a rainwater catchment system.

Welcoming visitors and volunteers is an integral part of Heartland Farm’s mission. In addition to residential

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Opposite Heartland Farm Communications Director Teresa Johnson shares a moment with Quivira, one of the farm’s alpacas.

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spaces for the nuns and staff, two buildings—the Hedge House and the Hermitage—are open to guests, who can enjoy a simple, stress-free retreat and who are welcome to participate in farm operations as they experience the sense of purpose and peace at the farm.

“I hope visitors reconnect with nature and experience the absolute sense of peace that overwhelms you when you come to this place—quiet and peacefulness away from everyday life,” says the farm’s communications director, Teresa Johnson.

Working farm spaces are also open to visitors and used for special open-farm days. The Strawbale arts building, for example, features pressed concrete floors warmed by radiant heat from a boiler.

Adorned by original artworks, this multipurpose building includes WiFi, classroom spaces, a solarium, and tools for teaching plant propagation, pottery, spinning, and weaving.

Adjacent to the Strawbale building is a concrete silo with cascading stained-glass windows. Visitors are invited to sit silently or gather in community in this serenely lit acoustical space.

The Garden Pavilion is the most recent addition to the farm’s landscape. In addition to Heartland Farm’s annual Fall Farm-to-Table fundraising banquet, this space hosts events, with seating for up to 50 people. The pavilion sits in a garden filled with ornamental plants, herbs, and pollinators.

Above Heartland Farm Manager Terra Crawford is part of a team dedicated to advancing sustainable agriculture on the farm’s land.

Opposite Sister Jane Belanger serves as the farm’s director.

Heartland Farm’s local to global community connections LOCAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Great Bend Farmers Market. Thursdays 4–7 p.m., May–October. Great Bend, Kansas.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Harvest Hosts. Overnight experiences for RV travelers registered with national organization to park for the night, tour, and shop.

Harvesthosts.com INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WWOOFER USA VOLUNTEERS. Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Started in Europe and Australia. Heartland Farm joined 10 years ago.

International volunteers arrive and spend an average of two weeks, working on the farm 20 hours/week in exchange for room and board. Some choose to stay for an entire summer. wwoofusa.org

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Who Lives on the Farm?

Farm animals far outnumber nuns at Heartland Farm.

The largest population of animals are the farm hens. A flock of 80 hens provides eggs for residents of the farm and for the Dominican Sisters of Peace Mother House in Great Bend.

Surplus eggs are sold at the Great Bend Farmers Market.

Breeds of chickens include Light Brahmas, Cinnamon Queens, Easter Eggers, Black Australorps, and Black Americanas.

Staff and volunteers also nurture a herd of 15 Huacaya alpacas and 1 Suri alpaca. Members of the South American camel family, alpacas are about half the size of llamas, and their feet have hooves, rather than soft pads. Heartland Farm’s newborn cria are named in alphabetical order.

Alpacas are prized for their extremely soft fleece, which wicks away moisture, and products made from their fleece support a growing niche market in the United States. Heartland Farm staff and volunteers harvest alpaca fleece, spin the fleece into yarn, and produce handmade products to be sold in their gift shop. The farm is a member of the Midwest Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.

Heartland Farm Public Events and Programs Single day events include lessons in breadmaking, soap-making, spinning, weaving, and pottery.

Heartland Farm Peace Camp In this weeklong summer day camp for children ages 8–11, activities include creating art, journaling, gardening, caring for livestock, and building community.

Fall Farm-to-Table Fundraising Banquet The September 2023 banquet will feature a gourmet Mexican feast.

Fiber Space Weekend Event These January and February gatherings include knitting, spinning, and weaving.

Heartland Farm Gift Shop Find handmade garments, soaps, weavings, and pottery created by area artists. Products made from Heartland Farm alpacas are designated with a photo and name of the individual alpaca whose fleece was used for each product.

Scheduled Visits by Appointment Visit Heartland Farm for group or spiritual retreats, receptions, workshops, and family reunions or to learn about fiber arts, organic gardening, and animal husbandry. heartlandfarm-ks.org

Summer ’23 Events and Dates July 14–15

Girls’ Teen Camp for ages 12–15

July 21–23

Boys’ Teen Camp for ages 12–15

August 4

Under the Stars: A concert, cookout, and stargazing event

September 16

Farm-to-Table Dinner

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Revived

Century-Old Barn A canvas for family’s rural roots

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hen Christina Klein spots a barn that, to most people, appears forlorn and dilapidated, she instead sees a cathedral awaiting revival— nothing some whimsical murals and her artistic brush won’t bring back to life.

“Some people see the roof falling in. I see beauty in the decay,” Klein explains. “It’s magical how, certain times of the day, light shines through the holes in the rafters, reminiscent of light pouring through the stained-glass windows of a cathedral. You wouldn’t see that if the roof was perfect.”

Despite that aesthetic charm, Klein is concerned about the demise of these aging farm landmarks.

“Those abandoned barns are fixtures in the rural landscape, but year after year, more collapse or are torn down,” she says. “Every time I visit home, there’s one less barn along the road. People get busy, and it’s easy for things to just fall apart and not notice it until it’s too late.”

One particular barn, however, has caught her attention and artful eye and is getting a reprieve. Klein grew up with the wooden granary on her fifth-generation family farm near Fairview, where her parents still tend the land, its crops and cattle.

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Klein agrees: “I loved the idea of extending its life and “My great-grandpa and grandpa used this barn to store giving it new purpose. I wanted to freeze it in that moment grain, but when farms started using metal bins instead, these of time, not make it perfect again. The angle of the walls, the wooden granaries ceased to be needed and have sat empty bend of the rafters and for decades,” she says. the light shining through The Kleins have the roof allow its age and a view of the centuryhistory to shine.” old barn from the Given the barn’s farmhouse where deteriorating condition, Christina and her sister, there was no time to Ashley, grew up and waste. where her parents, “There was this frenzy Rick and Janet Klein, that we definitely needed live today. The barn to do something now,” sat at the top of their Klein recalls.

The frenzy favorite sledding hill eventually turned into “and was always a today’s mural masterpiece constant presence in on all four walls of the the landscape,” Klein revitalized structure. It recalls. But when she —CHRISTINA KLEIN tells the story of the family noticed the foundation and their rural roots. was falling in, she “People do barn quilts,” Klein says, “but we didn’t just and Ashley brainstormed how to save it. “I am incredibly put a quilt on it. Instead, we made the entire barn have that nostalgic and hate seeing anything that I have fond patchwork feel.” memories of decay and collapse,” Ashley explains.

“Some people see the roof falling in.

I see beauty in the decay. It’s magical how, certain times of the day, light shines through the holes in the rafters, reminiscent of light pouring through the stained-glass windows of a cathedral.You wouldn’t see that if the roof was perfect.”

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Above (left to right) Daniel Wenger, Faith Quilter, Rick Klein, Janet Klein, Sharon Pontious, Kathleen Wenger, Ronald E. Wenger. Front row Klein Quilter, Grace Quilter

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Klein earned an art degree from Kansas State University and a Fulbright Scholarship to study painting in Germany. She and her husband, Jan Tross, and their two children currently live in California, where she does custom woodworking and also orchestrates her “extreme hobby”—the family barn. Trips home keep her connected and inspired, she says.

“We raised an artist, and I’ve learned not to question things,” laughs Janet about Klein’s ambitious project. “She always has a purpose for whatever she does. Anything she tackles, she tackles with her whole heart and masters it.”

In June 2021, the sisters started prepping the barn for its murals—straightening walls, patching holes, adding support for trusses and painting the exterior with primer.

Rick pitched in, too, helping push in and stabilize the walls with his tractor and loader.

“Whatever the girls tell me to do, I pretty much do,” he says about his current lofty re-roofing job.

Soon after, the Kleins were joined by aunts, uncles, cousins and friends for the first barn-painting party.

“I have an art background, but most of them hadn’t done much with painting. There was a lot of raw talent,” she chuckles. “I was excited to share that joy with them.”

That “raw talent” painted two wall-sized murals in one day: a family portrait and a rural landscape. Klein is committed to the reuse of materials, so the project used recycled paint donated by friends and a buy-nothing group.

“We didn’t know what colors we had, so we had to open each can and do a test swatch to see. We got some really neat colors that I wouldn’t have picked out myself,” Klein says.

For the family portrait, members each submitted a symbol to represent themselves. Klein then designed and painted the colorful composition. Three birds at the top, for instance, honor her grandmother, who recently passed away, and her favorite birds. The mocha pot is a nod to her husband’s coffee fix. And the pink squirrel? “Well, I love pink and squirrels,” she shrugs. Mom Janet added a peace symbol, explaining, “I grew up in hippie days.”

“It was so interesting to see what everyone picked,” Ashley says. “Now I look at that wall and see all of us in it, and also tributes to family members who are no longer with us but would have loved this project.”

For the landscape wall, Klein chose three key colors from her assorted paint cans: green, brown and blue to represent Kansas prairies at different times of the year.

“Everyone let their imaginations fly as the wall transformed throughout the day,” she says.

At the annual painting party a year later, family and friends used leftover paint for an unstructured group mural on the third wall.

“We’d paint awhile, then sit and look at it and decide what color needs to go next,” Klein recalls about the geometric design that unfolded as the day went on.

To secure the cracked foundation, they poured concrete

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footings decorated with broken plates from her grandma’s collection. That’s when Klein’s fascination with cathedrals came to life.

“I wanted to add a supportive buttress to a wall to kind of push it upward,” she says. “I’d always been interested in cathedrals and remembered learning in college how cathedrals developed over time, and how the addition of supportive buttresses allowed them to grow taller and more open inside.”

Using her knowledge of art history, she made the fanciful connection between abandoned barns and soaring cathedrals with a “flying buttress” that she affixed to the painted landscape wall. The reinforcing buttress evolved into a slide built with wood from a collapsed barn. “It turned into something that I hadn’t really envisioned,” she says about her slide. “But it worked wonderfully with the goal of instilling joy into the countryside and bringing art to places where it’s not typically found.”

For the final side, the artist chose insects and their role in the local ecosystem as The Klein barn tops a hill the theme. Instead of painting it on-site, Klein stretched on the family farm east of a 16-by-16-foot canvas at Fairview in Brown County. her California home and You can see the unique completed the insect mural sight in the distance from there. She packed the canvas a high point on a country in a suitcase and, back at the road. But remember, it’s a farm, stretched it onto the working farm with cattle, barn with the help of her dad, and you can’t open the his tractor and a cousin. gate for a close-up view.

“I wanted to paint and “I get a lot of joy when hang it beforehand so people neighbors and friends could maximize their barn have this a-ha moment party time and relax and and tell me, ‘hey, I saw the enjoy it.” barn.’ They always have For this summer’s barn this joy,” Klein says about party, she plans to have the delighted drive-by her new buttress, a swing, encounters. attached to a wall.

“It’s important to me to get people to engage with the structure, play with it and keep coming back,” she says about her newest addition.

Neighbors, friends and family do indeed keep coming back to pitch in at the annual party.

“A lot of hands have helped with painting,” Rick says.

Everybody signs their name on an interior wall. “That’s special,” he adds.

“It has meant a lot to see so many people care about what Christina started,” Janet adds.

As for the artist herself, she’s hoping to get the structure “nice and stable” so she can rest easy at night. “Every time I hear there’s a windstorm back home, I get nervous,” she says. “It’s nice to keep these little beacons on the hill.”

Drive-by Views

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PHOTOGRAPHS CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT) Nick Krug, David Mayes, Nick Krug, Sara McMillian

Enhance your weekend getaway experience

Story by Amber Fraley

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you’ve ever wished you could change your outlook on life by disappearing for a weekend or maybe a week—but not have to spend a bundle or travel long distances—you, my friend, are living at the right time. That’s because it’s no longer necessary to stay in beige, cookie-cutter hotels when you plan a getaway.

These days, the space you stay in can be a major part of your vacation experience.

Ever had the desire to spend a week in a treehouse in the middle of a forest? Or know what it’s like to live like one of the Boxcar Children from the beloved books? Perhaps the idea of flying a small plane up to the door of a secluded hotel nestled in the middle of the Flint Hills sounds like your type of adventure.

More than one Airbnb host interviewed cited the pandemic as being the impetus to create a one-of-a-kind Kansas respite, not only from the drudgeries of everyday life but also as a safe haven for folks who needed a break from their cities and homes during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Though the pandemic might have been the impetus for the creation of some of these eclectic Kansas spaces, others have been around for a long time, and one thing is sure—the variety of homegrown vacation rentals is going to become only more diverse and continue to push the boundaries of what it means to get away from it all.

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PHOTOGRAPH Nick Krug

if

When renting a short term vacation property, it’s important to read the descriptions carefully, as some places have age requirements and restrictions, some have unusual accommodations, and some allow pets while others don’t.

The Volland Store in Alma began its life in 1913 as a general store. Today, it’s been fully restored for its new life as an art gallery and event space, located just off the Skyline-Mill Creek Scenic Drive through the Flint Hills. Above the gallery is The Loft at the Volland Store, which is available for rent on the Airbnb website and includes access to the entire building if there are no events scheduled in the gallery below. The revamped Volland Store features airy spaces with exposed brick walls, and guests say the stay feels like a “night at the museum.”

Because the Volland Store is in an official dark zone, nighttime stargazing is supreme. It has received three architectural awards, including the 2016 Excellence in Preservation award from the American Institute of Architects-Kansas (AIAKS).

Despite being hidden in the middle of the Flint Hills in the semi-ghost town of Beaumont, the historic Beaumont Hotel & Cafe is now in its third century. Built in 1879 as a stagecoach and railroad stop, the hotel was a stop for pioneers and cattle buyers, and continued to be the place ranchers and cattle barons stayed throughout the 20th century when they needed to purchase cattle in Kansas. In 1953, a grass airstrip was added so small-airplane pilots could taxi right up to the hotel. These days, pilots are invited to fly in Wednesdays through Sundays from dawn to dusk to meet pilots from all over and receive 10% off breakfast in the café. The Beaumont Hotel and Café is located 20 miles southeast of Eldorado.

In extreme Western Kansas near the Colorado border is Trail City Bed & Breakfast, located in Coolidge. Nestled in the county of Hamilton, Coolidge is the home to fictional character Cousin Eddie and his worm farm from the iconic film National Lampoon’s Vacation. The Trail City Bed & Breakfast is a renovated saloon that was built circa 1885 in Trail City, Colorado, and moved across the border to Kansas in approximately 1887. Guests may stay in the B&B, or in one of two airy pine cabins complete with sleeping lofts. These are no rustic cabins—they come complete with modern bathrooms, flat screen TVs with cable, and air conditioning.

Though the pandemic might have been the impetus for the creation of some of these eclectic Kansas spaces, others have been around for a long time, and one thing is sure—the variety of home-grown vacation rentals is going to become only more diverse and continue to push the boundaries of what it means to get away from it all.

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PHOTOGRAPHS Nick Krug

The Trail City Bed & Breakfast is within walking distance of the Western Trail Café, known for their hamburgers and rib eye steaks.

Located in the middle of a cedar forest just outside Perry and 20 minutes from Lawrence and Topeka, The Batch is a tiny cabin that’s billed as a total nature immersion, with ponds, fields, bluffs, and an old rock quarry. Take note, though, as there’s no running water in the cabin. While there’s no shower, there is an outhouse, and hosts provide plenty of drinking water. The air conditioning is provided by a generator you’ll need to refill with gas, depending on how long you stay.

However, The Batch does have a kitchen, plenty of hand sanitizer and a French press for coffee. Kayaks are available for rent, but guests must be at least 25 years old to book the cabin because of liability restrictions.

Dogs are welcome.

Here’s a look at a few more unique Kansas getaways...

Graham’s Treehouse “I guess this all started in 1988 on our honeymoon.

My husband, Stan, shared that someday he wanted to have a retreat place where people could just get away in nature from their daily lives to feel refreshed and energized,” says Denise Wood, who runs the Hidden Valley Wilderness retreat outside Leavenworth with Stan.

What Stan had in mind was camping, but Denise isn’t a camper. Fastforward a few years and a few kids later, and Stan and their two boys built a three-story tree house

“Each of the tree houses has a different feel. We wanted them to be different to attract different people. We have many guests that come back and stay in all of them.” ­–DENISE WOOD

in the back yard. “Our sons added all the bells and whistles,” Denise says. “It was pretty cool.”

In 2015, Stan took early retirement and said to Denise, “I want to live my dream. I want to have a retreat center.”

At the time, the Woods were living in Shawnee. Purely by chance, an acquaintance mentioned an opportunity to purchase a priest’s retreat center in Easton. The Woods had to check it out.

“We looked at the place and fell in love with the land. We moved here in May of 2016,” Wood says. They spent six months cleaning up the property, moved themselves into two wings of the retreat house, and opened the third wing for their first guests in October.

“I said, ‘Nobody is coming to Eastern Kansas; we’re wasting our money,’” Denise laughs. “I’ve been eating crow ever since.”

In 2018 the Woods built Graham’s Treehouse, which wasn’t supposed to be named after their youngest son, but somehow the name stuck. The retreat has been so popular, the Woods added the Serenity Creek Treehouse, and Whispering Elm Treehouse—a two-story, castle-like tree house with a turret.

“Each of the tree houses has a different feel,” Denise says. “We wanted them to be different to attract different people. We have many guests that come back and stay in all of them.”

Denise says a stay at the retreat is a peaceful forest immersion, and, as such, is for adults only. “We don’t do parties. We don’t do weddings,” she says. “Just come and be quiet and still.”

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hidden valley

Santa Fe Boxcar The Santa Fe Boxcar is located on the farm of Nelson and Diane Schrock, just outside Yoder near Hutchinson. The family originally purchased the boxcar from a neighbor to use as storage, which it was for many years, first as a chicken house and then to store hay bales.

What makes your retreat center different from other options in the area? The wilderness valley offers a peaceful nature therapy that isn’t found in many places.

The retreat offers nature immersion with modern luxury convenience in each uniquely designed tree house or cabin.

Each tree house/cabin was built with guests’ comfort in mind.

The soothing nature setting offers birds singing during the daytime, the gentle rustling of the tree leaves, and nature night sounds experienced from the screened-in porches.

Guests come and don’t want to leave.

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What makes the retreat center’s location desirable for guests? The retreat is a short distance from city amenities and attractions, but guests feel far away, immersed in nature.

What are some of your favorite dining spots in the area? Our favorite dining places are in Leavenworth: The Suburban for outdoor dining on the patio and enjoying superb entrées not expected in a smaller town. The Hilltop Market is a short five miles away and offers delicious comfort food in a rural convenience-store diner—make sure to save room for homemade pie. Another favorite for a romantic dinner is Luigi’s 418, an Italian restaurant. Finally, an allaround comfort food and casual dining place is Metropolitan Steakhouse.

You mentioned how the forest’s trail system is popular with guests. Do you have a favorite trail? We are hard pressed to pick a favorite trail. Canyon Trail offers a good overview of the wilderness setting. It’s a trail where we hiked and sat at Reflection Point when we made this decision to purchase the land to make this dream of ours come true.

Are there any specific rules or guidelines that guests should be aware of before booking? The retreat is an adults-only destination and is a peaceful place for rest and renewal. This is not a party destination. Only registered guests are allowed on the grounds.

What is your most memorable guest experience?

There are so many treasured memories with our guests.

Many guests have returned again and again! A favorite memory that stands out is a marriage proposal at Graham’s Treehouse. We keep that picture on our refrigerator.

Nelson and Diane’s daughter, Amy Hoover, and Amy’s husband, Ryan, also live on the farm. When the pandemic began, Amy was forced to cut her work hours, but she saw an opportunity in the boxcar. She knew people were going stir-crazy in their homes, and she thought she could turn the boxcar into a successful vacation getaway.

Her brother Arlyn Schrock has a background in construction, and Amy has the eye for design.

“I came up with the plan and the layout, and he did the construction,” she says.

It took a few months to clean up and convert the boxcar into a livable space.

“It needed a door, a window, a bathroom, a loft, a floor and insulated walls,” Hoover says.

But by June 2019, she hosted her first guests, and now Amy stays busy running the eclectic stay as the Boxcar is frequently booked, especially during the summer and on weekends.

Amy says people enjoy the experience for several reasons, starting with the space itself. “It’s an actual Santa Fe boxcar from 1941. People really like it because it has an attachment to the Boxcar Children books. A lot of people comment on that and say that it’s cool to be able to stay in a boxcar like the Boxcar Children did.”

People also love staying on a working farm with geese, cows, tractors, and unobstructed views of Kansas sunrises and sunsets. Guests frequently go into Hutchinson to visit the Kansas Cosmosphere, Strataca (Underground Salt Museum), or the Amish community of Yoder.

PHOTOGRAPHS Sara McMillian

Q&A

That doesn’t mean the Woods expect you spend your whole time in your forest tree house, though you’re certainly welcome to do so. There are extensive trails throughout the forest guests can take advantage of. “We say the trail system is the secret sauce to the whole place,” Denise says.

The tree houses come with kitchens, but the Woods encourage guests to pamper themselves. “We stress to guests—try the Momand-Pop shops. Do carryout.”

Denise says even serious foodies are impressed by the selection of bakeries and restaurants in Leavenworth and Atchison. They encourage guests to tour Fort Leavenworth and the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum and support the Leavenworth Main Street Program because it provides a variety of events for guests, such as Art Walk Shawnee Street, the Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series in Haymarket Square, and Festival of Trees in December.

The Hidden Valley Retreat Center is popular, with about half of guests visiting from Kansas and the other half from surrounding states.

Mobile phone coverage can be spotty down in the forested valley, but the retreat provides Wi-Fi and cable television in the tree houses.

PHOTOGRAPHS David Mayes

The Boxcar comes with its own fire-pit, charcoal grill, tetherball, and corn hole game—you’ll need to bring your own firewood and charcoal—and the Boxcar can hold no more than five guests.

Konza Cabin The story of how a popular vacation destination came to be located on John and Lori Farley’s working ranch outside Manhattan is right out of Hollywood.

“My son-in-law is very talented,” laughs Lori Farley. “He had built a cabin out of a grain bin for some people in Missouri that was featured in the book Cabin Porn.”

The talented son-in-law is Kyle Davis, and when someone working on a new television show called You Can’t Turn That into a House happened to see the book, they contacted Kyle to see if he’d agree to build another grain bin cabin for the show.

Kyle agreed, but the cabin needed an appropriate location for filming.

“They asked us if we wanted to build something on our land out in the Konza,” says Farley. “It was Kyle’s idea to do a double grain bin cabin—he’d made single grain bins into housing before.” The Farleys intended to use the cabin as a guesthouse when it was completed. With labor from the show and local contractors, the cabin went up quickly, and the TV crew filmed the episode. Though the show wasn’t renewed after the first season, Farley says the episode is still frequently rerun on cable.

After the cabin sat empty for a bit, Lori says their kids encouraged them to rent it out as an

The cabin is particularly popular with guests from Kansas City, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The cabin is highly rated, gets great reviews and is booked several weeks out.

Airbnb, which they did, beginning in 2019.

“It’s been really popular,” she says.

“We get people from all over.” The cabin is particularly popular with guests from Kansas City, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

The cabin is highly rated, gets great reviews and is booked several weeks out. There is a required two-night minimum stay.

In addition to views of the Konza Prairie, guests are treated to a thoroughly modern and luxurious experience inside the Konza Cabin, which has a kitchen.

When the pandemic hit, Farley found she had to stock the cabin with additional pots, pans, utensils, and even a blender, since people preferred to cook rather than go to restaurants.

Outside the cabin, guests can opt to watch the goings-on of a cattle ranch or take a hike on the Konza Prairie.

“We have a really nice firepit, and we supply wood,” says Farley. “People love to sit out there in the evenings with a fire.” The Farleys even provide the ingredients and skewers for s’mores.

Farley says that while most guests love the Konza Cabin, people should understand life on a ranch can be a bit dusty and noisy.

“We don’t try to oversell it. They’re going to hear some noises on the ranch. There’s going to be some tractors and pickups going by. There are coyotes at night that howl. There are turkeys that run around, and deer—they might see a fox or a skunk. Since we’re next to the Konza, there’s a lot of wildlife that just kind of roams around,” Farley says.

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Spend your summer days in

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FIVE KANSAS’ 12 BYWAYS OFFER SOME OF THE BEST WAYS TO SAMPLE SECTIONS OF THE STATE. HERE ARE FIVE ROUTES TO ENJOY KANSAS THIS SUMMER …

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Since the 1990s, the Kansas Byway program has welcomed visitors to themed road trips highlighting geographic, historical, and cultural attractions across the state. Two of the twelve byways have achieved national designation, but each section of roadway offers unique opportunities and enjoyment.

You can take a virtual tour of the full dozen byways at the state’s official online “Byways” section on TravelKS.com or grab a copy of the upcoming 2024 Byways guide. Here are just five recommendations for starting off your byways explorations in different portions of the state for different types of travelers.

Feature Byway Trip

GO SLOW AND SOAK IT IN The Retirees’ Tour of the Land and Sky Scenic Byway LAND AND SKY SCENIC BYWAY BASICS • Getting there Interstate 70, Exit 17, U.S. Highway 36, U.S.

Highway 40. All three highways cross the scenic byway.

• Length 88 miles • Time to travel 1.5 hours without stops • Roadway Kansas Highway 27 Intrigued by the name Land and Sky Scenic Byway, my retired husband and I decided to head our 26-foot motor home to western Kansas to view the diverse landscapes and the big open sky from the road. It’s the only byway in the state to focus on agriculture, and the area features thousands of acres of cropland and pastures filled with livestock. But there are also plenty of beautiful, uninterrupted landscapes and historical sites to visit.

Our byway trip started with an overnight stay different from our usual state park camping sites. To get a feel for the community, we rented one of three spaces at Zimbelman RV Park in a quiet St. Francis neighborhood. Following the advice of the park owner, the next morning we stopped for breakfast at Fresh Seven Coffee just a few blocks away. The hand-crafted coffee roasted on site is served from a food truck parked inside a renovated warehouse that offers comfortable seating for relaxing conversation.

I had printed the Self-Guided Driving Tour of the Arikaree Breaks brochure found on naturalkansas.org, and we were eager to see what some call the “Little Grand Canyon.” The brochure, which can be picked up at locations in St. Francis, gave us driving instructions and facts about each site where we spotted a numbered red disk marker. In addition, several roadside kiosks along the route provided information about the byway, the Breaks, cattle, and the life cycle of local crops such as wheat, corn, sorghum, milo, soybeans and sunflowers.

The journey took us on winding gravel roads through rolling hills on which cattle grazed, and we pushed our small RV to the limit on some narrow, unpaved backroads on which travel is not recommended after rainfall.

When the Arikaree Breaks came into view, it was breathtaking. We were in a world far different from the plains

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generally associated with western Kansas. The two-to three-milewide breaks consist of 36 miles of rugged canyons, deep ravines, and vertical cliffs carved in loess deposits by wind and ancient streams. Native buffalo grass, yucca and prickly pear cactus grow alongside 16 native plants listed as rare in Kansas and two species of sage not seen elsewhere in our state. Lookout Point provides a spectacular scenic view, making it a prime spot for photographs of the draws and steep-sided canyons.

The tour also took us to sites with historical significance.

Having grown up watching television Westerns, I was particularly interested in seeing Horse Thief Cave. Although only the entrance remains due to erosion, I still could envision outlaws in the 1870s living in one chamber while hiding their stolen horses in the back cavity. Another stop was the Cherry Creek Encampment, where the Cheyenne who survived the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado regrouped and were joined by 3,000 warriors from other tribes. From there, the narrow and steep road through Arikaree Breaks led to Devil’s Gap, which these warriors passed through to take revenge on Old Julesburg, Colorado, and through which they returned to Cherry Creek with their spoils. Many historians identify these events as the beginning of war on the plains.

Leaving the area and traveling south on the byway, we passed the colorful Giant Grasshopper made from farm implement parts before the highway took us to Goodland. Here, the 80-foot-tall painting Three Sunflowers in a Vase stands as one of seven large reproductions of each of Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings; Goodland was chosen as the United States site because of its status as a sunflower marketing center.

At the High Plains Museum, we pushed a button to give the blades of the full-sized replica of the country’s first patented helicopter a whirl; the rotary-winged aircraft was invented by two local men.

Fields of crops were our view as we traveled south. Our final stop was Mt. Sunflower, at 4,039 feet the highest elevation in Kansas with vistas of the High Plains and the short-grass prairie, but we didn’t have an exhausting hike to get there. A welded sunflower sculpture made of railroad spikes is among the items that mark the spot located on private property where cattle roam nearby.

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FOUR More Byway Recommendations

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New to Kansas Recommendation FLINT HILLS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY

Getting There The Flint Hills National Scenic Byway runs on Kansas Highway 177, from Cassoday (the intersection of Kansas Highway 177 and Interstate 35) in the south to Council Grove (intersection of Kansas Highway 177 and US Highway 56) in the north.

Length 47.2 miles Time to Travel 55 minutes without stops Roadway Kansas Highway 177 Reason to Go If you are new to Kansas or are entertaining guests, this is one of the best ways to introduce them to the natural beauty and heritage of the state. The byway highlights some of the last areas of native prairie grasslands that once grew abundantly across the nation’s central plains, allowing travelers to encounter stunning natural beauty and experience small communities and ranches thriving on the land.

Nature Lovers’ Choice WETLANDS AND WILDLIFE NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY

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Getting There Take U.S. Highway 281 south from Interstate 70 to begin at the northern part of the byway, just west of Hoisington.

Length 77 miles Time to Travel 90 minutes without stops Roadway Kansas Highway 156, Kansas Highway 4, U.S. Highway 281, and paved roads in Barton, Stafford and Reno counties.

Reason to Go The Wetlands and Wildlife National Scenic Byway showcases two marshlands, nationally unique habitats that attract and shelter hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. The Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge both reward visitors with repeat visits, while the surrounding community attractions offer ample opportunities for continued exploration.

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Family with Young Kids Adventure FRONTIER MILITARY HISTORIC BYWAY

Getting There Located along the eastern edge of Kansas, the Frontier Military Historic Byway runs south to north from Baxter Springs to Leavenworth, mostly along Highway 69. Access communities include Leavenworth, Merriam, Louisburg, Pleasanton, Fort Scott, Pittsburg and Baxter Springs.

Length 168 miles Time to Stop 3 hours without stops Roadway U.S. Highway 69, north and south, and Kansas Highway 5 Reason to Go The longest of the state’s byways, but one guaranteed to overcome “are we there yet” questions because of the frequent youth-friendly stops, such as the living history and interactive aspects of Fort Scott National Historic Site, the Ernie Miller Park and Nature Center, and all the urban attractions in and around Kansas City and Leavenworth.

A Date with the West GYPSUM HILLS SCENIC BYWAY

Getting There The Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway runs west to east, beginning at Coldwater and ending at Medicine Lodge. From the west, the byway can be accessed by U.S. Highway 183 south from U.S. Highway 54. From the east, take U.S. Highway 281 south from U.S. Highway 54.

Length 42 miles Time to Travel 43 minutes without stops Roadway Kansas Highway 160 Reason to Go Perfect for young, active couples or groups, the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway explores the rugged beauty at the gateway of southwestern Kansas and offers plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities, as well as art galleries, museums, and restaurants to enjoy along the way.

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Pilgrimage with Grandchildren The distance between them and me is half a day on Highway 54, a solid slog of truck-glutted, two-lane monotony. After each visit to southwest Kansas, the drive home for grandkids means four hours strapped in car seats, the only reprieve a half-way stop in Greensburg to pee.

They know this road as well as I do, know how I like to play beat the clock, shaving minutes off our time: no loitering at the gas station.

But this trip, just past Minneola, I turn off the highway on a whim, follow the gravel path to white giants luring us like Sirens in a sea of grass.

The kids’ happy chatter tells me they sense we are no longer bound for anywhere. We have arrived at the corner of Here and Now.

of a turbine towering twice as high as its stodgy grain elevator neighbor just down the road. Holding hands, we stretch as far as we can ’round the base and slowly inch our way along. We are ants circling a temple.

Voices lost in the roar of pinwheeling scythes harvesting the wind, we are sleeves of wonder, billowing and blown.

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Janice Northerns

Janice Northerns is the author of Some Electric Hum (Lamar University Literary Press, 2020), winner of the Byron Caldwell Smith Book Award from the University of Kansas, the Nelson Poetry Book Award, and a WILLA Literary Award Finalist in Poetry. Northerns grew up on a farm in rural West Texas and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Tech University, where she received the Robert S. Newton Creative Writing Award. Other honors include a Sewanee Writers’ Conference scholarship and a Pushcart nomination. Northerns lives in Liberal, Kansas, and is currently working on her second book, a hybrid collection of poetry and essays inspired by the life of Cynthia Ann Parker.

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