AND then Back Home...

bygone era in Kansas

Upon leaving Cheyenne Bottoms, near Great Bend Kansas, Highway 4 takes a slight northern route toward Lindsborg, KS and then East to Council Grove.  The old Santa Fe Trail came right through Council Grove on it's way from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe New Mexico. It was a trail more like an early national highway bringing settlers, goods, and equipment into the unsettled west.  Now Council Grove is a stop over on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway,  Hwy 177.  I turned South.  The Flint Hills regions of Kansas has an under laying rock layer making it unsuitable for plowing so ranching and cattle grazing is the main stay of life in this area....back in the days millions of buffalo roamed these hills, with deer and antelope.   

Farmers and Drovers Bank 1898 Council Grove, KS

The Simcock House in Council Grove,  KS

The Flint Hills S-Byway passes mostly through tall grass prairie, and a few small towns, Council Grove, Cotton Wood Falls, Strong City , and Cassoday.  

Cassoday claims to be the "prairie chicken capital of the world" I didn't see nary a one.  

The Cottonwood Falls Chase County Courthouse 1873

Strong City, KS once called Cottonwood Station because the train stopped here, then changed to Strong City  for William B. Strong President of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe RR

(later merged with Burlington RR now known as BNSF RR) 1871

Near the end of the Flint Hills Scenic Byway is the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve...so I stopped.

Unfortunately I got there too late to take the ONE Bus Trip into the preserve, (week days they have one trip at 11 am) It takes you on a 3 1/2 mile ride back into the preserve and to the Bison Herd they have there...and you can not go back on your own.....and only a few trails allow dogs.

I feel that they could at least do one ride back every hr or so since it's such a short ride and get some electric carts to use... the thing is people want to preserve what they can see and visit...and the other trails into the preserve are long and out in the open with no shade...soooo

I took a short hike on the Bottom Land Nature Trail...with the girls, Casey waited in the shade with a fan on him...

it was one of the 3 trails they allow dogs on...

Annie 

lots of prairie flowers...

...and some thistles that drew some goldfinch do you see the goldfinch in this photo?? He is pretty well hidden...

On the grounds are the remnants of the Jones Family's 7,000 acre Spring Hill Stock Farm...from which the preserve is made up from...it is now at 11,000 acres in size. 

Spring Hill Ranch House

The Spring Hill Barn

Tours are available of the house, barn and grounds...I was not really interested in touring the buildings I'm way too impatient...so I got my passport book stamped, took the Nature Trail hike with the girls, it was HOT and WINDY...

and then headed on...picking up hwy 54 east at the end of 177  and we stopped near Fort Scott, KS just short of the Missouri State Line.  We camped at the Bourbon Lake County Park, it was free!  Nice lake had a heron pay us a visit...can you find the heron?  All sorts of scavenger hunts in this post...

The dogs loved it here they were able to run around off leash...and we had a quiet night..with millions of frogs singing us a lullaby. 

Next day  it was hammer down to get home in 2 days so an early start to Wednesday...we continued on Hwy 54 and intersected I-49 South and then picked up I-40 East at Fort Smith, Arkansas...and drove through the Ozarks...

I-40 East through the Ozark Mountains

And  we took I-55 South near Memphis, TN  and cut over to I-22/78 in Mississippi,  this route can be a bit weird if you try to get on Hwy 78 back in Memphis it can be one long sit after another as the highways intersect in a busy area....I stay on I-55 south and take one of the roads that cuts over to I22/78 a little farther south after that is is traffic free.  

 We stopped in Waterford south of Holly Springs, MS and stayed in Wall Doxie State Park, we arrived just at dusk. losing that hour getting back into central time made it hard, then we lost another one the next day!  

the Visitors Center

Wall Doxie State Park in Mississippi 

The lake there...

We didn't hang around  next morning after breakfast we got on I-22 East and picked up I-20 East in Birmingham, AL and took it all the way to within 11 miles of home...got home about 9 pm Thursday night on the 21st  of Sept.  

The Dogs and I were Glad to get  home safe. 

This is the last of my scheduled posts. Since arriving back home
I have been feeling pretty tired.  I'm happy to get the last of these experiences down so the history of my adventures are saved.  

Now taking things a little slower this week.  Last week I burned up the daylight with catching up on outside chores, cutting grass, trimming hedges, taking 2 trailer loads of tree debris to the dump.  This year I killed my leaf blower and my hedge trimmer so new ones are sitting in cardboard boxes in the van.....also got a new chain for my chain saw...it's time to start sawing up and splitting some wood for the fireplace. 

Today in the yard along with the last few days of our ruby throated hummers, yellow billed cuckoo, and northern parula.  I'm itching to go check some of the areas south of me for shorebirds, if I wait a couple more weeks I think I'll get a bigger reward.

I ended up according to ebird with a new life list of 412 so added 14 new species overall.  Some of the split ones I thought were counting were not...like that Scrub Jay...apparently.  

I had a great Summer in Colorado!! I really hope I can go back next year and pick up where I left off!!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Sweet Home and Mississippi

Monday....road trip got off to a slow start, stuck in Atlanta traffic for 2 and a half hours! Something happened to the road and they closed part of it and made everyone get off where I needed to go...so it took that long to go 7 miles!

Finally Got moving again, and after 8 hrs of driving I found a camp in Alabama.  I forgot to take a photo of my site I was in site #2, a very quiet loop of old farts in big 5ths wheelers, and me!

 

After a quick shower and a meal it was lights out for me I was exhausted! In the morning I drove to the lake at the park and had a walk around.  

Here's the lovely old stone bathhouse built by the CCC, they rent boats, have swimming, and lots of mountain bike trails.  One of the trails goes all the way around the lake. 

The pain in my foot is keeping me from doing a lot of hiking, but I did a little birding around the area.  

I saw about 18 species in about half an hr fifteen at the campground and another 15 at the lake.  

the eastern bluebird

I found this log reminded me of a dragon for some reason...

A few yellow rumped warblers were making a fuss males and females, of the myrtle variety, the male kept high up and wouldn't show his face...

the Palm Warbler was more rewarding...

A couple of Great Blue Herons fished the back side of the lake...

then they flew off over the dam,

back on the road a gorgeous day for driving, blue sky with passing clouds, warm but not miserable...yet.

Back on I-85 south, (I took I-20W to I-285 South then I-85 South to Montgomery, AL, then I-65 South to Mobile, and picked up I-10 West just at the Mississippi Line)  Off 65 South I stopped at this Pecan Store, it was part gift shop part restaurant.  I bought 3 postcards and took a walk around the parking lot. 

This was a cool thing in the dog walking area...an ivy covered gazebo. 

Some birds found there 

 

northern mockingbird

red winged blackbird female

There was a small wetland by the driveway it had some red-winged blackbirds fighting on the reeds, and a few females were present also.  And I saw this weird mud nest...

 

I have no clue who made it!

I was able to resist the pecans and was back on the road pretty quick, this is on I-65 South heading for Mobile, AL

Then over the Mississippi line I stopped here at the Visitors Center for info 

There was some awesome carvings outside and inside the building. here's a sample...

Not far away was the Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR.  The Mississippi Sandhill Crane does not migrate, and they differ in size and coloration from the regular migrating SH Cranes.  I did not see any cranes they had just completed a prescribed burn along the trail, so I was lucky to see anything. 

The Savannah terrain will respond to the burning with lush new growth, but I'd rather they had done it after my visit...

I saw some awesome pitcher plants and other wild flowers that enjoy having wet feet...

I think these black spots on the upper corner of my photos is my hat, I can't figure out what else it could be!...So this is the Bayou that is on the back section of this short 3/4 mile trail.  I saw a few birds including the great crested flycatcher and a yellow shafted Flicker

a fuzzy flicker...

This was not a planned stop so I didn't visit the other units of the Refuge, I wanted to make it to my planned stop for the night at Buccaneer SP.  Located across from the Gulf of Mexico.

This entire park was rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything around here in 2005.  This is very close to New Orleans.  I will not be going to New Orleans.  There is no way it could beat Charleston for old city charm,  and I don't want to fight the traffic.  City slicking is not my cup of tea.  

A willet battles the surf

there is a trail that leads to a marsh here and I walked along it before calling it  a day, found this inquisitive Eastern Kingbird, 

and a Brown Crested Flycatcher ...ca-ching

this trail leads to a marsh where I turned around...

back at site 12 where I am 2 rabbits were grazing 

Here is the Van  getting a well deserved rest.  

I sure do miss Casey  I keep wanting to talk to him, and he is not there...I didn't realize how often I would have a little chat with him while we travel together.  It is way too hot here in the van for him to wait for me so I'm glad he is safe at home, and he is doing great I'm told. 

Tomorrow I will head onto I-12 to bypass New Orleans, and into Louisiana, and eventually back onto I-10 W into TX where I plan to crawl down the eastern coast to start with! I'm hoping at that point to see some new birds, and more open water.  

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.