Dodge City, Kansas

We had a mobile RV repairman come to the RV on Saturday and with Dave's help, the 2 of them got the cable back together.  This cable hooks up on top of the slide, on the inside, and it is a push-me, pull-me type mechanism, when you engage the motor one side of the cable pulls and the other half of the cable acts like a push-me, each one pulling or tugging the slide along.  So, when I had engaged the slide when we got in on Friday and heard the bang, the cable on one side came off and it was laying on the floor.  Yes, I could bring the slide in a tidge, but probably could not put it back out without it being fixed.  Needless to say, we learned a lot that morning.  Friends Larry and Pam got the green light from us that we were back in business and they came by for a couple of hours to catch up on each other's life.  Was good to see them again.

Green dome of Topeka, the state capitol

Luck ran out, it rained.

Kansas is not flat by any means, still raining 

Entered into the Flint Hills region of the state

I had extended our stay one day, not supposed to leave until this morning (Tuesday) because we were not sure what was going on, but decided to leave yesterday and packed up and skedaddled out of Topeka ahead of a storm.  Yes, we are in Kansas and I was looking for Toto and Dorothy - I knew they were near that storm coming.  Got through Topeka (capital of Kansas) and off we went westbound on I 70.  And, the storm caught us.  Oh well, cest la vie!

Fort Riley, very large military base

I had forgotten he was from Kansas 

Did not know they made this candy here

A large wind farm - biggest we have ever seen, but wait!

Past fields and fields or sorghum and climbed up into the Flint Hills.  Was so surprised of the rolling hills - Larry said that we would be in the Flint Hills for awhile then eventually flatten out.  Past Fort Riley (it's really big!!) and then we came to the cutoff near Ellsworth.  Started our drop south and west on Route 56 - the old Santa Fe Trail - and pretty much followed the Trail for the rest of the trip.  We dropped into and out of small towns, was surprised at how big Big Bend was, then on through Larned (will come back and visit tomorrow) and continued to follow the Trail.

No corn, no wheat, but sorghum galore

Scenic highway as well as Prairie Trail, and Santa Fe Trail

Droopy sunflowers, looked wild, not a planted crop

Big Bend is big.

More wind generators being staged in Spearville - that town calls it self -
home of the wind mills, Spearville considered to be the most windy
town in the United States (15 miles north east of Dodge City)

Santa Fe Trail was not so much an emigrant trail but a commercial highway of sorts.  Goods from Kansas transported south and west to Santa Fe, and then on south to Mexico and goods returned to be exchanged, etc.  Why did we come to Dodge City?  Wasn't on our radar a couple years ago but since we have learned about all the Emigrant Trails and the Santa Fe Trail, we thought if we had the chance we would stop in Dodge City.
 

Still on the Santa Fe Trail 

Spearville, Kansas - wind generators as far as you could see

And we made it, Dodge City for a couple days

Couple of notes:  we have camped in or very near 38 state capitals!!  Kansas is a VERY WINDY state, our drive here had wind on our nose thankfully, not on the side of the rig.  And Kansas is a very big state.