Stafford, Hudson, Hoisington, Great Bend, Ellinwood, Pawney Rock – what do these names have in common? We didn’t know before, but all are towns in the heart of Kansas, to be precise, in the wetlands and they all have something unique to offer.
Wetlands? Marsh/swamp/bayous? Salt and fresh water at the same time? In the center of America’s Heartlands, in Kansas? Who would expect that? Well, we got a chance this time to explore the wetlands region of Kansas more extensively, thanks to good weather and Cris' perfect planning.
Stafford Mercantile gave us a good head start. In this old-fashioned mom-and-pop store, stocking everything from fishing bait to munition to canned food to paper to clothing to an old-fashioned soda fountain, we met Cris and were treated with a chocolate malt and a cookie dough shake. This day we had driven up from Wichita with a stop at Yoder and Strataca, a huge salt mine, where you descend to the underground and see how road salt was and is mined. Thanks to constant humidity and temperatures it’s also a highly popular vault & storage area for Hollywood film rolls, requisites etc., for medical and official documents and other secret things.
On the Wetlands & Wildlife National Scenic Byway we first drove into Quivera National Wildlife Reserve, which is taking profit of the saltmine underneith and offers saltwater to migrating birds of all kinds. It's main migration time still and though Cris wasn’t able to arrange a good shot of the huge Whooping Cranes (recently observed in the area) for us, we got to see a variety of ducks and geese, ibis and sandhill cranes as well as pelicans (see pic). There is also deer in abundance and we were lucky to see a big buck crossing the road in front of us.
After a night in Great Bend’s well-kept Best Western Hotel we continued exploring the wetlands on the same byway, but first thing was a stop at another unique place: Heartland Farm in Pawney Rock. Operated by a couple of Dominican Sisters, the order is headquartered in a huge convent building in Great Bend, this conglomeration of different rustic buildings in the middle of nowhere, offers some special experience. The sisters living here, rent out rooms in a guesthouse, offer massages, keep alpacas and produce wool, operate a pottery workshop, a music tower, a garden and a greenhouse, there are trails and friendly dogs and much more to forget any troubles, to calm down and relax. A peaceful and quiet retreat.
In Cheyenne Bottom State Park Cris got help in identifying birds for us by the director of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, which is a recommendable first stop in the park with great exhibitions and helpful staff. Also, in this park instructive markers explaining landscape, flora and fauna and such were set up. We drove the loop through the park with large pools of freshwater and packed with different birds – a magnificent drive!
Don’t know too many places, where you are able to find good food in large portions for such a decent price: lunch in the Lone Wolf Restaurant in Ellinwood - steak fingers and a big burger - confirmed that you really don’t need chain restaurants, just watch out for a lot of local pick-ups in front of a restaurant. On to the Wolf Hotel, a recently opened historic hotel, where the young, enthusiastic owner did an amazing job in renovating the building. It's still work-in-progress and he's currently adding a mystery theater and a bar. Guests are already welcome to stay in beautifully decorated rooms.
Ellinwood is known for its tunnel system underneith ground and we were lucky to be able to join a tour across the street from the hotel. We didn’t research the background yet (days are simply too short for that) but it sounded sort of amazing, that german immigrants (actually, from Bavaria), supposedly had constructed this system of tunnels in the 1870ies and 80ies, when the city was founded, for „male operations“ like barber shops, brothels, gaming rooms, bars or a harness shop (see pic). Only when tornado warnings were effective, also ladies went underground (and probably where surprised where their husbands used to spend their time).
Besides the phenomenon of the tunnels themselves, it would be interesting to know more about the german heritage in this part of Kansas. There are so many german family names - like the Wolf family in Ellinwood, who owned a flour mill, a brewery, the hotel etc. - and we will try to find out about the origin of the immigrants and their motivation to come to exactly this part of Kansas.
There was much more we experienced on our fabulous tour along the Wetlands & Wildlife National Scenic Byway and for sure this route is well worth being explored: unique nature, history and simply down-to-earth rural Kansas combined in one place.
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