Roadside Kansas: Day 2

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Dad and I awoke refreshed and restocked this morning in Manhattan, to set off on another day's adventure and the beginning of our trek North, West, and South.

A picture of our wonderful downtown skyline as we departed about 8:30 AM.
We headed west on K-18 (Fort Riley Boulevard) to K-113 (Seth Child Road), and North on US-24 to US-77, which we followed North to a housing development known as University Park, some 25 miles North of Manhattan.
The development is laid out around the lake, and features a volunteer-run golf course, helipad, lake access, and homes. Dad notes those that live here have a very close knit community.

We got back to US-77 and visited a township cemetery that had been completely relocated after Tuttle Creek Lake was constructed. We then crossed Fancy Creek, noting the lake is still much higher than normal due to heavier than average rains this summer. We arrived in Waterville, turned West on K-9, and headed off for our "brunch."

On a trip to a wedding in Washington, Kansas, dad spotted this little restaurant in Barnes, Kansas. It is called the "Home Town Cafe," and it looked like the perfect place to begin our "off the beaten track" experience. Barnes has a number of businesses, and for a city of ~150, it does very well. The Barnes Mercantile, a general store, has been in business since the 1890s. Additionally, a corner store, "Our Daily Bread" (A bakery), a quilt shop, and a 1940s WPA band shell grace the downtown area, alongside the Cafe.

Welcome to Barnes

I ordered some great Chicken Fingers, and dad had the 2-egg Breakfast. Was very affordable, friendly, and by the time we left, a slew of cars was parked around the cafe for the lunch rush. According to Marci Penner, author of an excellent Kansas explorer's guidebook, the cafe is community owned.

Over brunch, Dad and I reviewed the route to Kearney.

After Breakfast, dad and I decided on a slightly modified route plan. We departed Barnes on K-9 West, and passed "Gree nleaf," according to the passing road sign. We left K-9 for K-148 and went for some real exploring action. We passed Agenda, KS., and then a sign six miles west saying "Historical Marker." We slowed and looked south. There was a gravestone which read, Strawberry, Kansas 186? - 1951. I've never heard of a town having a deathdate before, but a gigantic flood would probably do enough damage to warrant one. After Agenda, we turned north on a county road and headed for Cuba. The sign reads, "Welcome to Cuba, Kansas. Czech us out!"

They aren't kidding.

Downtown Cuba, Kansas. The Cuba Cash Store on the left is a general store. The blue building two doors down is a cafe. The name? "Two Doors Down."

The town is very Bohemian. There is a "Bohemian National Cemetery" nearby, and the community auditorium bears, in Czech, "Bohemian National Auditorium."

"Bohemian National Auditorium"

We drove around Cuba looking for odd things. We found them:

This humble little building in Cuba's city park, which I proposed was a municipal water pump, was actually...

A relic. Thats right, the door reads "First Commercial Bank (of Cuba)."

We left Cuba for the thread that unites all Northern Kansas towns, US-36. Headed West, we passed Bellville, Scandia, and Mankato before turning North for our next destination, Leabanon, Kansas - Or rather, the Geographic Center of the Continental United States of America.

Leabanon didn't seem to offer much in terms of souvenir options, but this sign assures us they do.

This pyramid-shaped monument with a flagpole marks the Geographic center, one mile North and one mile West of Leabanon.

This small prayer chapel was previously mounted on an old trailer, but it has now been put on a permanent foundation. Dad also pointed out new landscaping work had been done.
Someone built an motel at the site. Now, the only guests are a bunch of school desks that are stored in the lobby. You see me, trying to be sleuthy.

We left the US Center, headed north on US-281 to I-80. We also left Kansas. Nebraska is just about the same as Kansas, with worse roads and rotten traffic.

We headed North through Hastings, where my dad's family visited on occasion. Then, we got onto I-80 for the following rewarding view. Although, with I-80 traffic, construction, and odd choice of road materials - I wonder if it was worth it.

Yep, that is a bi-level museum, spanning the Interstate.

We also had difficulty remembering the name of this iconic arch. Would you? Its the: Great Platte River Road Archway Museum (GPRRAM).

We went under the arch, then two miles to the Kearney exit where we backtracked along a two mile frontage road to the arch. Not knowing what to expect besides a large arch, we entered. We were greeted by a 1849 mountain man with a perfect accent and presentation. He had us go "do business with the ladies at that there counter" and pointed us to "the outhouses 'r down that trail." This same man, we later found, graces the sides of the archway with his wonderful, foot-long beard.



The museum is about transportation, which I'm pretty cool with. We were given headsets, as the museum is self-guided and the headsets play different looping recordings based on where you are in the exhibit. The first floor was largely about the 49'ers and the trip to California and Oregon, the Pony Express, and the Transcontinental Railroad, while the second floor served as the link to the present, beginning with the Lincoln Highway (now US-30) and ending up with the Superhighway system of today, with two small windows showing visitors the motorists going under you, and how fast they are going.

This ironic sign was just outside the GPRRAM, a pedestrian bridge with a five ton weight limit.

After the Great Platte River Road Archway Museum, we set about finding a place to sleep. Neither of us had ever tried a "Microtel" before, and the good rate pared with a contemporary room was enough to have us make a reservation. Then, we went sightseeing in wonderful Kearney, NE.

We browsed the downtown selection of restaurants, and then went to the Trails and Rails museum, located on the west side of town. It was almost closing time, so we opted to look around for ourselves instead of go on an abbreviated tour of the grounds. I seized the opportunity to try my panoramic shot taking skills. Please click on an image for a larger size.

The 1733 Ranch barn. Located 1733 miles from both Boston and San Francisco.

While TWA was everyone's favorite airline in KC, its no wonder this museum has a favorite, too. Union Pacific's mainline cuts right through town with multiple trains every hour speeding past.

A collection of some historic buildings, trains, and paraphernalia from Buffalo County can be found at this museum.
Me being me, in a train, where I belong.
Complicated analog cockpit. ;)
Beautiful "the Brick," downtown Kearney, where we ate.

We ate at the Thunderhead Brewery. Dad got a Bierock and I got a Calzone. It is known for its Pan Pizzas.
This, the "Fred House" is located on the UN-K campus. It was built in the 1880s and has the largest panes of Tiffany Glass ever installed in a residential home. The building is open for tours, however we arrived outside of hours and took pictures from the outside.

After dinner, we explored Kearney's lakeside homes and neighborhoods. One interesting fact is that, while some streets are named, North-South streets are numbered, as well as the East-West streets. N-S streets are "Avenues" while the others are mere streets. Kearney is the one place I could ask you to meet me at 4th and 33rd streets.

Kearney is a wonderful city and has great hotels, sights & attractions , food, and shopping and is truly an excellent daytrip for someone who needs some place to go. Tomorrow, we're hitting up the Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska, and heading home to Kansas for the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays.

Goodnight until tomorrow!