Flint Hills Adventure Route

[TripLeader]

Part 26 [Upper Falls River]

"When the cares o' day are done, on the plains o' Kansas,
And the kids begin to yawn, sleepy like in Kansas,
Farmer wipes his glasses blurred,
Reads a chapter o' the Word,
Then kneels down and thanks the Lord that he lives in Kansas.

-Little River Monitor, November 1, 1906


Another time capsule of life.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 27 [Thrall]

The fame of Kansas is world-wide. Puck says in Italy children are taught that when they die they will go to Kansas."

-Sherman County News, February 11, 1888


Only one building still stood in Thrall. The place was an open range for miles around. You drove over a cattle guard to get in and over another to get out.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 28 [To Madison City Lake]

How often at night when the heavens are bright,
With the light from the glittering stars,
Have I stood there amazed and asked as I gazed,
If their glory exceeds that of ours.

-Home on the Range, Kansas State Song


We continued on.










Camped near Madison.



Kansas knows how to provide a sunset view.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 29 [Madison Proper]

We rode the the town the next morning. The old filling station drew us in.















A downtown alley was adequately described as derelict.

 

[TripLeader]

Part 30 [Bushong]

The proudest thing I can say today is that I'm from Abilene.

-Dwight Eisenhower


We continued on our way home, but with a stop in the small town of Bushong. It's the site of some old buildings, a couple that have sort of been restored; and the site of two veteran memorials, one of which is sort of a folk art type. The folk art memorial tells of ten young men from the town who died in the service in WWII. The town's population at that time was 134. That made Bushong's per capita loss the most of any town in Kansas, and perhaps the country.