Monday, January 19, 2026
Home Blog Page 120

How ‘spectacular views’ can be found in the 11 most scenic towns in Kansas

By
Guest Columnist
-
0

There is more to Kansas than sprawling fields of sunflowers and wheat, according to WorldAtlas.

That website described the Sunflower State as a “natural gem that should be explored,” steeped in beauty while displaying stunning scenery that includes parks, forests, waterfalls, bison and black squirrels.

WorldAtlas last week posted the following list of the 11 most scenic towns in Kansas.

Alma known as the ‘City of Native Stone’

A community of about 800 in Wabaunsee County in northeast Kansas, Alma has the nickname “City of Native Stone,” WorldAtlas said.

Alma is surrounded by vast open fields and agricultural lands that invite “no-frills adventures,” including the more-than-400-acre Plumlee Ranch, which is home to a large herd of bison, the site said.

Those seeking less-remote alternatives may play at Wabaunsee Pines Golf Course, which features “18 tricky holes” accompanied by stunning views of the Flint Hills, or use the tables, picnic shelters or campsites at Alma-McKnight Park, it said.

Atchison is revered for its natural surroundings

A community of slightly less than 11,000 people in Atchison County in northeast Kansas, Atchison is regionally recognized as the home of aviator Amelia Earhart, WorldAtlas said.

Atchison is also known for its natural surroundings, including the tranquil International Forest of Friendship arboretum, the calm waters of Lake Warnock and the community’s “river walk” along the banks of the meandering Missouri River, the site said.

Visitors may also enjoy the view from atop the Amelia Earhart Bridge, which crosses into Missouri, it said.

Colby recognized as ‘Oasis on the Plains’

A community of slightly less than 5,600 people in Thomas County in northwest Kansas, Colby is known as “the Oasis on the Plains,” WorldAtlas said.

Colby features an abundance of green space amid arid landscapes, including Fike Park, which offers playgrounds, walking trails and picnic areas, the site said.

The city’s Villa High Park features a fishing pond, picnic spaces, walking paths and great opportunities to watch birds, it said. Colby also offers the nine-hole Meadow Lake Golf Course.

Cottonwood Falls has ‘cascade with a 40-foot drop’

A community of slightly less than 900 people in Chase County in east-central Kansas, Cottonwood Falls is the site of Chase Lake Falls, “a spectacular cascade with a 40-foot drop,” WorldAtlas said.

“A relatively manageable 0.9-mile trail loops near the falls, allowing you to explore and admire from a safe distance,” the site added.

It said Cottonwood Falls is surrounded by the undulating landscape of the Flint Hills and stands on the southern side of the Cottonwood River, which offers fishing, campsites and picnic tables.

Leavenworth was ‘first city of Kansas’

A community of slightly more than 3,700 people in Leavenworth County in northeast Kansas, Leavenworth is known as the “first city of Kansas,” WorldAtlas said.

The community lies along the west bank of the Missouri River, providing visitors with majestic views of that waterway as well as a chance to hike or jog along the 0.7-mile Leavenworth Landing Riverfront Trail, the site said.

“Also, Wollman Park has a relaxed setting that makes it a go-to for group outings and picnics with family or friends,” it said.

Marquette’s rugged hiking trails a draw

A community of about 600 people in McPherson County in central Kansas, Marquette often hosts visitors who have come to tackle the rugged hiking trails at nearby Kanopolis State Park, WorldAtlas said.

The park features more than 30 scenic trails “crisscrossing a dry wilderness area punctuated by undulating hills and craggy bluffs,” shadowed by the scenic Smoky Hills, the website said.

The Kanopolis Lake Campgrounds offers both developed campsites and primitive ones, while hikers and bikers may explore the scenic landscape and view native wildlife using the 2.3-mile Loder Point Nature Trail, it said.

Marysville has large black squirrel population

A community of slightly less than 3,500 people in Marshall County in northeast Kansas, Marysville is known for its thriving black squirrel population, which is found primarily in Black Squirrel Bark Park, WorldAtlas said.

The Big Blue River runs through Marysville, where people can often be found walking or jogging on the nearby Blue River Rail Trail, the site said.

Marysville Park sits in the heart of the community, offering amenities that include camping, picnic shelters, benches and a large playground, it said.

Norton renowned for its prairie dogs

A community of slightly more than 2,700 people in Norton County in northwest Kansas, Norton is one of the state’s “most scenic towns,” WorldAtlas said.

Prairie Dog State Park near Norton is known for its prairie dog town, which has an estimated 300 prairie dogs, according to the travelks.com website maintained by the Kansas Department of Commerce.

The Norton area is also the site of the Keith Sebelius Reservoir, Norton Wildlife Area, Prairie Dog Creek and the nine-hole Prairie Dog Golf Course, WorldAtlas said.

Tonganoxie site of parks, trails and gardens

A community of just under 5,600 people in Leavenworth County in northeast Kansas, Tonganoxie is the site of the 15-acre VFW Memorial Park, which offers wooded sections, flower gardens and exercise trails, WorldAtlas said..

That park links to Chieftain Park, “another lovely escape with a half-mile walking trail and amenities like ball fields, playgrounds and a horseshoe pit,” the site said.

It added that Tonganoxie is located near Leavenworth State Fishing Lake, a scenic, 160-acre reservoir stocked with fish that include largemouth bass and black crappie.

Wamego’s features colorful tulip gardens and more

A community of slightly more than 4,800 people in Pottawatomie County in northeast Kansas, Wamego stands on the banks of the Kansas River, WorldAtlas said.

The city’s 12-acre Wamego City Park features colorful tulip gardens, a calm pond and a “postcard-worthy Dutch windmill,” the site said.

It told of Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park, four miles south of Wamego, features tallgrass prairie and walking trails, with visitors also being able to enjoy quiet outdoor space surrounding the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church in that area.

Wilson hailed for its ‘backcountry beauty’

A community of slightly more than 850 people in Russell County in north-central Kansas, Wilson is the site of the annual Wilson After Harvest Czech Festival, which takes place July 25 and 26.

Visitors may swim, boat and water ski at nearby Wilson Reservoir, a part of Wilson State Park, which provides “rugged dry land with rocky outcrops perfect for hikers and nature photographers,” WorldAtlas said.

The Post Rock Scenic Byway, extending 18 miles north from Wilson through the Smoky Hills offers “backcountry beauty” that includes “spectacular views of valleys, hills, creeks and other landscapes,” it said.

As reported in the Topeka Capital Journal

How to brace the garden to resist heat stress

By
Guest Columnist
-
0

K-State horticulture expert shares tips to protect plants.

As Kansas temperatures rise, some garden plants will need to be protected, said Kansas State University horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini.

“It is tempting to automatically water plants on hot afternoons, but this is not always what’s best,” Domenghini said.

Vegetable gardens need about one inch of water per week, she said. During a heat wave (above 90 degrees Fahrenheit) it may be necessary to water daily, or every other day.

“Before adding water to your garden, insert your finger 1-2 inches into the soil and check for moisture. If the soil is wet, hold off watering,” Domenghini said.

To prepare plants in advance of a heat wave, consider adding several inches of straw mulch around the plants.

“This will help reduce evaporation from the soil and will regulate the soil temperature, keeping plant roots cooler,” Domenghini said. “Make sure the plants are well-watered prior to the heat wave.”

She suggests watering as early as possible in the morning to reduce evaporation. Watering early also helps to prevent plants from drying out.

“Drip irrigation is ideal, but regardless of the method, avoid watering the leaves. Keep the source of water as close to the soil as possible,” Domenghini said.

Domenghini and her colleagues in K-State’s Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources produce a weekly Horticulture Newsletter with tips for maintaining home landscapes and gardens. The newsletter is available to view online or can be delivered by email each week.

Interested persons can subscribe to the weekly newsletter, or submit their garden and yard-related questions, by sending email to [email protected]. More information also is available at your local K-State Research and Extension office.

Read and Heed

By
Lee Pitts
-
0
lee pitts

When I was 12 my father transitioned from being a long-haul truck driver to being a heavy equipment operator because driving his semi on long trips was interfering with his drinking. His offspring took this news hard because we all looked forward to his absence.

Despite his uncountable flaws there was one thing my old man was good at: he could drive anything with a steering wheel or levers. He started by operating a backhoe, then a bulldozer and finally a truck crane. As part of his training he was given a pamphlet with the signs he needed to learn to operate a crane such as boom up, spool out, etc. I thought it would be neat to memorize these signs, although I never got a chance to use them as a writer or a rancher.

Far more important to me would have been a pamphlet that showed the hand signals your wife uses to help hubby back a trailer. So I’ve put together a list that all husbands should memorize to keep harmony in the home. Men, from personal experience I’d say you should hang this list on a wall in your tack room or shop and refer back to it before you embark on any trailering experience with your significant other.

#1- Shaking Her Fist at You- This implies that you just ran over your wife’s gardening bucket, broke the handle on her small shovel and flattened the bucket.

#2- The Okay Sign- You probably think this means you have backed the trailer into its ideal location but then you would be wrong… again. Your wife is trying to tell you from afar that zero is the number of animals you will able to load or unload in your trailer’s present location.

#3- Jumping Jacks- When your wife is waving her arms over her head while jumping up and down it doesn’t mean she’s exercising. It means “Whoa Nellie” because you just backed into your antique loading chute that was only being held together because the termites were holding hands.

#4- When She Covers Her Face and Tries To Hide Her Identity- This signal is usually used when you’re trying to unload or load cattle at the auction yard and it’s necessary for you to back your trailer into an alley. After about your fifteenth try your wife is so embarrassed that she trying to hide her identity and wants to go into the witness protection program.

#5- The You’re Out Sign in Baseball- You’ve high-centered the trailer and in the process you tore out all the wiring that ran under the trailer thereby requiring twelve hours to fix the trailer lights and still the turn signals will come out backwards.

#6- Your Wife Is Raising Her Fist Above Her Head And Shaking It At You- No, she’s definitely not giving the “Black Power” sign like those American athletes did years ago at the Olympics. I have first hand experience with this signal and it indicates that you just put a huge dent in her beloved 25 year old truck that she drives to work everyday and everyone compliments her for having such a beautifully restored pickup. Not any more they won’t.

#7- When She Keeps Tapping Her Wristwatch And Steam Appears to Be Coming Out Of The Top of Her Head- No, she’s not attempting to communicate with you with smoke signals. She’s really mad and is asking, “Where did you learn to back a trailer ya big dummy and is there any chance you might get the trailer in its appropriate spot before nightfall?”

#8- Your Wife Appears To Be Stirring a Bowl of Cake Batter- I borrowed this signal from the crane operator’s pamphlet only I’m assigning it a different meaning. What she’s saying is, “You’d make a better short order cook than a truck driver.”

#9- Slashing Her Throat- This usually happens at a bull sale when you’re trying to load out with all your friends watching and people are waiting in line behind you to load out. It means, “Let’s put a merciful end to this nonsense and let me drive so we can both avoid further humiliation.”

WARNING: The signs your wife uses may vary and it behooves you to learn the many variations.

Happy trailering everyone!

Just a Little Light: Bumblebees and Hollyhocks

By
Dawn Phelps
-
0

Dawn Phelps
Columnist

 

Hollyhocks are presently blooming in our backyard.  The blooms have almost reached the top of the stalks, reminding me of what a friend told me many years ago.  She said that hollyhock blooms usually reach the top of the stalk about the time the wheat harvest is finished.  So, every year, I pay attention, and she was right again this year!

But best of all, hollyhocks remind me of a huge patch of red hollyhocks in our backyard in Tennessee—they came up every year.  In my younger years, while living on a farm, my sisters and I were free to safely explore our acreage, woods, and beyond.  And we romped barefoot from early spring until fall, making memories that have lasted.  

One of my favorite memories is of bumblebees and hollyhocks.  Let me tell you how it worked.  When the hollyhocks were in full bloom in our backyard, my sisters and I would pick off a big blossom, just the flower without a stem.  

We would hold the blossom in one hand like a cup and face the hollyhock stalk with wide-open blooms, waiting for an unsuspecting bumblebee to arrive inside a flower to sample the sweet nectar.  

When the bumblebee had settled himself inside the flower, we would quickly clamp the already-picked hollyhock over a blossom on the stalk with the bumblebee inside.  Then we had to hold on tightly, really hold on to the two flowers with the trapped bee inside!

While we held on to the hollyhocks, the bumblebee inside became angry and buzzed and buzzed, louder and louder!  We had trapped a bumblebee, and we were in charge of the show!  Such fun it was—at first!

Then, in time, our arms became tired, the game grew old, but inside that hollyhock was a very angry bumblebee!  Yes, the only downside to our game was we eventually had to let go, we had to turn loose!

Even though we had done the “bumblebee-hollyhock trick” before, it was always a temptation to do it again.  But as a rule, the bumblebee won even though we had learned to run like crazy when we turned loose!  But we usually got stung!  The pain was excruciating with ensuing swelling, soreness, and itching to follow!

 

Looking back, I believe there are lessons I learned about bumblebees and hollyhocks which can be contrasted and compared to living life. 

 

  • As children we chose to play the bumblebee-and-hollyhocks game.  With life, sometimes there are no choices in some situations.  Sometimes, life just happens,” and we must deal with the fallout.  

 

  • Sometimes when playing with bumblebees and hollyhocks, we did not get stung.  Many times, life brings us joy, and we can escape the pain, at least for a while.   

 

  • As a child, while hanging on to the hollyhocks, my arms became tired.  Hanging on to the past, if the past has been unpleasant, can be wearisome and tiring.

 

  • Whether hanging on to an angry bumblebee in two flowers or hanging on to the past, turning loose of either can be painful.  Turning loose and moving on with life is not always easy. 

 

  • When holding on to a bumblebee, one must decide when to turn loose, and moving on is a conscious decision.

 

Even though “letting go” can be difficult and painful, whether it be turning loose of a bad relationship, a job, or making some other change in your life, you may have to turn loose of the “hollyhocks” to get “unstuck” and move around “the yard,” to explore life freely again.   

But dare to kick off your shoes and feel the cool, green grass beneath your feet.  Yes, sometimes you just have to let go!

[email protected]

Original Shop Retains Role On Shank Farm

By
Guest Columnist
-
0

Richard Shank
Columnist

A July 2 visit to the Shank farm near New Cambria in Saline County confirmed that Rural America is surviving another wheat harvest. I had planned to write about this year’s harvest, but rains late in June delayed the (Continued on page 4)
(SHANK Continued from page 1) wheat cutting on the Shank farm past the deadline for submitting this week’s column, so here is Plan B.
The farmers I spoke with are reluctant to claim the three-year draught we have been dealing with in north central Kansas is over, but there is plenty of evidence it is subsiding. The corn, milo and soybeans are looking good entering July, the hottest month of the year. We planted a new lawn surrounding the home and may have lucked out doing so.
Sometime ago, and for no reason, it seemed like the time to give the original farm shop a thorough cleaning, and inventory what remains in a building used primarily these days for storage.
The shop saw its origin in the 1930s on another farmstead located one and a half miles north of the Shank farm. Nearly 90 years ago, the building was moved to what is now the Shank farm and, although the structure is showing every bit of its age, it continues to remain, for the most part, upright thanks in part to a new roof that was installed in 2003. As a visitor told me one day, it looks like it just refuses to fall down.
In 2005, I opted for a new and more modern shop; but, five years later had outgrown the 96-square-foot structure. In 2010, a Kansas State Fair vendor’s offer for a 192-square-foot building, with a loft, and free delivery became the deal this part-time farmer could not resist.
If the walls of the old shop could talk, they might report of farmers meeting here to complain about the Secretary of Agriculture and the latest government farm program, the lack of moisture, flooding and then switch to neighborhood gossip. The building had a chimney, making one assume it was once heated, and there is evidence it had been wired for electricity, meaning this outbuilding may have been the 1930s version of high tech.
A long shop table with a vice, is well coated with oil and grease, which is reaffirmation of hours repairing engines or replacing plow shears. The old vice still works like it always did. Beneath the table are several tubs full of bolts, along with a few generators thrown in for good measure.
Several discoveries provided little explanation including a bucket full of nails, a rake with an eight-foot handle, and an axe with a broken handle that had been taped back together, an obvious attempt of my dad getting his money’s worth out of everything. Other discoveries included a tool box from a pull combine, an old fashioned grinder and a bread box.
In some ways, the cleanup was a trip down memory lane including the discovery of an antique cream separator and an assortment of car jacks, all of which seemed to be in working condition, along with the remains of a well-worn pedal tractor. Over the years, the owners had pounded a plentiful supply of nails in the walls for hanging everything from tools to worn out implement belts and combine sprockets. Then there were trucking tags looking as new as the day they were attached to a farm truck, including a 1962 and 1975 tag.
Two heating stoves have been stored in the shop for more than 50 years and both were given new homes, one to a local salvage yard and the other (manufactured in about 1938) was moved to another shed on the farm for safe keeping. From outward appearance, the stove looked like it might still function.
When unexpected noise interrupted the cleanup, it made me aware that some critter had taken up residence in the old shop, and wondering if it might be anything from a snake to a bobcat. To my surprise, a possum, made a quick exit out of the south door and sought refuge in a nearby soybean field.Two humorous stories come to mind about this shop. When a previous owner of the farm purchased a vehicle which was a little longer than the shop, he knocked out a six-foot wide spot on the north wall and built an extension just long enough to house the front of a pickup.
Then, during the 1980s, a tree sprouted up on the north side of the building and my dad wanted to save both; so, he hired a professional moving company to relocate the building six feet south of its original location, where it remains to this day. In those distant times, a little ingenuity solved many problems.
A previous owner placed planks in the beams of the ceiling and placed a multitude of items up there, which to this day, ranks as the only unexplored part of the farm, 63 years after it came under Shank ownership. And, it just may stay that way.
Following my cleanup of the shop, a layer of crushed rock was placed on the dirt floors and the walls were spray washed, releasing several generations of dust and dirt. Currently, there are no plans to return the shop to its original mission; however, with the added space, instead of one implement, two can now be stored inside the building.
The shop provided more food for thought of a simpler time that the old timers call the “Good Old Days.” A short walk from the old to the new shop confirmed there is no reason to turn back the clock.

1...119120121...4,778Page 120 of 4,778

Kansas News, Auctions & Classifieds

Trending

Categories

© Rural Messenger