Tallgrass Prairie (Hays, Mission, Council Grove: house, construction, camping)

[AnywhereElse]

A couple of months ago, we went to visit the Tallgrass Prairie: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) We really enjoyed being there and hope to go back when they are having a "function". Unfortunately, the house was closed for repairs when we were there.

We hadn't really realized it was there until we were headed to Council Grove to go camping, another stop I recommend: http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/vis...cfm?Id=M504100 It was really very nice there especially since we were there in off-season.

Council Grove looked quaint and my husband had relatives there at one time. We didn't have the time and energy to explore it though.

This area would make a good mini-vacation for nature lovers.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

A couple of months ago, we went to visit the Tallgrass Prairie: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) We really enjoyed being there and hope to go back when they are having a "function". Unfortunately, the house was closed for repairs when we were there.

We hadn't really realized it was there until we were headed to Council Grove to go camping, another stop I recommend: http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/vis...cfm?Id=M504100 It was really very nice there especially since we were there in off-season.

Council Grove looked quaint and my husband had relatives there at one time. We didn't have the time and energy to explore it though.

This area would make a good mini-vacation for nature lovers.

That was on our short list of places to see on the way back from a trip from Minnesota to New Mexico with the intention of working our way from Witchita up thru the middle of Kansas and into Nebraska. However, after nearly 3 weeks of being on the road and the prospect of sleeping in our own beds, we turned the car onto I35 N instead.

There was a small city park near the NB border that was where Tamson Donner was buried near the start of their ill-fated journey that we thought would be pretty cool to visit. All kinds of little out-of-the-way historical and nature sites all over your state.

But like you say, it is close enough to do a mini vacation and I could see us soon coming back to expolre the interiors of KS and NB soon.

[itsMeFred]

Quick correction on the minutia:

Nebraska is NE.
NB is New Brunswick…Canada

[j_k_k]

That's at the old Z-Bar, just over from where my family's pasture is. The tour of it is rather cool, so I'm sorry you missed out. I believe that the Z-Bar renovation is an ongoing process, but if you get to stop by at a later time, it would be worth it. A lot of fixtures and decorations that have the feel of snapshot from a time gone by. Strong City and Cottonwood Falls are interesting out of proportion to their sizes, though Strong is a little more rundown-looking in places than Cottonwood. The courthouse is rather impressive (somewhat similar construction basics as the Z-Bar, and if you ask the clerks nicely they'll probably show you the old strap-iron county jail in back. Good incentive not to get thrown in it. There is usually a pretty good eatery in the area in addition to beer joints, and some craft stores, such as one where they sell my cousin's jewelry (therefore I naturally recommend it).

Also, if you care at all about Notre Dame or football, it's not far from where Knute Rockne's plane went in. The memorial and crash site are on private property, so one has to ask permission, but that's not very difficult. If you struck up a conversation with a local merchant and visited with him or her for a while, once the merchant felt convinced you were all right, s/he would probably be glad to call the property owner and ask 'could these nice people please come out and look at the memorial in your pasture'. Council Grove is nice too. Definitely want steaks at the Hays House. Kaw Mission is all right, long as one can get past the actual mission of the mission.

If I moved back home, I might live in Council Grove, Strong being a little too small for me. If you go through there in season, check for ranch rodeos at the rodeo grounds in Strong. My wife hates rodeo because she thinks it's cruel to the animals, but she likes ranch rodeo because the competitors are local outfits doing the tasks they do in daily cowboy/girl life, and it is undesirable to treat the stock any more roughly than necessary, thus cowboys/girls are penalized or disqualified if the animals are harmed. No bull nuts get strapped up, or anything like that.

[AnywhereElse]

The day we went it was getting pretty warm outside so we decided not to go and check out Strong City or Cottonwood Falls although we hope to see more the next time we drive out that way. C-D has some photos of Cottonwood Falls: //www.city-data.com/city/Cotton...ls-Kansas.html