“On the road again -
Goin' places that I've never been.
Seein' things that I may never see again
On the road again -
And our way is on the road again.
7/12/2015; rev 7/20/2015
Let me tell you of our drive up I 25, as it was fantastic. We first took note of the lush green landscape, even before we reached Albuquerque; and the farther north we drove, the better, better it became. We know and sympathize with our California friends, as we too have had those nasty droughts that seem to last forever. But this July drive was in perfect Lush green grass country. New Mexico is as green as Colorado and northern Kansas, and they are spectacular. We don't ever remember the country being this pretty, nor the grama grass so tall. As we paralleled the Ole Santa Fe Trail, I thought of those pioneers of a 160 years ago. Oh! what a splendor they must have enjoyed.
When we left Carson's, our objective was to visit the Museum and Libraries of both President Eisenhower and Truman, two of our favorite Presidents. The drive from the Denver area into Kansas was very interesting. The wheat looked ready for cutting in Colorado, although the harvest had not yet begun; but it has in Kansas. The combines were beginning to show their strength, as we traversed across I -70; and the corn was beginning to show tasseling. Harvest time is near, and that spells Cash to our Farmers. I-70 also holds hundreds of Wind Turbines generating electricity. I understand from my Kansas friend, Fred Berry, that the turbines generate 17% of Kansas's electrical power. Ah! Ah! and you thought Kansas was just flat prairie land with fields of wheat.
We refer to our traveling as moseying along, and we drive as such. We set the cruise control on 62 mph and enjoy the ride. This give us time to wave at the busy folks, as they passed on their hurried way. We spent the first night at Ellis, KS in a City owner RV Park, and it was 1st class. Lakeside RV Park.
Looking from the RV Park across the Lake was the beautiful St Mary's Catholic Church. Too, note the use of Kansas limestone incorporated in the Church.
From Ellis it was just a hop, skip and a jump to Abilene, Kansas to visit the Presidential Museum and Library of President Eisenhower.
The site of the Eisenhower Library and Museum is on 22 acres which surrounds the Eisenhower home, where Ike and his 5 brothers were raised. Their home was on about 2 acres, and it took the Museum 30 years to acquire the surrounding properties to make this sanctuary.
The Eisenhower family built this home in 1898 and lived in it until the passing of Ike's Mother, Ida, in 1946. 
And by Gosh, if i didn't meet this beautiful woman at Ike's Home. Say Hello to Miss Dottie!
I'm showing this picture, as this was Ida Eisenhower's chair in her living room. She lived in this home from 1898 till she passed away in 1946.
Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe - General of the Army Dwight D Eisenhower
The famous 'Ike' jacket.
General Eisenhower was only 55 years of age in May of 1945, when Germany unconditionally surrendered . This picture taken on "VE Day" lives in the hearts of all Americans, as it symbolizes the joy that all of our Allies shared on that May 8th.
I remember being in the 6th grade at Lew Wallace in Albuquerque, and the celebration we had in assembly. We, as children, didn't really know any thing in our young lives; but that we as a Country were at War. But even in our celebration none of we boys would have thought of bending to 'kiss' a girl. Ugh!.
The General was a humble man, and some of his memorial words are the expression of his constant strife for peace.
The Eisenhower Chapel is a very simple, but solemn resting place for the President and Mrs. Eisenhower, and their first born son Doud.
The President was laid to rest here in March of 1969, and Mamie joined him in November of 1979.
Ike the President
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Presidency 1953 - 1981
The 34th President of the United States of America
Mamie Eisenhower was a very classic lady, and one who dignified her husband.
The major actions of 'Ike's' 8 years in office were Ending the Korean Conflict and beginning the Interstate Highway System. As early as 1919 Eisenhower was involved in a military transportation study. In this exercise he accompanied an operation taking a convoy from Washington DC to San Francisco. The Convoy averaged 5 mph. Then in WWII he was overwhelmed with the German Autobahns System and their ability to move troops. These two experiences convinced the President that the United States must make a major investment in our highway structure. In 1956 he signed legislation that created the Interstate Highway System. It is this highway system 'Paved the Road' for our expanding economy and personal travel to unparalleled heights.
President Eisenhower had some other significant heights in his terms of office. He was able to create the armistices in Korea in 1953, and when the Russian launched Sputnik in 1957 he answered with the formation and funding of NASA. He led us into the Space Age.
President Truman instituted desegregation of the US Armed Forces, and it was Eisenhower who implemented this action as well as Civil Rights action integrating our public schools system. And it was Ike who called in the 101st Air Born Division to Arkansas when Governor Faustus refused integration. His Civil Rights platform hit right in the pocket book with his philosophy of Wherever Federal Funds are expended............ there will not discrimination.
This is an excellent reference on General/President Eisenhower, that you might enjoy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower
Fort Riley and the Cavalry Museum
When we were leaving Carson's, he mentioned the Calvary Museum at Ft Riley; and being we were going right by, so 'Why Not'.
In 1938 we lived on Campus Blvd, just past the University of NM. The National Guard had their Cavalry Horses stabled on the University at the corner of US 66 (Central) and Girard, just 4 blocks from our home. I loved those horses, and at every opportunity I'd slip off and go visit my 4 legged friends. Oh! They were good friends, but I'll also admit that I had my bottom swatted more than once for this practice. Here is my friend from years ago, isn't he a beauty!
Ft. Riley was completed and armed in 1858 shortly after the Mexican War. It was a reach into the prairie to help settlers start over the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails.
The Mission of the Cavalry at Ft Riley.
I loved this picture of the Museum built in 1890, and it shows the architecture of the entire Fort with its Kansas Limestone.
I had to place these next two pictures with the first being the Wainwright Hall. General Jonathan Wainwright led the NM National Guard on Corregidor, the Bataan Death March, and those many years in the Japaneses prison camps of WWII.
The Man who replaced the Horse with his tanks - General George Patton.
Patton Hall directly across the street from the Calvary Museum.
Topeka, the Capital of the State of Kansas
Renovations to the Capital Building have just been completed, and we were completely impressed that the Architects kept the original design. This Capital was built in 1865, after Kansas came in to the Union as the 34th State in 1861 under the term of President Abraham Lincoln.
This is a picture of the original Capital Building.
Though Dottie's image in not in focus; (I've a problem keeping her 'focused' at best.)
\
Oh! so elegant!
Just look at the artistic craftsmanship of this ceiling in the Senate Chambers.
And this the inside view of the Capitol Dome
In the Capital Complex I found the picture on three Air Craft Greats, Clyde Cessna, Walter Beach, and Lloyd Stearman. i.e. Cessna Aircraft Co, Beachcraft Aircraft Co and Stearman Aircraft Co.
These are three in visionary Pioneers of Aviation and you will well recognize the names of Cessna Aircraft, and Beach Aircraft, but you have to be on far end of Maturity to remember the Stearman Bi-Wing. But if you've ever watched a 'Crop Duster" at work then you've seen an Stearman. This picture was a complete surprise and discovery to me that all three of these Icons could have been in Wichita and working together in business. It is little wonder that Wichita has become the Air Manufacturing Center that it is with Boeing, Cessna and Beach still operating there. I just had to share this with you.
The following has come from links of Wikipedia through Google.
Clyde Cessna
Travel Air Manufacturing Company
In the years following World War I public interest in private flying increased, leading Cessna in 1925, along with Walter Beech and Lloyd Stearman, to found the Travel Air Manufacturing Company in Wichita, Kansas. While Cessna was president, the company soon became one of the leading US aircraft manufacturers. This success may be attributed to Cessna's advanced design concepts and aircraft that attained international recognition in the course of establishing numerous speed and distance records.[3][6] After two years, Cessna left the company with plans to start his own firm,[6] due to design disputes with his partners over the monoplane versus the biplane.
Walter H. Beach
He was born in Pulaski, Tennessee on January 30, 1891. Beech started flying in 1905, at age 14, when he built a glider of his own design. Then, after flying for the United States Army during World War I, he joined the Swallow Airplane Company as a test pilot. He later became general manager of the company. In 1924 he and Clyde Cessna formed Travel Air Manufacturing Company. When the company merged with Curtiss-Wright, Beech became vice-president.[2]
In 1932, he and his wife, Olive Ann Beech, co-founded Beech Aircraft Company. Their early Beechcraft planes won the Bendix Trophy. During World War II, he produced more than 7,400 military aircraft. The twin Beech AT-7/C-45 trained more than 90 percent of the U.S. Army Air Forces navigator/bombardiers and 50 percent of its multi-engine pilots.
Beech died from a heart attack on November 29, 1950.[3] He and his wife are buried at Old Mission Mausoleum in Wichita, Kansas.
Lloyd Stearman
Stearman was born in Wellsville, Kansas. From 1917 – 1918, he attended Kansas State College (later renamed Kansas State University) in Manhattan, Kansas, where he studied engineering and architecture. In 1918, he left school to enlist in the U.S. Naval Reserve in San Diego, California; while there he learned to fly Curtiss N-9 seaplanes.
During the mid-1920s Matty Laird, designer of the Laird Swallow aircraft, hired Stearman as a mechanic, giving him his first exposure to fixed-wing aircraft manufacturing. On February 4, 1925, Stearman and Walter Beech teamed up with Clyde Cessna to form the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. On 27 September 1927, he left to form his own manufacturing company, the Stearman Aircraft Corporation.[1] It was there that he built the Stearman C2 and Stearman C3, and designed other biplanes for mail and cargo delivery, observation and training. After WWII, many Stearman PT-13 primary trainers were converted to agricultural aircraft; In 1948 more than 4,345 Stearman aircraft were used in agricultural flying.
In the early 1930s, Stearman became president of Lockheed Aircraft Company (now Lockheed Martin Corporation), during which time the Lockheed 10 Electra and Lockheed 12 were designed and introduced. In 1936 with Dean B. Hammond he formed the Stearman-Hammond Aircraft Corporation to produce the Stearman-Hammond Y-1.
Stearman died of cancer in 1975.
The capitol splendor carries on in the rest of Topeka too. Look at the Topeka Hight School Tower.
Topeka's Episcopal Cathedral
We drove through the Campus of Kansas University but encountered several road detours due to construction. That is good as nothing gets better until after construction. But it did restrict our Campus Tour. We really could not stop and take pictures, so please accept from us that KU is a marvelous campus. Driving a Motor Home and pulling a car is a little different than whipping about in a VW. KU is laid out in rolling hills with great expanses of natural areas all blended into an architectural master piece. And they had a pretty darn good basketball program too!
From Lawrence and Kansas University it was only 30 miles to Missouri, and that zipped by in a hurry. So the next log we'll share with you our impressions of Independence and President Truman's home, library and museum.
Come on Willie sing us another verse, and we’ll move on down the road.
Norm & Dottie