The Long Road Home: Day 4 and 5

Alley Mill

I finally started heading north and drove back into Missouri to Ozark National Scenic Riverways. I didn't realize that Arkansas had so many springs and that was the focus of this preserved area. I started out at Alley Spring and Mill. It's a beautiful old mill next to a large spring. My next stop was Round Spring.

Round Spring

Then it was on to Rocky Falls.

Rocky Falls

My last stop was Big Spring. It astounded me because there was just raging water seemingly out of nowhere but it must have been coming from underground.

Big Spring

Big Spring

It was really cool to check out all the springs but the Ozark site is so extensive that I had to drive a couple hours between all the sites. It is located in the Mark Twain National Forest so it was a lot of back country driving. The key fob for my car was acting up and I had to manually unlock it and then hold the fob up to the push button to start it. I was nervous to turn my car off since I wasn't in cell phone service so I just left it running while I checked out the springs. Luckily it was a Thursday in November so no one else was really around. I drove into Illinois to find a hotel for the night. The next day dawned cold and cloudy. 

Lincoln 

I drove to the Lincoln Boyhood Home in Indiana. I had been to other Lincoln sites in Kentucky and Illinois so it was nice to complete the story of his life with where he grew up. I remember reading a book when I was little about his mother, Nancy Hanks, and this is where she is buried. 

Lincoln Pioneer Home

They also have a pioneer home and farm. In the warmer months it is a living history farm but it was closed up for the winter. I made a slight detour into Kentucky and stopped at Frankfort to see the capital. The capital itself looked like others but it was located in a residential area which made it unique. It had a very quaint feel.

Frankfort, KY

My last stop of the day was Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers in Ohio. I had driven by it a few times but it was only designated a few years ago so it's not developed yet. They now have tours available upon request since the house does not yet have a fire suppression system. It's basically a short video and then walking around to pictures of him while an interpreter tells you about him. I'm glad I finally got to check it off my list. It was 4pm and I was only about 6.5 hours from home and my bed was calling my name so I decided to head for New York. I got stuck in traffic around Columbus for a little bit but then it was smooth sailing. I was in bed by 11 and it was soooooooooo good to be home!

The Long Road Home: Day 3 and 4

Topeka

I started off Day 3 at the Kansas State Capital. I always make a point on my road trips to check out the state capitals along the way. They all start to look the same after awhile though. I headed over to Independence, MO and the Harry S Truman National Historical Park.

Truman House

You have to purchase tickets to tour the home and I was the only one there so I got a private tour. The home was turned over to the Park Service after the Truman's left so it was a really well preserved example of a 1950s home. I never knew much about Truman but he seemed like a really humble, down to earth person. I really enjoyed learning more about him, especially his love story with his wife. Across the street from the Truman Home is the Noland Home which is where Truman's cousins lived and where he would stay when he was courting his wife. Across town is the Truman Farm Home. It is preserved on a few acres but its surrounded by development so it's hard to imagine it as a farm. I headed down the border of Kansas and Missouri and arrived at Fort Scott National Historic Site.

Fort Scott

It is also surrounded by the town of Fort Scott but its really well preserved and interpreted. There are 20 historic structures and each has a lot of information to absorb. There is also a little tallgrass prairie preserved but I've been to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (which is much more expansive) so it just looked like an unmowed patch of lawn. I stayed for a couple hours to absorb everything.

Fort Scott

My last stop of the day was at George Washington Carver's National Park Site. I had been there last year with Mom and Dad but we got there late and I felt rushed. This time I decided to focus on the inside exhibits because they were pretty extensive. George was a very inspiring man and it was great to learn even more about him. I turned south and continued on to spend the night in Arkansas. The next day, my destination in Arkansas was the Buffalo National Scenic River. It's more of a summer destination but I wanted to check another NPS site off my list. My first stop was the Tyler Bend Visitor Center.

You can hike the River View trail but the fog was so thick that you couldn't see the river. In all the fog I did see some deer which made for some neat pictures. I decided to loop around to the Collier Homestead.

Collier Homestead

As I was approaching the homestead I saw a dog in the mist. It was a little white terrier and he ran right up to me and jumped in my arms. He was so adorable that I figured his owner was around somewhere. I walked up to the homestead and there was a guy smoking on the porch. It was his dog and he made small talk as I was walking around the homestead. As I walked inside though I noticed a backpack and bedroll in the corner. Apparently this guy was "knapsacking" around and had been across 4 states so far and he just squatted in a NPS cabin for the night! I immediately decided to get out of there. On the one hand, I figured anyone with a dog that sweet had to be okay but then I thought, maybe that's his ploy is to use a cute dog to lure people in. He was perfectly nice but I still got the hell out of there. I drove over to another overlook of the river and the fog had lifted by then. The river was pretty low though.

Buffalo River

The Long Road Home: Day 1 and 2

Buffalo

I was greeted by a very special sight when I left the ranch. I finally spotted the buffalo! The road out runs along the back of one of Ted Turners ranches and I'd always heard there were buffalo there but never actually spotted them so I took that as a good omen. My first stop was at Pecos National Historical Park. I didn't realize my GPS was set to avoid highways and I had been planning to get gas in ABQ. By the time I got to a gas station in Mountainair, my car said it had 5 miles left in it. As nerve wracking as that was, it was nice to be off I-25.

Kiva

I arrived at Pecos and there were 3 buses in the parking lot and it was swarming with high schoolers. Luckily they were just heading out so I embarked on the self-guided trail.

Church Ruins

The rangers provide you with a really nice written guide to follow along and learn. You can walk down into a kiva and explore the ruins of a church. It was located in a very pretty setting and I was glad to walk around after over 5 hours in the car.

Fort Union

Fort Union

My next stop was at Fort Union. It had another self-guided walking trail. The fort was fairly extensive but it was all ruins. Again, there was a great written guide provided so I followed that along to learn all about the history. A really cool aspect of Fort Union is that you can still see the wagon ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. After walking the grounds, I got back in my car and headed to Raton, NM for the night.

Capulin Volcano

Capulin Volcano

Capulin Volcano

Capulin Volcano

The next day I had one more stop left in New Mexico. I drove to Capulin Volcano. There is actually a road up to the top which is pretty unique. There is a trail at the top around the rim of the volcano. It had a 12% grade so it was exhausting! It was also almost at 8,000 feet elevation so I had to stop and take a lot of breaks. The view went on forever though so it wasn't too much of a hardship. There was also a trail down to the bottom of the volcano. It was a unique landscape to explore. Then I hopped back in my car to cover some miles. I drove out of New Mexico and into Oklahoma then crossed into Kansas.

Fort Larned

I arrived at Fort Larned in the late afternoon. I had been there before with Jess 9 years ago but I was ready to get out of the car and stretch my legs. The fort is restored really well and most of the buildings are open so I toured around and refreshed my memory. When we were there before we had Breezy and Max so it was bittersweet to reminisce about those sweet puppies. The sun was setting so I got back in my car and drove to Topeka for the evening.