The Trip to Dodge City

Today we left Wichita and headed West to Dodge City.  It was a sunny day and by the time we arrived in Dodge City the temperatures had climbed into the 80s.  We, as Michigan girls, were happy for the warm temperatures, but we certainly aren't used to them at this point. 

The first stop of the day was the Original Pizza Hut Museum, which is on the campus of Wichita State University.  It is the original building in which the very first Pizza Hut was opened and contains memorabilia from over the years.  It's not as exciting as a visit to the Original KFC in Kentucky, but it was worth a stop.  If nothing else, I got to see the beautiful campus.

We then headed out on the road toward Dodge City with one planned point of interest along the way.  Our travels took us through some small towns and down some old country roads.  We were lucky enough to have our travels take us down the Wildlife and Wetlands Scenic Byway through the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.  There were some beautiful views along the way.

Our next stop was the Pawnee Rock State Historic Site.  This was a significant landmark along the Santa Fe Trail.  The girls enjoyed the chance to stretch their legs and sniff around a new area.  I enjoyed learning a little about the history of the area.

As I stood at the top of this rock outcropping, I tried to imagine the wagon trains driving through that area all those years ago. In the distance in the picture below you can see the traffic on US Route 56 which follows the route of the old Santa Fe Trail. 

After exploring the site, it was the perfect time and place for another quick picnic lunch before I made the girls pose for a picture and then continued on our way to Dodge City.

Part of the fun of a road trip is finding interesting or unique points of interest along the way.  I wish I had time to stop at every single historic marker, but I'd never get anywhere if I did that.  I did however get lucky and have a slow-down due to road construction which allowed me to stop in Garfield, Kansas which was named after President James Garfield and has an interesting little history.

As we continued on our travels, we entered an area where there were wind turbines for as far as the eye could see.  I was interested by the "scenic overlook" which looked fairly newly built as a place to stop for a view of them. 

Finally we arrived in Dodge City.  As you drive into town, there is a scenic overlook which overlooks this cattle yard.  I've never seen so many cattle in one spot.  And you can just imagine the smell!

I tried to get both girls out for a picture, but Maddie decided she'd rather stay in the Jeep.  At least Peaches sat nicely for me!

I was excited to get to Dodge City.  I had plans to follow the walking tour I had found and, after a quick stop at the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a map, we headed out to explore the town.  I expected much more from a historic stand-point and was kind of disappointed with the stop here.  

While it was nice to get the girls out for a good walk around town, it wasn't at all what I was expecting.  There are a few interesting statues and a handful of historical markers around town, but I just expected so much more. 

I was able to get a couple of cute pictures of the girls while we were walking around town: one with Wyatt Earp and one with Doc Holliday.  They were so good for these pictures with lots of traffic and other distractions, I was pretty proud of them. 

While Dodge City was a disappointment, I did find some really tasty Mexican food here and I was happy to spend the day on the road with the girls once again.  Tomorrow we have several interesting stops as we finish our journey West and begin to journey North and then East into some new areas.  I can't wait to see what adventures the day will hold for us.