The first trip of 2008: Rolling Hills Zoo

Call it an exotic trip close to home.

That's the point of the one-tank trip - to find the unique of Kansas and explore. So, if you haven't been to Salina, then you should plan day out.

It helps the zoo was built a decade ago, making it one of the most up-to-date zoos around. The animal exhibits are visitor friendly. There's no big chunk of concrete barrier like at some zoos. Aside from the infrastructure, the animals are great, and there is plenty of variety.

My only disappointment: No penguins.

A few points of interest includes the building/ticket booth. It used to be the Tescott Depot. The Museum also has a conference center. The museum also has a cool theater.

If you go, be sure to stop at Salina and eat a "Cozy burger" at the Cozy Inn. The nearly 90-some-old burger joint is a Salina staple. If you walk in, you're sure to smell like the burgers on the grill. In the recent past, however, owners added an outside walk-up window.

These hamburgers are so thin, you can almost see through them. But boy, are they good. And, by the way, you can't order a Cozy without onions. I pick mine off.

A little personal history on the Cozy. My grandfather, Harold Cooley, supposedly ate the first Cozy off the grill when it opened in 1922. At least, that is what he always claimed. I'm fairly certain that even if it wasn't the first one served, he ate a Cozy the day it opened.

Sometimes things don't work out

I had heard about NASCAR's first winner being a native of Halstead. Coincidentally, there was a NASCAR-themed restaurant in this little Harvey County town that had some relics of the guy whose name is often forgotten by even the biggest NASCAR fan.

With all the racing fans we have in Kansas, I thought it would be a great story. However, sometimes stories just don't work out.

Halstead native Jim Roper heard about the first NASCAR race at a three-quarter mile dirt track in Charlotte, NC, by reading a note about it in a comic strip in his local newspaper.

Roper convinced a local care dealer to drive two of his Lincolns more than 1,000 miles to Charlotte, N.C. to complete in the June 19, 1949 race.

It would be the first NASCAR "Strictly Stock" race ever -- now known as the Sprint Cup. Roper actually came in second to Glenn Dunnaway, but Dunnaway was disqualified after it was discovered that his rear springs were altered.

Roper raced one more NASCAR race. He was 16th overall in the 1949 standings.

According to a local guy, he died in 2000 and is buried in the local Halstead cemetery.

I thought Roper's successes would make an interesting story and one-tank trip, tied in with this popular bar and grill with the NASCAR theme.

The story, however, dissolved before my eyes when during the interview, the restaurant unexpectedly shut down and has yet to reopen.

Sometimes things just don't work out, but I have to admit it was the strangest experience I've encountered. While Halstead has plenty of interesting attributes, it doesn't fit the criteria of a one-tank trip.

There are a few stores open on Main Street. One woman moved to town about six months ago and opened a coffee shop and sundry store. She sells everything from candy and coffee to gifts, bulk foods and quilts. She also plans to have concerts, as well as open a pottery painting studio.

The Old Hardware Store on the southern edge of Main also is interesting -- especially if you are looking for hard-to-find items. Except for a few items, including electricity, the store represents an early 1900s hardware.

Other stops are the Kansas Health Museum, and Halstead has a great river walk and park, which was featured in the movie "Picnic."

Exploring the hidden glory of the Gyp Hills

This was my favorite one-tank trip of 2007. But then again, I'm a little biased when it comes to Barber County. It has to be one of the most beautiful parts of Kansas.

For this story, I interviewed Elmer Angell. I had seen his seed sign during my travels along the scenic roadway. He wasn't home, so I looked his number up and called him when I got back to work.

Before making the call, I didn't know about his passion for the area, his work to establish the scenic roadway or anything else. I called him by chance, and he was a great source.

He grew up in this area, and his dedication to the Gyp Hills runs deep in his blood. He talked about how he worked hard to promote the area, as well as made calls to the Kansas Sampler Foundation in an effort to get the Gyp Hills chosen as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.

It was a finalist. But sadly, especially for Elmer, it wasn't chosen.

If you go, stop by Buster's. Then take the road through Lake City, which is pretty much a ghost town. The school is dilapidated. Most of main street is, as well. An old-style phone booth still stands. I think it even still had a dial tone.

August 12, 2007

Exploring the hidden glory of the Gyp Hills

By Amy Bickel
The Hutchinson News
abickel@hutchnews.com

MEDICINE LODGE - As you travel the back roads of Barber County, the sky expands across red hills that rise and fall like waves across a sea of grass.

And these rugged Gyp Hills are far from the supposed flat Kansas landscape.

It's where cattle roam in the summer until herded by cowboys, where good roads mean taking a path through a fence and crossing a grate into an open cattle range. Green cedars dot the butte-like terrain, where the windswept grasses give way to prairie flowers.

"It's beautiful, it's unique, it's a spectacular exhibit of what our creator did," said 87-year-old Elmer Angell, who lives and farms deep in the hills. "There is nothing like them in the world, and they cannot be copied."

Back road tour The Gyp Hills are part of an official Kansas scenic byway, which runs along a 40-mile stretch of Highway 160 from Medicine Lodge to Coldwater. But most won't see the area's true beauty unless they wander onto a back road.

Angell, who operates a seed farm, has lived amid the hills all his life. He helped establish a 22-mile route by his home that winds through the open range, putting up green markers that designate it as the Gyp Hills Scenic Drive. It cuts through some of the county's most dramatic scenery. The route takes unpaved roads through the rolling hills and red mesas, past Flower Pot Mound and other landmarks. Sunflowers line roadways, and the surroundings are seemingly quiet, except for the sounds of the wind and oil wells pumping.

It's just one of several roads amid the Gyp Hills that folks can travel.

A cold one at Buster's

Buster's at Sun City has long been known for its beer in a fishbowl, served up for 60-plus years.

It's the only business in the town of 77 - which sits beside the boarded up bank and across the street from dilapidated storefronts along Barber County's River Road. that folks can travel.

Yet the business lives on, serving hamburgers, steaks and smoked meats six days a week to the sound of spurs that clang regularly on the bar's hardwood floor.

"I hope it never gets to a place that I take the sound of those spurs jingling on the floor for granted," said owner Katt Kerns, who admits she didn't realize real-life cowboys still existed until she purchased the business in February.

The big-city girl confesses she hadn't heard of Sun City or Buster's until she was browsing eBay. She figured she'd stop by on her way to Oklahoma, where she was looking at another business venture. She never made it farther south.

For the past several months, she's been running the more than 60-year-old business started by a guy named Buster.

Buster Hathaway opened Hathaway's Tavern in 1946, and it was eventually dubbed Buster's. He ran it until he died in 1996, and he is buried in the cemetery on the east edge of town.

Buster's was the first bar in the state to serve draft beer, Kerns said, noting that Buster preferred Coors. It was also the last business in the state to have outhouses as bathrooms. Another owner added bathroom facilities after Buster died.

The restaurant and bar draws folks from all over, not just Barber County, she said. For the past several months, she and her family have been restoring the building, which also is the oldest in Sun City.

"Buster's is an icon in itself," she said. "But it also is an icon that was kind of run into the ground, and my job is to get it back up from the ground."

Promoting the Gyp Hills

Kerns said she likes to travel up the dirt road south of town into the Gyp Hills and look down at Sun City in the valley. The white church steeple peeks out above trees that envelop the town.

"Kansas is supposed to be flat, but this is so awesome," she said of the hills that surround her home.

But the area isn't familiar to some tourists, who have heard of the state's Flint Hills but not necessarily the Gyp Hills, Angell said. Where else would folks see those distinctive red hills, Angell asks.

Rocks are stained red by iron oxide. Water once covered the area, he said. Erosion sculpted the hills people see today. He wants others to take in the red hills he calls home.

"Folks come from other parts of Kansas or other states and are so amazed at the unique setting and the beauty of the Gyp Hills," he said. "I'm sure it is the most scenic areas of the state of Kansas."

If you go:

What: Barber County Gyp Hills
Miles from Hutchinson: 87 (about 1.5 hours)
Miles from Dodge City: 105
Gyp Hills Scenic Drive: About 3 miles west of Medicine Lodge on Highway 160. Turn left at the sign that says Gyp Hills Scenic Drive. Head south on Gyp Hills Road, then west on Scenic Drive Road. Watch for the small green signs. The route brings you back to 160 on Lake City Road. The 22-mile trip also is one of 24 finalists in the 8 Wonders of Kansas promotion.
Sun City: Take Sun City Road north from Highway 160.
Buster's hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, visit: http://www.8wonders.org/

Marquette legend's career on display

Stan Engdahl died last year. He was a great tour guide when I went to Marquette for a one-tank trip in July 2007. His legacy, however, lives on through the Kansas Motorcycle Museum, and it still is very interesting if you enjoy racing sports and motorcycles. The museum added an addition this year to display more items. Stan's wife still is a curator.

What I enjoyed the most was the Indian motorcycle and seeing the old pictures on the wall. I also was amazed that Stan won a race at Sturgis. Most of his trophies are on display.

If you go, be sure to stop by the cafe, which is run by a British woman. I have a passion for soda fountains. City Sundries on Main Street probably doesn't rank up as one of the top fountains I've stopped at, but it's worth walking in the door.

About 10 miles to the west is Kanopolis Lake, and 10 miles to the east is Lindsborg.

July 22, 2007

Marquette legend's career on display

By Amy Bickel
The Hutchinson News
abickel@hutchnews.com

MARQUETTE - In a storefront on Main Street in this tiny town of 600, a white-haired man sits behind a desk, waiting.

He waits for the next person to open the door, the next person to tell the story of Stan the Man and the story of why the townspeople of Marquette turned a dilapidated old building into a motorcycle museum in honor of the local celebrity.

A fearless racer, they called him. A guy whose trophies number more than 600 and who five times won enough titles in a year to reign as national racing champion. He also has 16 state championships.

That's why they dubbed him Stan the Man.

"That's what they called me," the white-haired man named Stan Engdahl said of his motorcycle-racing career that spans a half-century.

A Kansas racing legend, Engdahl retired from racing in 1997. It didn't take long for townspeople in his McPherson County hometown to decided to renovate his former television repair shop and turn it into the Kansas Motorcycle Museum. It opened in 2003.

Evidence of Engdahl's career spans the building, everything from photos and trophies to his custom-built racing Harley. More than 100 donated motorcycles fill the museum. That includes a 1916 Harley Davidson, a 1958 Cushman Scooter, a 1922 Indian, a 1928 Cleveland and a 1994 Russian Ural. But Engdahl might be the biggest draw.

Engdahl and his wife, LaVona, are the curators, manning their posts seven days a week. Just pick a trophy, and he'll tell you the story. For instance, he won his first race in 1948 on a track near Salina. He became hooked. "My mother didn't like it," he admits. He won Sturgis' Jackpine Gypsies in 1968.

In 1962, he won the state championship with a broken leg. Engdahl broke two bones in his lower leg six weeks before the race. Organizers made him sign a release to participate. His doctor told him to be careful.

"I was," Engdahl said. "I never fell off."

Good day trip

Even Engdahl didn't know the effect his racing would eventually have on Marquette. While the neighboring town of Lindsborg capitalizes on its Swedish heritage, Marquette cashes in on motorcycle tourism, said Steve Piper, who owns the town grocery store and served as mayor 14 years.

Stephen McGee opened Steve's British Bike Museum - a hybrid museum and motorcycle shop - in 2005. In addition, a motorcycle rally in May brings 3,000 to 5,000 people to town and enough bikes to line both sides of Main Street.

"We built the museum for one reason, to help the town, to bring visitors to town," Piper said. "We've had thousands come through it."

It also makes a good day trip. Folks can go to downtown gift shops, have a soda at the sundries, visit the British bike museum and eat lunch at a local establishment.

"It's been a great boost for Marquette," Piper said. "It's helped some businesses in town. It's one of the best things we've done for Marquette, anyway."

Dead artist, his work still a big draw

Here's one of the first one-tank trips from the 2007 series. For those who haven't been to Lucas' Garden of Eden, I'd highly recommend it. My favorite part of this whole story was interviewing Dinsmoor's 79-year-old son, who is a successful professional and lives in Colorado.

For the most part, Lucas and the Garden's owners have kept the site up in good shape.

If you go, Lucas is known for its artists. There's plenty of sculptures and pieces around town, including the World's Largest Travel Plate, which welcomes you into town.

July 29, 2007

A century after it all began and 75 years after his death,
Lucas' Dinsmoor and his works of art are still on display.

By Amy Bickel
The Hutchinson News
abickel@hutchnews.com

LUCAS - You need a flashlight to see S.P. Dinsmoor.

"He's getting kind of moldy," admits tour guide Samantha Schneider as she shined her flashlight toward his head.

His body has shrunken and the black suit he was buried in is rotting. However, even 75 years after his death, folks can look through the glass-sided tomb and see the decomposing creator of Lucas' Garden of Eden.

He's a creator townsfolk heckled as he poured 113 tons of concrete to form one of Kansas' most famous works of art - one that surrounds a little limestone house in this town of 400.

At least, it is the most unusual.

A concrete Adam and Eve greet visitors. Above them, the devil, storks and frolicking children reside. Cain murders Abel, angels, serpents and a watchful eye of the all-seeing deity also are among the 150 sculptures in his garden. It still attracts the curious from around the globe, and Dinsmoor is still there, on display for the world to see if they choose.

Dinsmoor was a Civil War veteran, schoolteacher, farmer, Populist thinker and a forerunner in grassroots art. He started building the limestone cabin home in 1907 at the age of 64, working 22 years on his project until he could no longer see. He died July 21, 1932.

"Not only is it an impressive accomplishment for a retired man to put together, it also is an educational resource for those interested n the history of the Great Plains," said Jon Blumb, Lawrence photographer and president of the Garden of Eden Inc., a group of a dozen or so shareholders who purchased the garden in 1989.

Biblical scenes mingle with political messages. In the back yard, Labor is crucified while Banker, Lawyer, Preacher and Doctor give their approval. On another pillar, an octopus represents monopolies and grabs at the world while a soldier and child are trapped in two of its tentacles. Another concrete tree shows the Goddess of Liberty driving a spear through the head of another octopus and freeing citizens.

"The Goddess of Liberty, the octopus, they are like the typical political cartoons of the time period," Blumb said, adding that the message for America remains relevant today. "Our political situation nowadays could use him," he said. "I'd vote for him."

Today, the Garden of Eden draws thousands to this tiny Russell County town, including grassroots artists like Dinsmoor.

"He didn't even know what that was, but he has been an inspiration for a lot of people," Blumb said of the art movement. "But how could you live in Lucas and not be influenced by Dinsmoor?"

Yet, beyond the tons of concrete, political messages and oddities, the garden's finishing piece is Dinsmoor himself. He built a 40-foot-tall limestone log mausoleum for himself and his first wife. She died in 1917. He remarried a 20-year-old at age 81, had two children, and then died.

His second wife executed his final wishes - to be buried in the mausoleum, his body visible inside the glass-topped concrete coffin and to have visitors be charged at least $1 to see him, Blumb said. Today, the charge is $6 per adult.

An air leak discovered a few years ago has sped up the corpse's decomposing process, tour guide Schneider said.

Dinsmoor's son John, also the youngest living son of a Civil War veteran, said he makes the journey every few years to the garden and the tomb. His father died when he was 4. He lived there until he was 13, however, when his mother sold the property to pay back taxes.

Now 79, John Dinsmoor said he didn't mind seeing his father during his periodical visits.

"I get to look at him eyeball to eyeball," he said. "He's pretty well decomposing, and he's still making money."