Day 41 North of Frankfort KS to Washington KS

June 21, 2023

Another drop off day. I really prefer to ride campsite to campsite but it’s not always possible to find a place to park the trailer. Drop off generally means a later start which means a hotter and more windy day as temperatures and winds pick up as the day proceeds.

Riding through Frankfort, there were some interesting old buildings.

I wonder what its original purpose was. Could use some new windows.

I passed this playground and had to smile. We used to have a dog who loved playground equipment. He would climb the slide and slide down. And he would climb over the jungle gym shaped like this one.

Peter only walked him there at night but one day we were in the park near the tot lot and Moby saw the slide. He beelined there and climbed up, peeling children off the ladder and slid down. Thankfully no one was hurt. Moby didn’t know about taking turns but he was a very smart dog. The big slide was removed by the parks department shortly thereafter, much to Moby’s dismay.

I continued westward on SR 9 most of the day. Outside Frankfort there was an unusual barn with a stone base and stone outbuildings.

No surprises here. What you see is where you’re going.

Crossing the Big Blue River before Blue Rapids. I think it’s a misnomer.

Blue Rapids has a town square with a memorial to those who have served, an installation about the glaciers and the oldest rocks in Kansas, Sioux Quartzite, and a bandstand. It is surrounded by many limestone buildings and a log cabin built by Swedish immigrants.

The next town , Waterville, has an old hotel that is still operating.

The Weaver Hotel is across the street from the railway which made it convenient for travelers

Can you imagine making campaign speeches from the back of this caboose?

My favorite town today was Barnes. I was looking for a snack and thought there might still be a bakery there. They also had a cute little bandstand/bandshell with a mini basketball court and a rose garden.

Looks like those odd fellows have been here.

Then I met Tom Hayes. He was among other things a baker in the Navy for 20 years. His in-laws lived in the area so he and his wife retired here. Originally he had a business in Blue Rapids but said the townspeople weren’t very friendly. But he had found his place in Barnes. His bakery is a made to order affair so there were no delicacies for me today but I did buy some frozen cinnamon buns for Peter’s birthday breakfast tomorrow. I hope they survive the transport!

This is Tom’s “warehouse” where you pick up your order on an honor system. He also stores his frozen buns and klotchkes there

I continued on SR 9 then headed north to Washington KS on SR 15. I love that Kansas highways signs are sunflowers!

We’re camping at the City Park in Washington. There are free showers at the pool about a block away. The showers have great water pressure. The park in between has a wonderful play structure- the biggest I’ve ever seen.

We went out to dinner at the Sale Barn Cafe. I assume the sale barn is for the sale of livestock but there was no aroma to confirm that. The dinner was delicious! They also sell eggs and pasture raised beef, pork and lamb. I get the impression they have their own farm. I had a salad with grilled chicken- the best meal at a restaurant this whole trip! Followed by two scoops of delicious ice cream.

If you’re ever in Washington KS, eat here!

After dinner, we sat outside. I worked on the journal while Peter prepared for another Zoom meeting at 7pm Pacific time. Luckily he’ll do it in the truck as that’s my bedtime!

This is how Henry tells Peter he wants something- like a walk

Overall a pleasant cycling day! Life is good!

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 1,541 miles (2,480 km)

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