Kansas through our lens

For the past several years, Goodland, in western Kansas, has been waving at passers-by with the World’s Largest Easel. It’s 80-feet tall, and atop it rests a 32-ft.x24-ft. representation of one of Van Gogh’s "Sunflower" paintings. Kansas is the "Sunflower State," and Goodland is at the center of the local sunflower industry, so it makes sense. Canadian artist Cameron Cross pitched them the idea in 2000; they raised the $150K necessary to build the thing. Goodland’s painting is a version of "3 Sunflowers in A Vase," one of the seven sunflower paintings Van Gogh made back in the late 1880s. One of the original Sunflower paintings sold in 1988 for $40 million. Its dimensions were 29''x23" or only about 5 square feet. At that rate, the Goodland painting could be worth more than $6 billion, easily qualifying as the world's most valuable painting.

Russell, Kansas was known for its oil industry and also the boyhood homes of Senators Bob Dole and Arlen Specter.

Real early oil rig.

Also really early oil rig.

Fort Riley was established in 1853 as a military post to protect the movement of people and trade over the Oregon-California and Santa Fe trails. In the years after the Civil War, Fort Riley a major United States Cavalry post and school for cavalry tactics and practice. The post was a base for skirmishes with Native Americans after the Civil War ended in 1865.

Today Fort Riley is the home of the 1^st Infantry, and most notably, the post was home to the famed Big Red One from 1955-1996 Between 1999 and 2006, the post was headquarters to the 24th Infantry Division and known as "America's Warfighting Center". In August 2006, the Big Red One relocated its headquarters to Fort Riley from Leighton Barracks, Germany.

The famous all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments, the soldiers of which were called "Buffalo Soldiers," were stationed at Fort Riley at various times in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

This is the type of quarters that LTC George Custer lived in when he was stationed there in 1865, from Fort Riley he was assigned to Fort Hays, Kansas then to North Dakota’s Fort Abraham Lincoln where he began his fateful trip and battle of the Little Big Horn.

Typical 1860's home furnishings.

This is the General’s home. Major General Vincent Brooks is the commanding general at Fort Riley. Brooks was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He attended the United States Military Academy where he rose to the rank of Cadet First Captain, the highest position (Cadet Brigade Commander), a cadet can hold. He was the first African-American Cadet to hold this prestigious position. He graduated from West Point in 1980.

This is known as the Kirby House which is now a fine dining restaurant.

This is my dinner inside the Kirby House. A Kansas City Strip Steak cooked to perfection.

Abilene granary, the busiest place in town.

The Seelye Mansion was built in 1905 in the Georgian style by Dr. A. B. Seelye, a patent medicine entrepreneur at a cost of $55,000. It’s said to have been the finest home between Kansas City and Denver at the time of construction. The 25 room mansion contains the original furniture and Edison light fixtures. In 1890, Dr. A.B. Seelye founded the A.B. Seelye Medical Company. Seelye developed over 100 products for the company including "Wasa-Tusa," an Indian name meaning to heal. The Patent Medicine Museum contains many artifacts of the A.B. Seelye Medical Company.

Lebold Mansion is a Victorian-era house in Abilene, Kansas, USA. The mansion was built in 1880 at a cost of $18,000 by banker Conrad Lebold. Constructed of native Kansas limestone, it is considered to be one of the finest Victorian decorative art museums in the Midwest. Lebold Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Kansas Capitol in Topeka, it took 37 years from 1866 to 1903 to complete the capitol building at a total cost of about $3.2 million. This is the third Capitol as the others burned down, this one is made mostly of concrete. No more burning down here.

House Chambers, brown Tennessee marble and varieties of Italian marble decorate the House walls.

Senate Chambers. The marble in the Senate chamber was imported. The bluish marble at the base came from Belgium, while the onyx in the center portion is from Mexico. The narrow white strip at the top is Italian Carrara marble, but the tan marble carved around the windows and door came from Tennessee.

The words "Ad astra per aspera," are the the state's motto, meaning "To the stars through difficulties". The 34 stars identify Kansas as the 34th state to enter the Union.

The Great Seal of the State of Kansas would have this design: The east is represented by a rising sun in the right-hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, commerce is represented by a river and a steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as the basis of the future prosperity of the state by a settler's cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horses; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons going west; in the background is a herd of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two Indians on horseback; around the top is the motto, "Ad astra per aspera," and beneath a cluster of thirty-four stars. The circle is surrounded by the words, "Great Seal of the State of Kansas January 29, 1861."

This is the ring in the rotunda. While we were there, kids from the high school were singing patriotic songs without any sound system. The acoustics in the dome echoed their voices as coming from heaven bringing one to the verge of tears. It made our day.

Downtown Topeka near the Capitol, we had lunch at the Kansan Grill.

Lake Shawnee near our RV Park was a great place to ride our bikes and visit.

Lake Shawnee

This is a friendly bunch, they hardly move when you ride through their flock, I guess they live there and we don't.

Donna on the bike trail

Our break for lunch

Another great Kansas sunset to end our day.