 MONDAY |
TRAVEL DAY |
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Today we traveled 119 miles north/northeast and arrived at our second Kansas State Park camping location. This time we are at Prairie Dog State Park in Norton, KS.
Also on their site was a small SUV and a 17 foot motor boat. Quite a bit of stuff for a 14 night maximum visit. I mentioned that to him and he told me they were renting their space by the month, for the entire camping season, April through October. I didn't know that was even an option! By purchasing an annual camping permit there are a limited number of sites in each Kansas State Park that are reserved for long term visitors.
When we slow down on our journey I'll have to check into that, it is at a very affordable rate.
Thanks to our neighbor spreading bird seed all over the back of his campsite each day, we have pretty much a non-stop view of wild turkey out our rear window.
Keep in mind, we've never seen a real prairie dog, but today was the perfect day to go in search of them! It was sunny, with no winds and mild 65 degree temperatures.
Even though a young prairie dog is called a "pup", they are actually a ground squirrel and not a dog at all.
Prairie dogs are highly social, living in large groups called “towns”. They co-operate to share food, protect their burrow and often groom each other.
When group members meet each other they exchange a prairie dog kiss, or nuzzle. Prairie dogs act together to ensure each others' safety by "barking" out warning calls when an intruder is near.
We witnessed this activity first hand while we were quietly taking the following video and photos. They weren't happy with us at all because we were inside of their town boundaries.
A field full of prairie dog burrows creating their "own town".
A couple of curious onlookers.
Tricia zoomed in on this male ring-necked pheasant hiding in the tall grasses nearby.
First up is a one of a kind gallery which is located in the small nearby town of Norton, KS. It occupies the hallways and conference room walls on second floor of the First State Bank building located right on Main Street. It's dedicated to the candidates who were defeated in each of the U.S. Presidential Elections.
There is a framed portrait and short biography of each of "the losers", spanning from the first election all the way to the most recent. It's called the "They Also Ran" Gallery and was an interesting find and well worth the admission price, FREE!
It was created in 1965 by the then bank president and was designed in a way to generate some much needed tourism in the town. Today it is maintained by a very enthusiastic bank employee who was happy to take us upstairs and explain the history of the gallery and her efforts to keep accurate and current information available.
As you can see in the photo the biography for defeated President Trump hasn't been written yet! Wonder why that is?
Imagine my surprise when I pulled into the second station and saw there were a couple of women inside. Apparently it is currently being used as a mortgage and title company. I just waved and slowly pulled away. I wonder how often that happens to them? Damn crazy tourists!
Last on the list for today is groceries! As usual in these small towns there is usually only one option on where to shop. Fortunately this town's grocery store had a nice selection of fresh produce, fruit and vegatables. We were able to find everything we needed for the next week.
"SATURDAY SODA SAMPLINGS"
Say that three times fast!
I'm going to give this week's soda one thumb up, for taste, but also one thumb down for being generic. Definitely not worth the $2.49 a bottle I paid to basically get a 7-UP.
Let's hope next week's flavor steps up to the palate! No that's not a typo.
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Until next time
