Cattle, Compadres, and Creative Art – Visiting Nebraska and North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway

We had a long but very pleasant, stress-free drive along US-283 to Johnson Lake State Recreation Area in Elwood, Nebraska.  Good thing we arrived relaxed, because getting into our RV site was a real nailbiter.  The site was plenty long enough, flat, and private.  But it had a straight in angle.  Furthermore, it was surrounded by huge trees with very low-hanging branches, signposts, flower boxes, boundary logs, and a dumpster to boot.  It was such an obstacle course, it took Dad 45 minutes to get us parked.  We trimmed a few trees and added a few scratches to Suite Retreat’s exterior, but we were so relieved and grateful to finally put down jacks and get settled.   (Of course, this could have been avoided had we been able to reserve one of their pull-through sites.  But, alas, all of them were booked.  This place is quite popular, so we were lucky to even get a back-in site).

The Recreation Area includes a lovely lake for boating and swimming.   It also boasts a 10-mile hiking/biking trail (we hiked about 3 miles of it), 4 miles of which are part of the American Discovery Trail, which I learned is a 5,000+- mile national coast-to-coast trail that starts in Cape Henlopen, Delaware, ends at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes, California, and passes through 15 states and Washington, D.C.  I may have been on this trail previously without even knowing it, since its path coincides at points with many multi-state trails, National Parks, and State/City Parks.

 

As non-residents of Nebraska, it cost us $35/night for our 50-amp electric site without water and sewer (but there is an easily accessible dump and potable water station at the front of the campground).  We were also subjected to a $14 per day non-resident pass ($7 for Nebraska residents) for Big Boomer, our tow vehicle.  (Had we taken my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon outside of the Recreation Area, we would have had to purchase a daily vehicle pass for it, too.)  But we felt it was all money well spent since it put us within 10 miles of the home of Quartzsite pickleball friends Cyndi/Jim.

 

That night, we had a great time catching up while feasting on one of Mom’s tasty meals.  The next day Cyndi/Jim gave us a wonderful tour of their vibrant, culturally-diverse hometown, which has both outdoor and INDOOR pickleball and tennis courts.  The use of the courts is open to residents of their town as well as non-residents and it is FREE OF CHARGE!  That is music to this Rambling RV Rat’s ears.  We had a blast playing several doubles matches using rally-scoring, which we felt makes the game more competitive and is a heck of a lot easier to keep track of the score for forgetful folks like this stuffed rat and his parents.  (In regular scoring, only the serving team can win a point.  But in rally-scoring, either team can win the point, regardless of which team served the ball.)   We worked up quite an appetite from playing, so we all headed over to Medo’s Beachfront Resort, where we enjoyed breaking bread together on the upper outdoor deck overlooking the lake.  Thanks Cyndi/Jim for the good times and new memories we have created together.

 

I am happy to report that exiting the RV site at Johnson Lake Recreation Area the following morning was a heck of a lot easier than getting into it.  We were heading to another Harvest Host in Ellsworth, Nebraska.  Our route took us mainly along Scenic Byway NE-2, where the flat plains transform into gently rolling hills of sand, upon which a variety of grasses grow.  (I learned that this topography is found only in Nebraska and in Mongolia).  It is above this unique landscape that the sandhill cranes journey back from their winter homes.     

 

Flying Diamond Ranch touched my heart from the moment we arrived.  15,000 acres of God’s Country.  Our host, Jaclyn, is the 5th generation of the Wilson family to operate this Ranch, which was established in 1888.  The parking area was huge, level, and welcoming, complete with flower gardens, seating area, grill for barbequing outdoors, and friendly, gentle canine friends.  The 10-mile dirt road to the Ranch is fairly well maintained, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend following the 50 miles per hour that Google Maps indicates is the speed limit.  We took it VERY slowly, savoring the spectacular views.  Jaclyn took us off-road with her, giving us a tour as she addressed some Ranch issues.  Everywhere I looked I witnessed nature: horses, deer, waterfowl, birds, and, of course, cattle, including a few calves who just turned a month old.   This was such a wonderful, spiritual experience.  Wilson’s Flying Diamond Ranch is now one of our favorite Harvest Hosts locations.  Plus, the meat we purchased was delicious.  My Rambling RV Rat rating system only goes up to 5-cheeses.  But Wilson’s Flying Diamond Ranch is off the charts, earning the new rating of a 5² cheese award.

 

So sorry to leave this slice of heaven!  

We departed the next morning, stopping in Alliance, Nebraska for Carhenge, a Roadside America attraction.  The art exhibit, created in 1987, replicates England’s Stonehenge.   But instead of using rock pillars, it uses 30+ “vintage” cars (the oldest dates to 1950).   The art park has some other unique pieces, all using car parts and scrap metal.   It always amazes me how clever, ingenious, and creative folks can be.

 

The car on the far left is the "Autograph Auto", where you can sign the car...

...So, I felt obliged to leave my John Hancock

Some other unique "car part art".

Soon we were welcomed to South Dakota.  We have been throughout the State numerous times (our first visit was a fly/ride motorcycle trip in 1999) and spent more than a year there cumulatively.  From Sioux Falls to the Corn Palace, from Pine Ridge to Hot Springs, from the Black Hills to Deadwood, from Wall Drug to Badlands, we have toured the State extensively. We have hiked, biked, rode horseback, motorcycled—heck, we even snow-shoed there during a blizzard in early May 2015 when we work-camped at Crazy Horse Memorial.  Hence, we chose to just do a drive-through on this trip, staying overnight at Black Hills Vista RV Park in Sturgis, South Dakota.  The Park had a 90-foot pull-through site for us, so there was no need to detach Big Boomer/Suite Retreat or even the Jeep.  The place must be a zoo during the motorcycle rally, when there are wall-to-wall RVs like a Camping World parking lot.  However, for overnight this time of year, it was perfect.  It wasn’t cheap ($62/night including tax), but we had a chance to do laundry, reach our goal of 5 miles of walking, and watch the deer in the nearby fields before the ominous clouds rolled in and severe storms hit.

Sturgis is a quiet town other than when the motorcycle rally occurs each August..

This feline was sitting right on top of the birdhouse.  Wonder if its name is Sylvester and a Tweety Bird lives inside the house.

Some ominous clouds.  Storms are coming!

   
The next day we entered North Dakota.  We stopped for a hearty lunch at Dakota Diner in Dickinson, parked Big Boomer/Suite Retreat at an adjacent truck stop, and detached the Jeep.  We went to tour the Enchanted Highway, 32 miles from Gladstone to Regent, featuring 8 scrap metal sculptures.  What creativity!  The artist, Gary Greff, began the project in 1989 to foster tourism to his hometown of Regent.

Along the Enchanted Highway is Black Butte, so named because the rock looks black when the sun hits it.  It was a major landmark during the stagecoach days.

Regent is VERY small.  Its ½ square mile of land mass contains a gift shop, the Historical Society Museum, and small grocery co-op (We made small purchases/donations at each to support this quaint town).  It is also home to the Enchanted Castle, a hotel, tavern, and restaurant that is housed within the town’s repurposed elementary school!   Plus, on the grounds is a ginormous statue of a knight slaying a dragon!

The castle is just a faux stucco structure that surrounds the entry door to the hotel/tavern/restaurant within the repurposed elementary school.

 

I snuck a peak inside a window.  The "classrooms" are now the hotel rooms.

The hotel lobby.  I learned that the restaurant is within the repurposed gymnasium.

The knight in shiny armor slaying the dragon outside the Enchanted Castle.

I loved the ingenuity and dedication exhibited by Mr. Greff and the other 169 residents of Regent to promote their little piece of Americana.

Time to sign off--more storms are brewing!  I'll talk to you again soon!

Visiting Kansas - Land of Dorothy Gale and Marshall Matt Dillon

After we enjoyed our fresh breakfast burritos and Southern pecan specialty coffee at The Den at Route 66, we left Groom, Texas, hopped onto I-40 for about 10 miles, and connected with TX-70 and thereafter US-83.  We passed through the panhandle of Oklahoma, arriving in Liberal, Kansas.  I highly doubt the City’s name is indicative of its residents’ political persuasion (their high school team is called “The Redskins”), but this is a very agri-industrial area.  It is the land of Dorothy Gale, who even has a museum in her honor (Dorothy’s House and the Land of Oz).    Liberal is also home to the Mid America Air Museum.  It has a huge, flat asphalt parking lot, making it a great Harvest Hosts location for our overnight stay.  We had 2 unusual occurrences here: we opened our windows in the evening for the first time in months to enjoy the cool mid 50F degree temperatures, and our cell service with Verizon was so good that we had no need to put out our Starlink.  The Museum houses a terrific array of aircraft, and it has a fun, interactive “kids’ corner” for children of all ages.  Adult tickets = $10, aged 62 or older = $7, children 5-15 = $5.  Young ones under age 5, veterans/active-duty military, and pilots receive free admission.  The displays were well worth the ticket price.  And if you happen to be here on October 4, 2025, they are hosting an air show for the first time in many years.

 

These are just a few of the dozens of aircraft on display at the Liberal Air Museum.

Dad was enthralled with the interactive displays in "Kids' Corner" and insisted on trying them all out.

The Museum even had a tribute to 9/11.

We left Liberal via US-54, US-283, and US-50, heading to Dodge City, Kansas.  We booked a full hook up pull through site at Gunsmoke RV Park for $48/night.  It is an older park, but it is quiet and provides easy access to a flat, extra long site, so we did not need to disconnect Big Boomer/Suite Retreat.  The Park has free WI-FI, a tidy coin-operated laundry, and a clean pool (though we didn’t use it).

I think these 2 were about to have a gunfight!

The Gunsmoke RV Park was next to a sheep/cow pasture...

...which made a fine foreground for a sunset photo.

Plus, Gunsmoke RV Park is located within 10 minutes of our destination: the Boot Hill Museum and Cemetery.  The $20/adult admission price to Boothill seemed steep at first.  But with 2 daily re-enactments of good ‘ole gun fights outside the recreated Front Street saloons, mercantile, apothecary, and other businesses from 1880s Dodge City, I soon learned I’d get a lot of bang for my buck.

 

There's a few itchy trigger fingers out there.  I smell a gunfight coming on.

We enjoyed going through each of the recreated Front Street businesses.

Serendipity:  I found the perfect vault to store my cheese at the Dodge City bank.  

: 

This Victorian was home to Jack and Sally Hardesty, in-laws of Fred Harvey, the famed hotelier/restaurateur who provided services at Harvey Houses to passengers along several railway routes, including the Santa Fe Railroad in Dodge City.

First Union Church.

Furthermore, the new Museum is well done.   I learned so much about the area from its many interactive displays.  Prior to the opening of the Santa Fe Depot in Dodge City in 1877, driving cattle from Texas to market was physically and financially challenging with the constant need to fend off thieves, Indian attacks, and disease.   But with Dodge City becoming a major rail hub, Texans could move cattle easier, thereby introducing Texas beef to new Eastern markets.  In fact, between 1875 to 1885, 3-4 million cattle came through Dodge City.  Can you believe in the year 1800, it is estimated 30 million bison roamed freely on the plains of the Midwest.  Sadly, 100 years later, less than 1,000 were left.  European settlers contributed greatly to this near extinction.  They killed massive numbers just for their hides.  They left the remaining parts of the animal behind to rot.  Additionally, General Sherman knew that Indian tribes valued the gift of “Tatanka” (their name for bison).  They considered it their lifeline, a gift from their Creator.  They utilized every part of its being for food, clothing, and shelter (heck, they even used its poop for fuel!).  So, his method to remove the Indians from lands now wanted for settlers and Western expansion was to annihilate the bison, for he knew without the bison, the Indians’ way of life could not survive.  Thankfully, modern efforts to restore bison herds have been successful, with headcount now about a ½ million.  

Dodge City in the 1880s was a poster child for the “Wild West” with its lawlessness, inebriation, carousing, and gun-slinging.  It was up to the Marshals to bring order and justice to the City.  Hence, the likes of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson earned their legendary reputations as lawmen.  Speaking of Marshals, I perused the gallery of Honorary Marshals of Dodge City, which included Johnny Cash, Duke Ellington, and, of course, members of the Gunsmoke cast: James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ken Curtis (Festus), Dennis Weaver (Chester), even Milburn Stone (Doc).  Wait, no Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty)?  Nope.  In fact, there were no women OR stuffed rats named as Honorary Marshals.  Well, I decided that had to change.  After chatting with the show girls at Long Branch Saloon and joining them for a round of Can-Can, they convinced local law enforcement to deputize me! 

I worked my first shift as a Marshal in Dodge City.

Speaking of the saloon and show girls, we attended the Long Branch Saloon Variety Show.  For an extra $30/person, we had ourselves some tasty vittles and grub (pot roast, cream corn, green beans, biscuit, apple cobbler) while being entertained with song, dance, and comedy reminiscent of 1880s Dodge City.  A feature at the Museum since 1958, it is the longest running variety show in the U.S. of A.  It was a bit cheesy—but we all know how much I adore cheese!

Miss Kitty, the Star of the Long Branch Saloon Variety Show.

 

The Grand Finale of the Variety Show.

The older building of the Museum houses some nostalgic furnishings and Rodeo Hall of Fame (Hooray, some females were inducted!).  It sits at the base of the original Boot Hill Cemetery, where 30+ drifters, delinquents, or destitutes were planted directly in the ground “with their boots on”.  (Later, all their bodies were dug up and reinterred elsewhere.)

 

How cool is that sofa.  I wouldn't mind relaxing there watching a Western or 2 after a long day in the saddle.

We always enjoy walking through towns and cities, so the next day we completed a self-guided historical walking tour to see points of interest.  There is lots of construction going on to redo roads, curbs, and sidewalks, so some of the sculptures and “Hall of Fame” sidewalk medallions we went to see have been removed temporarily.

 

You can't be in Dodge City without seeing Marshal Matt Dillon.

Outside Old City Hall are the sculptures and art works of Oscar H. Simpson, DDS.  His "Old Cowboy Statue" is most notable.

Eisenhower Park Pavilion.  The birds all have nests behind the murals.

It's Salsa Man!

Lovely architecture on The Carnegie Art Center...

...including gorgeous stained glass windows.

Inside the Santa Fe Rail Depot in Dodge City.  This building is where Fred Harvey of Harvey Houses fame provided services to rail passengers.  Amtrak now runs trains from this station.

Me and John Henry "Doc"
Holliday playing a hand of poker.  Doc wasn't a U.S. Marshal here in Dodge City (that didn't happen until his time in Arizona.)  Instead, he practiced dentistry, hence earning him the nickname "Doc".

Wright Park is Dodge City's oldest park.   Dating to 1883, it is named for its benefactor, Robert M. Wright.

Hoover Pavilion in Wright Park.

Touching and tasteful 9/11 Memorial within Wright Park.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Boot Hill Museum and Cemetery and our time exploring the City, but it is time for us to get the heck outta Dodge.  I’ll talk to you again soon!