Now that we are in the final weeks of our summer travels, we are focused on visiting additional structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, overnighting at a variety of Harvest Host locations along the way.
We left Maxwell, New Mexico traveling along US-64, and we crossed
into Colorado utilizing roads that followed the Santa Fe Trail, which was a
major route for trade and commerce until the railroads arrived in 1880.
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We arrived at our Harvest Host for the evening, Prairie
Ridge Buffalo Ranch in Limon, Colorado.
Prairie Ridge is a great overnighter, with various options for
patronizing the business: take a tour ($20/person), partake in a combo
tour and cookout ($40/person), or purchase buffalo meat. When we stayed here in 2022, we were the only
guests. This time, there were 5 rigs on
the property. This prompted Dad to
comment to the owner that things appear to be going well for Prairie Ridge as a Harvest
Host. The owner proceeded to tell Dad
that he doesn’t make any money on it. He
opined that, after his expenses, he only makes about $9 for every guest who
spends the $30 minimum purchase suggested by Harvest Hosts. He said that guests would have to spend $100
for him to net $30. Now is it just me or
does anyone else think this is inappropriate for a host to say to a guest? Should guests be expected to spend $100 to
boondock in a field? Ironically, we
usually spend way more than the minimal purchase suggested by Harvest Hosts (especially
at bison/beef ranches because Mom is a real carnivore.) So, despite the delicious bison meat Prairie
Ridge offers, the owner’s comments left a bad taste in Mom’s mouth. She spent $140 to exceed the owner’s
expectations. But Mom informed Dad that
as nice as this place is, she would not book here in the future. (We ran into this situation previously
with the owner of Legendary Alpacas in Maypearl, Texas. We barely had time to park before she
escorted us into her gift shop. She showcased
a $100 product and stated that it was what “most of her Harvest Host guests
purchased”. Mom did not buy the
showcased product. But Mom got the message of what she was
expected to spend and purchased a shawl for my Aunt Laurie for $125. Mom vowed never to stay at another alpaca
farm).
Our next travel day ended at Prairie Rose Inn, a Harvest Host in Wakeeney, Kansas. Prairie Rose is a cute little motel with tavern/restaurant that also operates an RV Park. Full hook up sites are offered at $58/night. Since Harvest Host guests receive no discount at the RV Park, we opted to boondock for free in the gravel parking lot behind the motel and fulfill our obligation by purchasing dinner at the bar/grill, which was quite tasty and reasonably priced. Those traveling with canines will enjoy the dog park across the street. We have no dog to walk, but Mom and I visited the part of the park that contained military exhibits.
Mural at the motel.
The next day we arrived at Air Capital RV Park in Wichita, Kansas. This was a small family-owned RV Park that had been acquired by an investment firm earlier this year. We paid $65/night for a pull through site that barely fit Big Boomer/Suite Retreat. But all the roads are paved, the sites are all concrete, and we could park the Jeep in a spot right next to us. Air Capital offers free Wi-Fi and cable, and it has super clean laundry and restroom facilities. The Park is well lit and uses security cameras, but that did not protect our neighbors, whose locked bicycles were stolen overnight right off the rack on the back of their rig! (This situation was extra sad to me, since the family of 5 had only been full timing for 10 months.) The Park is located behind a strip mall off 47th Street, which is a busy thoroughfare, so perhaps this provided the culprits with a quick get-away. The Park also has a storm shelter, which I nearly visited. You see, one day during our stay we withstood a torrential rainstorm with wind gusts of 50+ miles per hour that I thought might develop into a tornado.
While in Wichita, we booked a private tour of the Allen
House, a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Though
more costly than the 1.5-hour public tour, the 3-hour private tour focuses on
so much more than house design.
Furthermore, it permits photography, which is prohibited during public
tours. Our docent, Barbara, was terrific. Having visited nearly all his existing public structures (and several privately owned ones, too),
Barbara is well versed in Wright’s design principles, his personal relationships,
his bigger-than-life personality, and his idiosyncrasies—of which there were
many. (One example is that he kept a key to every home he built. This was to facilitate making unexpected
visits to ensure homeowners were adhering to his décor designs).
The Allen House is a 4,000- square-foot “mansion” built
between 1916 and 1918. Wright
designed/built the home for a $30,000 fee for Henry Allen (politician and owner
of the Beacon newspaper that serviced the Wichita area), his wife Elsie,
and their only surviving child, Henrietta.
The family lived here until the mid-1940s.
This was the last of the Prairie-style homes Wright designed. All Prairie-style homes were in the shape of a crucifix (to pay homage to Wright’s father who was a minister), they all were 1 room deep to take advantage of cross breezes, and they all were state-of-the-art at the time of construction. For example, the Allen House had sound-proofed rooms (insisted upon by Elsie), a security system that was monitored by Western Union, and double-action doors Wright invented to accommodate Elsie’s request for extra-large closets. Built around the same time as Wright's Imperial Hotel in Japan, the Allen House has many of Wright's Asian-inspired design elements. Here's a small sampling of photos of the Wright-designed interior.
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| Notice those double-action doors on the closet that Wright developed to accommodate Elsie's extensive wardrobe. |
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| One of the 5 bathrooms in the home. |
We learned that another Wright design existed in Wichita, the Corbin Education Center, located on the campus of Wichita State University. We were disappointed to see that the back of the building was undergoing renovations that prohibited the public from entering for tours.
The front of the Corbin Education Center was the only section which was not hindered by construction equipment, tarps, etc. But this photo does not showcase the many unique architectural features of the building which include 2 towers, balconies, spires, and fountain.
But we filled our time with a visit to the Great Plains Nature Center. We enjoyed hiking along the trails there and checking out all the “residents” within the pond.
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| The turtles sitting on the log, an egret, and a blue heron are all cohabiting peacefully. If only humans could do the same. |
Our final night in Kansas was spent at the Happy Basset Brewery, a Harvest Host in Topeka, Kansas. Gretchen, our Garmin GPS, directed us incorrectly to their new storefront location (it is so hard to get reliable help! I can get us lost just as well as Gretchen). So, we had to backtrack a few miles to arrive at their warehouse location. They have a big gravel lot in which to park, though a portion of it slopes downward. And I will warn you that the property is near the railroad tracks, so you will hear choo choos going by all night long. But what a cool place! First, everything about it incorporates the canine theme--from photos on the wall, to beer taps, to the names of all the craft beers. There is an outdoor patio, stage, and huge dance floor. I wish we had arrived on a Friday or Saturday when a band played, but alas, we visited on a Thursday. The staff is friendly and efficient, and we enjoyed our dinners from their small but tasty food menu entitled “Bassett Bites”. Staying at the Happy Basset Brewery was a good way to close our time in Kansas.
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| How cool are these beer taps! |
Speaking of closing, it is time for me to sign off. But I’ll talk to you again soon!
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