Elk River Wind Project

Today we took Highway 400 west to Wichita. Near Beaumont, we saw this wind farm to the south. It was very windy, but no blades were turning. Later, I looked on the internet and found that it is the Elk River Wind Project. Construction was started in May 2005 and the project should be operational mid-November.

It reminded us of the large North Cape Wind Project we visited on Prince Edward Island in September. I thought it was beautiful and the windmills produce a pleasant hum as they slowly turn.

Little House on the Prairie

Today we drove to Sedan. A little late in the season so there wasn't a lot to see. We did enjoy walking the 'Yellow Brick Road' (see photo) and browsing the shops.

We also went to the Emmett Kelly Museum.

Ate at the Green Door Restaurant where their special was delicious pot roast -- melt in your mouth good!



On the way back to Big Hill Reservoir, we took a side road to see 'The Little House on the Prairie' Historic Site. This is the actual site where the Ingalls family lived. There was a re-creation of the log home where the family lived.



We still had enough daylight (time changes Sunday) so we drove around Elk City Lake. Some pretty fall color on the west side.

Big Hill Reservoir

We are spending the weekend at Big Hill Reservoir. It is a cozy site nestled in the trees -- plenty of leaves & acorns here!

We'll do some sightseeing tomorrow and go to Independence on Saturday for the Neewollah Parade.

Fall Color - Kansas Style

We may have missed the fall color in the northeast but the color is spectacular in our own back yard.

We're Home

Arrived home yesterday afternoon.

We were saddened to see the flood damage as we drove west of Perry on Highway 24. Looks like much damage to houses south of us on Brickyard Road. I guess the flooding was worse than the Great Flood of 1951.

Our house is far above the banks of Soldier Creek so no damage there. According to our electronic rain gauge, we had over 20 inches of rain while we were away. The yard was spongy as I walked through.

The last two weeks were leisurely traveling.

We spent a week around the Elkhart Indiana area. It is the RV Capital and we found many factory tours to take in the area -- Carriage, Travel Supreme, Newmar and Monaco. We also enjoyed the RV Museum in Elkhart. It was also a time for us to get mail, groceries, etc. We even found a groomer and got Shadow prettied up!

We also enjoyed the Amish restaurants and shops around Goshen, Nappannee, Wakarusa and Shipshawana.

Next, we spent the weekend in Michigan City Indiana. Rachel and Nate drove over (only 1 1/2 hours from their home) and spent Saturday night and Sunday with us. They brought steaks & firewood which we enjoyed on Saturday evening. On Sunday, we went to the Indiana Dunes along Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful sunny day to climb the dunes barefooted. The sand was warm on top and damp and cool under our toes! I was amazed how high the dunes were. We took an easier path up the dune then walked the top and enjoyed the view -- didn't go down to the beach because that would have been a steep climb back up! Then we took the steep route back down the dune to the car.

Last weekend we were in Hermann Missouri for Octoberfest. There were about 18 friends in our group this year. We had fun visiting with each other and enjoying the wineries.

On the way home we stayed at Knob Noster State Park in Missouri. It is a pretty park and we plan to go back again -- beautiful in the early fall.

Last night, we enjoyed holding our grandson. Tim, Breann and Caden came over after work and stayed for pizza. We enjoyed just holding Caden. He just had his two month check-up -- weighed 11 pounds and was 23 inches long. He is so sweet and cuddly.