Collyer

Collyer is a small town of about 97 people just west of WaKeeney. It has grain elevators, a cemetery, St. Michael's church and school, a park, post office, a Depot Square, and a number of empty store fronts.

Not a lot was going on, so we sat on a bench, took a look around, and got back on the road.

Quinter

Quinter is a fairly large town with many businesses. It has a park with a really fun looking pool, as well as places to play horseshoes, volleyball, and basketball. There's also a Dunkard Brethren church, a very busy downtown, schools, some beautiful old houses, a hospital, and a retirement home. 

We stopped at Ray's Pharmacy to have milkshakes at the old-fashioned soda fountain.

We also enjoyed a brief ride on this dinosaur.

Little Jerusalem Badlands

Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park isn't technically a town, but it's definitely worth a visit. You don't expect to see landscapes like this in  Kansas, but then wham! There it is, a stunning and beautiful surprise.

We enjoyed the lovely wild flowers, the striking landscapes, and the two trails around the canyon's rim.

WaKeeney

WaKeeney is a remarkably big town, at least for Trego County. At first, the name sounds like something from a Native American language, but it's not! According to TravelKs.com: 

The site for the city of WaKeeney was selected in 1879 by the Chicago Land Company of A.E. Warren and J.F. Keeney. The developers combined their last names to form the unique name of their new city. The developers planned for their city to become “the Queen City of the High Plains” and had grand ideas, including the 80-foot wide brick streets which remain today.

We used WaKeeney as a base of operations for this trip. We stayed in the charming Prairie Rose Inn, which was cute, comfortable, and very affordable. The town has a lot going on, with many restaurants, businesses, and a county courthouse. 

One reason for the town's large size is probably I-70, which parts ways here from US-40 as they each make their own way up the eastern slope of the Rockies.

There's a jet just chilling on the lawn in front of the Prairie Rose Inn.

We loved the colorful painted town sign downtown!

WaKeeney has its own little North Pole district. It prides itself as being "The Christmas city of the high plains." Even in May, this city utility drop box was still very much in tune with the holiday spirit!

A little birdie found a convenient home for her eggs on the back of Old Saint Nick.

Park

The town of Park used to be known as Buffalo Park, according to the welcome sign. A railroad station sign also says "Buffalo Park," and the water tower (visible from five miles away) has a buffalo on it. Some other things in the town include a church, an RV park, and a fairly new restaurant called Buffalo Park Station.

We noticed a lot of houses with water tanks in front of them, which made us wonder why. We had just played at a park in Gove City, but playing at a park named Buffalo Park in a town called Park that used to be called Buffalo Park? Too irresistible for us to withstand.

Grainfield

Grainfield has a high school right off of I-70. It also has a number of businesses, including a tractor dealer, farm supply store, grain elevators, and a bank. The main street is quiet, with a community center and post office. 

We got out and played at the park, down the street from some cute houses. Not too much was going on in this town, but things seemed to be in good repair and well-maintained. One fun thing we noticed was that someone had turned the old opera house into a boutique.

Gove

 

Gove, also known as Gove City, is the county seat of Gove County, but it's a pretty small town. While driving through, we saw a feedlot with calves, the Gove County courthouse, and a main street with a number of empty store fronts. There were also several modest homes with tidy lawns, as well as the Ccounty offices and a museum. The kids enjoyed climbing around on the M-60 A3 tank at Larry's RV Park.