Keats

On the way back from our niece's softball game in Manhattan, we decided to visit Keats, the home of one of my all-time favorite parks.

The park has a huge, well-mowed area, a walking trail, a playground, a picnic building, and a ball field. It was built by the county with the help of many local volunteers.

The rest of Keats isn't much to speak of. One notable feature is an old school building that was once a public school, then became a private one (where my oldest sister attended first grade) and is now a private residence.

At any rate, I was pleased to find that the present-day reality of this park measured up well to my fond memories of it. And the boys had lots of fun there, too.

Konza Prairie - Scenic Overlook

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Micah's Musings:

On our way down to Council Grove, we stopped early in the morning at the I-70 scenic overlook at Konza Prairie. It was a gorgeous morning with thick fog blanketing the prairie.

On the other side of K-177, headed north to Manhattan, the traffic was backed up for miles. It was a KSU game day, and a the fog had caused a pickup truck to go through the concrete barrier wall near the viaduct. We were glad to be headed south, though we were also nervous for the gameday drivers who had to make sudden stops in the fog.

Randolph

We went to Randolph because some friends told us about the Independence Day parade and celebration there. Since we are fans of parades, cars, and candy, we thought it would be a perfect afternoon activity.

This is a little town with a fascinating history. At one point, it was situated in a different location, but the citizens there were forced to move when the Tuttle Creek Reservoir was built in 1960.

To get to Randolph from Olsburg, we crossed the Randolph bridge across Tuttle Creek Lake, which was at one point the longest bridge in Kansas. It is a beautiful drive -- definitely worth the trip if you're ever in the neighborhood.

After walking around for a while to see the various vendors and activities, we got a prime spot on a corner. As you can see, the candy-collecting was pretty successful. We also enjoyed the many floats, trucks, and classic cars in the parade.

It had been a long day, so we were pretty tired by the end of the parade. We loaded up and headed to Manhattan for dinner with my folks.

Since I grew up in Riley County, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many great new sights in the area. I guess sometimes you don't notice the treasures right under your nose. New perspectives can help a lot with that problem.

Total Miles Today: 181.2

Zeandale

There's not a whole lot to see in Zeandale. The homes are neat and well-maintained, and there's a small community center with a park nearby. Apparently, there is (or at least used to be) a group of community artists called the Zeandale Arts Project here.

We enjoyed stopping for a while -- the boys especially approved of the tall twin slides that allowed them both to go down at the same time.

The town was originally founded in the 1850s, so enthusiasts of Kansas's pioneer days might find a visit worthwhile. Nearby Pillsbury Crossing (over historic Deep Creek) is a beautiful spot, so my family visited it often when I was growing up.

A very informative master's thesis by Marilyn Louise Geiger on Zeandale Township is available at Archive.org. Another, much shorter, history paper by Leota Boisclair on the same topic is available at Lost Kansas Communities. The Riley County Historical Museum also has an interesting page on Josiah Pillsbury, the namesake of Pillsbury Crossing and the man who named Zeandale.