Where in the World is Monument Rocks

After leaving Dodge City, we made a bee line for Denver.  Of course, that bee was drunk, because the most direct path from Dodge City to Denver is a bunch of little winding country roads until you get to the interstate, which has a few direction changes, itself!  While meandering down one of those winding roads, we saw a sign.  Just one sign marking Monument Rock.  It was directly across from a dirt road, pointing down that dirt road.  We drove past it because it didn't give us much warning, but we decided to go back and check it out.  Being a winding back road, there weren't many cross roads.  But being a winding back road, there also wasn't much traffic.  So, after a little while, we just turned around in the middle of the road.  A definite benefit to driving a Nissan Versa.  A 3-point turn between the ditches, expertly executed by Bruce, and we were headed back to the dirt road.

A few miles down that dirt road, in the middle of a cattle pasture, we finally saw what we now know is the first National Natural Landmark selected by the US Department of the Interior, officially recognized by the National Park Service.

And it only got one sign!!  Also known as the Chalk Pyramids, these fossil-filled carbon deposits are massive!  They are located on private land, but the owner opens the gates to the public daily, using cattle guards to keep his cattle in.  The lack of signage is probably one of the reasons these 80 million year old sea bed sediments are still so pristine.   Most people would not simply stumble over them like we did.  You almost have to really know what you're looking for to find them.

Once we got the 7 miles down the road, we saw just how awe inspiring these "rocks" actually are.  Words can't do them justice, so I'll just post pictures, which also don't do them justice, but they'll give you an idea.

This whole desolate, chalky area where only a few pieces of scrub bush could take root is surrounded by lush, green pasture land with no sign of irrigation equipment for keeping it green.

Lots of birds nest in the crevices and others build mud nests on the cliff sides.  I think the mud nesting birds are barn swallows, but they moved so quickly I couldn't get a good look at them.

After leaving Monument Rock, we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center so Duck Holiday (Remember him?) could check out the statue.  They had posters on the insides of the bathroom stall doors, each with a short bio of different historical people.

Duck insisted on having his picture made as Sitting Bull, so I had to pose as Buffalo Bill.

Soon after this, we hooked up with the interstate again, and it was my turn to drive.  Next stop, Denver!

Getting the Duck out of Fodge!

Dodge City, Kansas, has been associated with the wild, wild west all my life, and they definitely keep that idea alive today.  It was the setting for the hit TV series, "Gunsmoke", which is what most of the touristy things surround.  As you walk around town, you'll find Gunsmoke Street

which is the street where you can find the Ford County Government Center.

They've tried to preserve the old storefronts of the olden days on Front Street, which is the main drag through town.

They have these neat little carved out signs randomly on poles throughout the town.

And they have the Dodge City Trail of Fame which immortalizes the cast of Gunsmoke in the sidewalks around the town.  Those who could come in to put their hand prints in the cement did so.

Those who couldn't still had their sidewalk square.

The Trail of Fame wasn't limited to Gunsmoke Stars, though.  Real people who figured prominently in the history of Dodge City, such as, of course Wyatt Earp.

They also have the required old west town with a saloon and gunfight.  Unfortunately, they schedule that at only one time per day, and we missed it.

We did go into the gift shop, and that's where we met Duck Holiday!  The gunfight had just finished, and he was running through the gift shop and out the door.  We just had to follow him.  When we finally caught up to him, we learned he had been playing cards, and his table mates thought he was cheating.  They weren't listening to reason, and he had to get out of there!  I don't know if he was cheating or not, but I had played at that same table and there were some seriously shady things going on!  So we stuck with Duck!

We tried to get Wyatt to give us some help.  He said he had some real criminals to deal with, but he loaned me his sidearm to help take care of his buddy, Duck.

We tried to get Duck on a train out of town, but the last train had already left the station and the Harvey House wasn't taking any more boarders.

The card sharps were hot on our heels, and Duck said Marshal Dillon would help, so we tracked him down.

He pointed us toward an old, unattended engine that we might be able to commandeer to get the Duck out of Fodge.  Bruce did the driving, relegating me to shoveling coal to keep us moving.  The darned thing didn't hold the road well when we jumped the tracks!

Our nemeses kept coming on, all the way to the city limits.

We finally got far enough ahead that they dejectedly gave up.

We finally ran out of coal by the last remaining tracks of the Santa Fe Trail.

We all walked down the path to see the remaining ruts from the Conestoga Wagons

while Duck Holiday regaled us with tales told to him by his great, great Uncle Doc.

When one of Duck's buddies was able to get our car out to us, we headed on down the road.  Just be aware, when you're getting the Duck out of Fodge, be careful where you stop for water!

Finding 'Murca Dammit!

Bruce loves his reality shows and watches them consistently.  Don't get me wrong.  He's not a fan of the really popular ones, like Survivor or The Bachelor or any of the ones that come on prime time.  He likes the 'gator hunters and moonshiners and street racers.  One of his reality series' is filmed primarily in Oklahoma City, so we had to make a stop by Big Chief's Midwest Streetcars Automotive.  Big Chief wasn't there, but Bruce was able to get a hat and a couple of T-shirts and some pictures of him in front of the office and the gate to the shop.

He even smiled a couple of times!

About lunch time, we passed through the small town of Seiling, Oklahoma.  Of course, we had to stop there for lunch because I just had to make jokes about, "Oh, what a feeling...", and I wanted to dance in Seiling!  So, we pulled into the Crooked Arrow Cafe, the only restaurant we saw in town.

Those of you who know me know that I grew up in a small town in rural Kentucky.  In that town, diversity meant that people with different colors of hair were accepted, whether that hair color was blond, brown, red, or black.  Whether that hair was your natural color or dyed.  It did not apply to hair colors that people were not naturally born with, such as blue, green, etc.  Diversity in religion included Baptist, Christian, and Methodist churches.  A few folks attended a Catholic church in one of the neighboring counties, but those were the only churches in the entire county.  Granted, the county was small.  The population of the town probably quadrupled for the Fourth of July celebration that happened in front of the court house.  It was very politically conservative at the time and probably still is.  There were a total of two people of color in the county while I lived there, and at least one of them vehemently denied any African ancestry.  Most of the people were "poor but proud", and the makeup of the residents is probably still similar.  According to the censuses, the population tends to bounce around 200 to 300 residents.

The point of this is that I'm no stranger to redneck, conservative, rural towns.  Seiling, Oklahoma, reminded me very much of my hometown, but a little bit bigger.   In fact, the total area of Seiling is almost exactly double the area of my home town (0.4 versus 0.8 sq mi).  According to the 2010 census numbers, it's about 2.5 times larger than my hometown with a higher per capita in come and lower poverty rate.

My home town probably could be considered very politically progressive compared to Seiling, though.  In fact, I don't believe I have ever been in a place that was so insular.  We had driven right into the middle of 'Murca, Dammit!, and I kind of felt dancing would be frowned upon.  We just missed the buffet, so we had to order from the menu.  The menu featured the normal steaks (grilled or chicken fried) and other dishes, including calf fries.  The striking part was the names of some of the entrees and selections.  You could order sweet potato fries, waffle fries, tater tots, or American fries, but there were no French fries to be found.  Bruce ordered a hot roast (like a hot Brown) which came with salad and Ranch dressing.  Our waitress was very sweet and said it was a good day, so she would consider letting him have some French dressing if he really wanted it!  I wanted to try the calf fries, but wanted to make sure I knew what they were.  In true conservative fashion, our waitress blushed and whispered when she confirmed that they were calf balls.  She did tell us that they are not so big and juicy as the (whispered) balls (back to normal volume) that she gets in Oklahoma City!  The food was very good, but it's most definitely American fare, right down to their American fries!  I liked the calf fries, but probably won't order them again.  They do actually taste a little bit like overcooked fried oysters.  Apparently, we left a fortune in the fields every year when we banded the bull calves to make them steers.

As we were driving toward Kansas, through the remainder of Dewey County and the counties north, we noticed there were no foreign cars or equipment.  In the entire trip through all the small towns from Seiling until we reached the Kansas state line, we saw only one car that wasn't Ford, Chevy, or GMC.  It was a BMW.  I didn't even see a single Kubota tractor.  It was mostly John Deer and Case/International Harvester with a few Caterpillar and Massey Fergusons thrown in.  We saw one tiny Catholic church that appeared to be hiding and several huge Baptist churches.  Even Bruce felt a little out of place, and he was wearing his ball cap that said, "Veteran", cammo pants, and a T-shirt, proudly carrying his concealed carry permit!  We might want to stick to the interstates and larger cities the next time we go through 'Murca, Dammit!

We finally left 'Murca, Dammit! and made it to Dodge City, Kansas!

We walked around town a little bit before having dinner at Miss Kitty's Cafe and tucking into bed for the night, knowing that Sheriff Wyatt Earp was watching over us.

Dodge City will be the subject of the next post!

The Largest Mural in the US

Well fed, but exhausted and hot, we piled back into the GeezerMobile after enjoying the French Quarter.  Even though we heard no complaints of flooding, Lake Ponchartrain was pretty high.

We made it to Alexandria, Louisiana, before we had to stop for the night.

The next day, we got up, ready to make our way toward Dodge City, Kansas.  Of course, there were a few things to see on the way.

Shreveport, Louisiana, has a few quirky things we decided to pull off and see.  In a vacant, there's a great big rooster.  I couldn't find any reference to an old chicken restaurant having been in that lot, but somebody obviously cares for the rooster that remains.

Driving by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, you can meet "Art".  Art is probably better visited after dark, but we weren't hanging around that long.  It was about mid-morning when we hit Shreveport.  He doesn't really look like much during the day, just a white on white dalmation.  You have to look closely to see the white spots.  However, they are said to soak up the sun and project different colored light, glowing in the dark, when the sun goes down.

Shreveport has a lot of murals on their buildings.  Many of them are highly whimsical.

While these are nice to see, there is one that is pretty awe-inspiring.  We came across one that covered the entire side of a 14-story building.

I was really impressed with it at that point.  However, I have since learned a little more about it.  It apparently extends around the building and is just as big around the corner.  The other side is a collage of multiple scenes.  The entire mural is 30,000 square feet and represents something significant to at least one person or family in the parish area.  Also, every person depicted (including this girl) is an actual person who lived in the area at the time.  It was also designed as a "paint by numbers" project.  The muralist, Meg Saligman, drew the panels and held "painting parties" for thousands of people to do the actual painting of different pieces.  After completion, the pieces were "floated in acrylic" and hung like wallpaper on the building.  We may have to go back to Shreveport to see the other side of this building and check out Art after dark.

There aren't any pictures of Texas because Dallas has a lot of traffic.  That's code for "my turn to drive".  There aren't a whole lot of places Bruce just refuses to drive if he can help it.  Dallas is one of them, though.  He would rather go 200 miles out of the way than drive through Dallas, Atlanta, or Los Angeles.  And when I'm driving, I just want him to lay back and go to sleep.

Into Oklahoma, though, we were back on tooling down little back roads to see little known art installations, like the Spider Bug outside of Lexington, Oklahoma.  Notice that it only has 6 legs, so it's not truly an arachnid.

We don't push ourselves too hard when we're going long distances, and this has definitely been a long distance with longer to go.  So, we stopped for the night in Oklahoma City.