Seeing the sights in Kansas

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Our drive from Colorado Springs into Kansas was the most difficult of the trip.  We had rain the whole trip and fog thru much of it.  So we got as far as Ellis Kansas and checked into a Days Inn with a hot tub - so all was not lost.  The next morning we visited the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria Kansas and let me just say this is one stunning church.  Beautiful with marble and exquisite stained glass.  The church was built by Czech immigrants in the early 20th century and is now staffed by Capuchin Friars (yes Maryanne your friends).  We then setup camp at an Army Corps of Engineers camp.  Water and power, lots or Orioles and red headed woodpeckers, a beautiful setting all for $10/night with my Golden Age pass.  In the afternoon we visited the Garden of Eden which is another one of these sites with folk art and is called Americana (definition = eccentric people make art out of other people's trash).  Pictures to follow.  We visited the town of Lucas (stop reading now if you like) and saw the world’s second most beautiful bathroom and talked with a descendent of the Czech immigrants who has a smoked meat store in Lucas.  Bought some ring bologna which was pretty good.
Today we went to the Cheyenne Bottoms wildlife refuge and saw some birds that were new to us.  This area has a mixture of both eastern and western birds.  Then we stopped at Ft. Larned which is a US army fort from the 1860s-70s.  Not quite Fort Apache but an excellent tour.  The park ranger was very good and brought this history alive.