Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20181110010804/@comment-29709319-20190315023004

Themes for March 15: National Shoe the World Day, National Pears Helene Day, National Everything You Think is Wrong Day, and 💜National Kansas Day💜.

👢National Shoe The World Day! Each day, over 500 million children, teens and adults around the world do not have a pair of shoes to wear, and despite the terrain and the climate, they have to walk barefoot everywhere. Having to live a daily life without protection on your feet can lead to a lifetime of problems including pain, injury, cuts, sores, infections, parasites. Schools and business ban students and customers without shoes. A stigma becomes attached who do not have proper footwear effecting their health, education and financial well being. One issue leads to another, creating a never ending cycle. There are a few who are fortunate enough to have one pair of shoes even though they are much too big for them. This way, their shoes will last for many years as they grow, and they are only allowed to be worn for special occasions. In other cases, they may have one pair of shoes that are too small and tight for them (they will make them work) but to have a pair at all is a luxury. Visit Soles4Souls to donate shoes. National Shoe The World Day is a day created to bring awareness, to everyone across the nation, of the incredible need to help those people around the world that do not have shoes to wear and then to take action in helping. National Shoe The World Day was inspired by Donald Zsemonadi and the United Indigenous People in Fontana, California in March of 2014.

🍐National Pears Hélène Day. This food holiday is about the delicious smooth French dessert combining warm poached pears, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Pears Hélène is a dessert made from pears poached in sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and crystallized violets. It was created around 1864 by Auguste Escoffier and named after the operetta La belle Hélène by Jacques Offenbach. Over time, Pears Hélène simpler versions have been developed by substituting poached pears with canned pears and the delicate crystallized violets have been replaced with sliced almonds. These modifications have made it easier for more cooks to prepare this dessert. FUN PEAR FACTS: There are more than 3,000 varieties of pears grown in the world. Washington, Oregon and Northern California grow more than 95% of the pears sold in the United States. California grows 60% of all Bartlett pears in the United States. Pears ripen best off of the tree. Pears are an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as copper, fiber and potassium. Pears are less allergenic than many other fruits.

⁉️Everything You Think Is Wrong Day, a day where decision making should be avoided, as your thoughts are (according to the founder of this holiday) wrong. It is also a day created for some people to realize that they are not always right. While starting a conversation, one might want to avoid using the words “I think.” Everything You Think Is Wrong Day may be a time for all to contemplate our own lack of knowledge. It is okay that one does not know everything, and if there is a need to feel as if you do, hold on. Tomorrow will be here soon, and then once again, you can think that you do!

🇺🇸National Kansas Day! Kansas is named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita. Nickname(s): The Sunflower State (official); The Wheat State; and The Free State. Motto: To the stars through difficulties). State song: "Home on the Range". Living insignia; Amphibian: 🦎Barred tiger salamander, Bird: 🕊Western meadowlark, Flower: 🌻Wild sunflower, Grass: 🌾Little bluestem, Insect: 🐝Western honey bee, Mammal: American bison, Reptile: 🐢Ornate box turtle, Tree: 🌳Plains cottonwood. Kansas, is the 15th-largest state by area and is the 34th most-populous of the 50 states Residents of Kansas are called Kansans. Mount Sunflower is Kansas's highest point at 4,041 feet (1,232 meters). Kansas has a maximum topographic relief of 3,360 ft (1,020 m), making it the 23rd flattest U.S. state measured by maximum relief. The first European to set foot in present-day Kansas was the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1541. Most of Kansas was acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Southwest part still belong to Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas. From 1812 to 1821, Kansas was part of the Missouri Territory. However, after the Mexican–American War in 1848 the United States received it all. The Santa Fe Trail traversed Kansas from 1821 to 1880, transporting manufactured goods from Missouri and silver and furs from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Wagon ruts from the trail are still visible in the prairie today. The first permanent settlement of white Americans in the future state was Fort Leavenworth in 1827. The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854, establishing Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory, and opening the area to broader settlement by whites. Kansas Territory stretched all the way to the Continental Divide and included the sites of present-day Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. Missouri and Arkansas sent settlers into Kansas all along its eastern border. These settlers attempted to sway votes in favor of slavery. The secondary settlement of Americans in Kansas Territory were abolitionists from Massachusetts and other Free-Staters, who attempted to stop the spread of slavery. These two forces collided into skirmishes that earned the territory the name of Bleeding Kansas before the American Civil War. Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861, making it the 34th state to join the United States. On August 21, 1863, William Quantrill led several hundred men on a raid into Lawrence, destroying much of the city and killing nearly 200 people. He was roundly condemned by both the conventional Confederate military and the partisan rangers commissioned by the Missouri legislature. His application to that body for a commission was flatly rejected due to his pre-war criminal record. Many veterans of the Civil War constructed homesteads in Kansas. Many African Americans also looked to Kansas and began establishing black colonies in the state due to increasing discrimination in the southern states, they became known as Exodusters. Also in Kansas the Wild West-era simultaneously started with the opening of the Chisholm Trail. In one year alone, eight million head of cattle from Texas boarded trains in Dodge City bound for the East, earning Dodge the nickname "Queen of the Cowtowns." In response to demands of Methodists and other evangelical Protestants, in 1881 Kansas became the first U.S. state to adopt a constitutional amendment prohibiting all alcoholic beverages, which was repealed in 1948. Precipitation ranges from about 47 inches (1,200 mm) to about 16 inches (410 mm). Snowfall ranges from around 5 inches (130 mm) to 35 inches (890 mm). Kansas is prone to severe weather, especially in the spring and the early-summer. The state is vulnerable to strong and severe thunderstorms. Some of these storms become supercell thunderstorms; sometimes dropping very large hail and they can produce some tornadoes, occasionally those of EF3 strength or higher. Kansas averages over 50 tornadoes annually. These storms can also bring in flash flooding and damaging straight line winds. According to NOAA, the all-time highest temperature recorded in Kansas is 121°F (49.4°C) on July 24, 1936, near Alton, and the all-time low is -40°F (-40°C) on February 13, 1905, near Lebanon. Alton and Lebanon are approximately 50 miles (80 km) apart. Kansas's record high of 121 °F (49.4 °C) ties with North Dakota for the fifth-highest record high in an American state. The state's agricultural outputs are cattle, sheep, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, cotton, hogs, corn, and salt. Which means nearly 90% of Kansas' land is devoted to agriculture. As of 2018 there are 86 (0.14%) certified organic farms out of the 59,600 farms in Kansas. The average cost of running a 770 acres (more than a square mile) farm is over $300,000. Eastern Kansas is part of the Grain Belt, an area of major grain production in the central United States. Approximately 40% of all winter wheat grown in the US is grown in Kansas. The industrial outputs of Kansas are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum, and mining. Kansas is ranked eighth in US petroleum production and also eighth in US natural gas production. The state's economy is also heavily influenced by the aerospace industry. Several large aircraft corporations have manufacturing facilities in Wichita and Kansas City, including Spirit AeroSystems, Bombardier Aerospace (LearJet), and Textron Aviation (a merger of the former Cessna, Hawker, and Beechcraft brands). Major companies headquartered in Kansas include the Sprint Corporation, YRC Worldwide, Garmin, Payless Shoes, Koch Industries, and Coleman. Kansas is also home to three major military installations: Fort Leavenworth (Army), Fort Riley (Army), and McConnell Air Force Base (Air Force). The Smoky Hill Weapons Range, a detachment of the Intelligence Wing, is one of the largest and busiest bombing ranges in the nation. During WWII, Kansas was home to numerous Army Air Corps training fields for training new pilots and aircrew. Many of those airfields live on today as municipal airports. The first colleges in Kansas were chartered by acts of the Kansas Territorial legislature, signed by Territorial Governor James W. Denver, on February 9–12, 1858. Among the ten institutes of higher learning chartered at that time, three survive in some form today. Among those chartered on February 9 were Highland University, Blue Mont and Central College. Baker University, chartered on February 12, 1858, has been operating continuously since that time and is now recognized as the oldest continuously-operating college in Kansas. All of the colleges founded in 1858 were private institutions. The first public institute of higher learning in the state was Kansas State University, which was established by the state legislature on February 16, 1863. 1️⃣Old Cowtown Museum was established in 1952, and is one of the oldest open-air history museums in central United States with 54 historic and re-created buildings, including a period farm and out-buildings, situated on 23 acres of land off the original Chisholm Trail. Its artifact collection includes 12,000+ items dating from the period (late 1860s and 1870s) and ranging from farm wagons to tea spoons. Along with the historic structures there is period furnishings, clothing, domestic textiles, tools, machinery, farming equipment and rolling stock. Museum staff dress in period costume and demonstrate everyday activities including, gardening, tending livestock and cooking. An archival collection of photographs, letters, and documents also provide primary source material for historical research. A separate study collection and reproductions are used by costumed history interpreters to bring this historical period to life. Twenty-seven of the buildings are original and have been relocated to the grounds from Wichita and other sites in Kansas. Relocation of these structures protected them from demolition and preserved them for the future. 2️⃣Keeper of the Plains is a 5-ton 44-foot tall steel sculpture with a 30 feet high pedestal standing at the point where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers join together in downtown Wichita. The American Indian sculpture was created by Wichitan and Native American artist Blackbear Bosin (1921-1980). The icon was erected May 18, 1974 to celebrate the United States Bi-centennial. This land between the two rivers is sacred ground to the Native American people and is also home to the Mid-America All-Indian Center. A complete renovation of the sculpture and installation of the Keeper of the Plains Plaza now brings people out each evening to see the Keeper and the "Ring of Fire." There is a schedule for the burning of the Ring of Fire. There are also two suspended foot bridges allowing people to cross from the north and south directions to the plaza at the base of the Keeper. The entire area, including the Keeper of the Plains Plaza, is accessible to all citizens, even those that may be wheelchair-bound. 3️⃣Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens! (300 acres / 120 hectares) The arboretum includes mature trees and limestone bluffs, with almost 5 miles (8.0 km) of trails and two bridges across Wolf Creek, a major tributary of the Blue River. The first garden was dedicated in 1996. As currently planned, the arboretum will be developed over 20 years, with nearly 85 percent of the site set aside for natural ecosystems. The remaining property is earmarked for gardens, buildings, etc. At present, 8 ecosystems have been identified within the arboretum: 🍂Dry-Mesic Prairie has grasses such as big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indian grass. 🍂Dry Oak-Savanna, widely spaced oaks in a prairie invaded by woody species. 🍂Dry Oak-Hickory has shagbark hickory, black oak, and post oak. 🍂Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest has white ash, bitternut hickory, shagbark hickory, hackberry, leatherwood, bur oak, red oak, chinquapin oak, pawpaw, and black walnut. 🍂Riparian Woodland has green ash, eastern cottonwood, elm, hackberry, bitternut hickory, silver maple, honey locust, red mulberry, bur oak, osage-orange, sycamore, black walnut, and black willow. 🍂Wooded Draws has juniper, rough-leaf dogwood, red elm, and buck brush as well as pale purple coneflower, milkweeds, prickly pear, and grasses. 🍂Dry Wooded Swales is similar to the Wooded Draws but with dryer, shallower soil. 🍂Old Field is a severely disturbed zone due to over-grazing and cropping. Gardens: 🍂Erickson Water Garden (1996) is an unusual aquatic and bog plants, a Buddleia collection, wildflowers and ornamental grasses.🍂Marder Woodland Garden (1999) is a woodlands trail through ferns, dogwoods, native understudy, and a rhododendron and azalea garden. 🍂Legacy Garden (2000) has plants native or naturalized to Kansas. 🍂Children's Discovery Garden (2000) is a story tree, frog pond, mulberry wood, and other amusements for children. The park is open during daylight hours, seven days a week but closed Christmas Day. 4️⃣Strataca is a salt mine museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. The museum is built within one of the world’s largest deposits of rock salt and provides the opportunity to go 650 feet (200 m) beneath the Earth’s surface in a double-deck elevator that holds fifteen people on each level and take 90 seconds. The museum is located in the Hutchinson Salt Company mine. For safety reasons anyone going into the mine is required to wear a hard hat and rescue breather. In the history of Hutchinson’s salt mine, no visitor or mine employee has ever needed to use the breather. The mine naturally maintains a temperature of 68 degrees with a relative humidity of around 45%. The mine chambers range in size from 2,500 to 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2) with ceiling heights ranging from 11 to 17 feet (5.2 m). 🍂The Dark Ride is a tram tour ride that takes visitors through a maze of chambers beyond the museum area to see various features of the mine environment, with a brief pause to experience the sensation of complete darkness. The tour also includes a stop at a salt pile for a souvenir. You can fill a sample bag with salt crystals. 🍁The Mantrip Gallery! Mantrips are train-like vehicles. In this gallery, two of the mantrips used to transport miners to and from the mining area are featured. 🍁The Mining Gallery! Visitors learn about all aspects of the modern-day mining process, as well as earlier procedures, through this three-part gallery. 🍁The Geology Gallery! Visitors learn the physical and geological characteristics of the salt bed in Kansas. With a focus on the Permian Period (the sixth and last period of the Paleozoic Era), the gallery illustrates the animals that lived during this time and why there are no fossil records in the salt bed.🍁The Fluid Inclusion Exhibit features what is claimed to be the world’s oldest living organism, estimated to be about 250 million years old. (This is controversial.) 🍁Underground Vaults & Storage Gallery! While the 26-acre facility is a secured site in another area of the Hutchinson Salt Company mine not open to the public, Underground Vaults & Storage (UV&S) has replicated the look and set-up of its operation for the Kansas underground Salt Museum. There are 14 other salt mines in the United States, but none of them are accessible to tourists. 5️⃣Kansas Motorcycle Museum is a historic motorcycle museum in Marquette, Kansas. The museum was founded in 2003 by racer Stan Engdahl, a native of Marquette who died in 2007, and features over 100 vintage and rare motorcycles of all various makes and models as well as numerous other motorcycle memorabilia and artifacts. "Stan the Man" Engdahl was a motorcycle racing legend and five time National Racing Champion. Stan's wife LaVona currently serves as curator of the museum. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. The museum is open year-round and most holidays. The museum is a popular biker destination. There is also Kansas City Automotive Museum and Evel Knievel Museum. 6️⃣Mushroom Rock State Park is located in the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas. It is noted for its mushroom rock formations. These mushroom rocks are an example of hoodoos, formed through a process of nonuniform erosion and weathering in which a hard mass of Dakota Sandstone capstone resisted erosion while the underlying softer stone weathered away. There are two mushrooms and a giant shoe rock, as well as numerous other rock formations in the 5-acre (2.0 ha) park. 7️⃣OZ Museum was founded in 2004. The museum celebrates not just the famous 1939 film, but the story of Oz as a cultural phenomenon that began with L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The museum’s collection contains thousands of Oz-related artifacts and collectibles, such as early books from Baum’s series, board games, and playbills. In addition to the ever-growing collection of relics and ephemera, the museum has a number of displays that bring scenes from the Judy Garland musical to life. You can see a room painted like Dorothy’s black-and-white farmhouse, which transitions to a brightly lit room where you can take some steps down the yellow brick road. 8️⃣Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was established in the Flint Hills region of Kansas in 1996. Less than 4% of the 400,000 square miles of tallgrass prairie that once covered the North American Continent still remain, primarily in the Flint Hills of Kansas. The preserve protects 10,861 acres, most of it under control of the Nature Conservancy. Legislation does not permit the National Park Service to own more than 180 acres of the preserve. The National Park Service currently operates 32 acres including the 1881 historic ranch house, limestone barn and outbuildings, and nearby one room schoolhouse. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located 2 miles north of Strong City on Kansas Highway 177. Free 90 minute prairie bus tours are available daily from from the last Saturday in April through the last Sunday in October, at 11 AM (additional tours when staff is available). Advance reservations are recommended for the prairie bus tours. Free guided house tours and self guided tours of the Spring Hill Ranch headquarters area are available every day of the year, with a 10 minute site orientation video available by request. 9️⃣Boot Hill Museum is an American historical museum located in Dodge City, Kansas. A non-profit entity, the mission of the museum is to preserve the history of the Old West with emphasis on Dodge City. There are over 20,000 artifacts in the complex, including more than 200 original guns. The museum is named after the Boot Hill Cemetery, which sits on the northeast corner of the museum complex. "Boot Hill" was a common name for cemeteries used to bury gunslingers in the American West. The term refers to the fact that these men had "died with their boots on" – in other words, in a violent manner, whether in a gunfight or perhaps even by hanging. Boot Hill Museum is located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery and highlights the glory days of the Queen of the Cow towns with creative, lively, interactive displays and activities the entire family will enjoy. Boot Hill Museum is open all year long where you can belly up to the bar for a cold sarsaparilla, enjoy some of grandma’s homemade fudge in the General Store or take home a lasting memento of your old west experience from the Boot Hill gift shop. During the summer months, children’s activities, gunfight reenactments, country-style dinners and the Long Branch Variety Show provides entertainment like none other! Cool off in the Beatty and Kelley Ice Cream Parlor before you become a character of the past in an Old West Photo. The Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame is housed in the museum complex. The Long Branch Saloon is in the pic mark 'Shops on the West End of the "Town" Portion of the Boot Hill Museum'. 🔟Veterans Memorial Park! (I would have love to have posted pics for all of these because they are absolutely inspiring.) Since Veteran’s Day in 1977, Wichita has paid homage to the men and women who have fought and died in various wars throughout history. Statues and sculptures honor their bravery at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Riverside. From the Bicentennial Flag Pavilion to the individual memorials for specific wars and service members, visitors can pay their respects to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Take the “Veteran’s Memorial Walk” along the east side of the Arkansas River right to the park and witness for yourself this beautiful and unique collection. The tour takes about 1-2 hours to complete. 🍂Bicentennial Flag Pavilion! This pavilion houses 15 flags representing the evolution of America over the past two centuries. 🍂Military Order of the Purple Heart! The Purple Heart is a prestigious military award and is the oldest award to be given to combat soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and merchant mariners for those wounded or killed in the line of duty. 🍂Gold Star Wives of America! This memorial is dedicated the wives, sweethearts and other loved-ones of those lost in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other military campaigns. 🍂Prisoners of War & Missing in Action Memorial! Many prisoners of war are believed to have been captured while serving, and kept for slavery or tortured until their death without being reported to Geneva Convention. There are more than 78,000 POW soldiers from World War II, 2,000 from the Korean War and 3,000 from the Vietnam War. This monument remembers all those lost with Kansas ties. April 19 is National POW Day. 🍂Wichita Area Vietnam Veteran’s Association Memorial! As Americans against the Vietnam War turned their backs on Vietnam veterans, controversy arose around the American government as to whether America should have been involved in the first place. The Vietnam memorial at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Wichita houses the names of all the service men and women who died in Vietnam who have Wichita ties. 🍂American Gold Star Mothers Memorial! In 1929, the Kansas Chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers formed to create a support system for mothers who had lost their children in battle. This group of about 200 members raised money to create a black granite sculpture at Veteran’s Memorial Park, which was built in 2004. 🍂Kansas Korean War Veteran’s Association Memorial includes the American, Korean, Kansas, POW/MIA and Korean Veteran flags as a tribute to those who served. 🍂U.S. Marine Corps & U.S. Navy Hospital Corps Memorial was built by the U.S. Marine Corps League, this memorial honors all Marines. On the back, you can read the names of several of those who have paid the price for freedom. Paired with the U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsmen, many who served and gave medical care during battle are also honored in this memorial. 🍂U.S. Merchant Marine & U.S. Navy Armed Guard! These military men manned ships during World War I and World War II to carry goods across the oceans. The U.S. Navy Armed Guards were known for carrying defensive weapons and defending the waters. This memorial honors both groups for their contributions during wartime. 🍂U.S. Navy Submarine Service & SS248 Dorado Memorials! Soldiers who enlisted in the Submarine Service were also known as “The Silent Service,” as many went undetected deep beneath the sea. The U.S.S. Dorado, has been commemorated in this memorial. 🍂Pearl Harbor Survivors Association Memorial! More than 1,500 United States military men and women were killed on Dec. 7, 1942, when Japan dropped a bomb on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Learn about the history and the soldiers from Kansas lost at this memorial. 🍂World War II Memorial! The two black granite panels are 6 feet tall and 8 inches thick. The commemorative bricks mark the names of men and women who served in World War II. 🍂Sedgwick County Memorial Hall & “Soldiers & Sailors” Monument! These four bronze statues represent each military branch. This memorial honors those who served the Union and those who served the Confederacy during the Civil War. 1️⃣1️⃣Kansas Museum of History! It presents Kansas history from the prehistoric to modern eras in 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) of exhibits. The galleries feature a locomotive train with two cars, full-sized Southern Cheyenne tipi, a 1950s diner, and many other large features. Major topics covered in the main gallery include Native American tribal history, westward movement on the Oregon and Santa Fe trails, early settlers, the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War eras. Other important exhibited objects include: John Brown's pike, William Quantrill's flag, George Armstrong Custer's riding boots, Carrie A. Nation's hammer, William Allen White's printing press, and Dwight D. Eisenhower's World War II field jacket. The museum also holds one of the United States' largest collections of Civil War flags from African American regiments. At least one of these flags is always on display in the main gallery. 1️⃣2️⃣Rock City Park is a park located on hillsides overlooking the Solomon River in Kansas. In a patch of prairie about 1600 feet (500 meters) long and 130 feet (40 meters) wide, Rock City contains three clusters of large spherical boulders. These three clusters contain a total of 200 spherical boulders. It has been designated as a National Natural Landmark. The large spherical boulders are giant calcite-cemented concretions, typically called "cannonball concretions" because of their shape. They range in diameter from 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters) with the average diameter being 12 feet (3.6 meters). These concretions lie 6.6 to 26 feet (2 to 8 meters) apart. 1️⃣3️⃣The Lehigh Portland Trails are built on the site of a former cement plant and quarry, along the banks of Elm Creek in Iola, Kansas. The trails consist of over 2.5 miles of wide gravel trails and over 10 miles of natural-surface trails for mountain biking, trail running, and nature hikes. Steep hills, mature trees and ravines make this an excellent location for mountain bike trails in particular. 1️⃣4️⃣Frontier Park! The area that surrounds Big Creek on the southwest edge of Hays at one time was part of the original Fort Hays U.S. Military Post. Frontier Park is a scenic natural looking recreational area with a creek that winds through the 89 acres of land. The park features several walking trails, bridges, picnic and playground equipment, 4 shelter houses, 18-hole disc golf course, modern restroom facilities and plenty of large shade trees. On the west end of the park is the City of Hays bison herd. 1️⃣5️⃣Fort Hays State Historic Site! The site (177 acres (72 ha)) includes a visitor center, the fort's parade ground, and four of its original buildings: the blockhouse, the guardhouse, and two of the officers' quarters. The blockhouse, built in 1867, and the guardhouse, built in 1872, house exhibits on the fort's history, its construction, and on life at the fort as experienced by the soldiers stationed there. The two restored officers' quarters feature furnishings from the 1860s through the 1880s, spanning the fort's active period. The visitor center, built in 1967, contains exhibits on the conflict between the U.S. and the Plains Indians as well as Plains Indian artifacts from the period. Other exhibits on the grounds represent civilians who lived and worked at the fort and the locations of the post's other original buildings. 1️⃣6️⃣Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is a family attraction in Overland Park, Kansas. The facility shows farm animals, birds of prey, show gardens, butterfly gardens, a nature trail, a Kanza Native American display, and a full-scale one-room schoolhouse. The facility also provides playgrounds, a fishing pond, horse-drawn wagon rides, and pony rides. The facility began as a petting zoo in 1978 and was renamed in 1985 to honor Deanna Rose, an Overland Park police office. Rose was the first Overland Park police officer killed in the line of duty. 1️⃣7️⃣Sedgwick County Zoo was founded in 1971 with the help of the Sedgwick County Zoological Society, the zoo has quickly become recognized both nationally and internationally for its support of conservation programs and successful breeding of rare and endangered species and is ranked the number one outdoor tourist attraction in the state. Tram tours are free and go throughout the zoo. Boat tours through the Africa and America sections are available for a fee. 🍂Downing Gorilla Forest starts out in a recreation of a small Congo village with exhibits for De Brazza's monkey, colobus monkey, pink-backed pelican, and white pelican. Across a bridge is an exhibit for saddle-billed stork, as well as one for black crowned crane and okapi. The main attraction is a large gorilla exhibit. They can be viewed in their indoor home, outside through large viewing windows or across a moat. 🍂Pride of the Plains! A path winds around exhibits of lions, red river hogs, and two exhibits of meerkats. Each exhibit has several different views from all side. The whole area has a kopje theme, with giant boulders. At the end is an exhibit for African painted dogs. 🍂Penguin Cove is the zoos first marine exhibit, and home to a colony of Humboldt penguins. The exhibit features a 42,000-US-gallon (159,000 l) pool with rocky areas and coves on each side. 🍂See Eye to Eye with Giraffes! This exhibit features bonteboks, reticulated giraffes, African bush elephants, hippos, and Eastern black rhinos. On March 11, 2016, six African elephants arrived at the zoo from Swaziland to escape a drought. A male African elephant, Ajani, from Birmingham Zoo, joined the six female elephants for breeding purposes in May 2018. 🍂Tiger Trek is a Asian themed naturalistic exhibit houses Amur tigers, Malayan tigers, red pandas, bar-headed geese, brow-antlered deer, and more. 1️⃣8️⃣Geary Lake Falls (Junction City, Kansas) (this one is rough getting to, but a top ten pick) is a 35' falls only active after recent rains. It is formed by the overflow outlet of Geary State Fishing Lake. It is great fun to view the falls from the top and then venture down to the base. Both offer unique and interesting vantage points. Hike about a mile across the dam. There is no official trail, but there is a noticeable path worn by other visitors through the vegetation. As you near the waterfall, you may hear running water. Follow the unofficial trail into the woods. You won't have to venture far to see the top of the waterfall. Once you are ready to explore the base of the waterfall, you'll need to follow the trail down a fairly steep hill. Be careful. You may have to wrestle mud and trees as you make your way down. During the summer time be watchful of snakes at the base of the waterfall. I recommend wearing hiking boots, long sleeves, pants and insect repellent to keep away ticks and chiggers. 1️⃣9️⃣Prather Creek Falls, also called Chase Lake Falls, is a waterfall in three sections on the spillway of Chase State Fishing Lake. As a spillway waterfall, it's very sensitive to water levels. Despite rain when we visited, there was very little water flow. Only the lowest section looked anything like a waterfall. The middle section looks like it would be the most scenic if the water was higher. You can park by the dam and follow a path across the dam and then down the spillway to the waterfall. 2️⃣0️⃣Sand Hills State Park, located north of the city of Hutchinson, Kansas, a 1,123 acre natural area, has been preserved for its sand dunes, grasslands, wetlands, and woodlands. Popular activities at the park are hiking and horseback riding. Other activities include hunting, bird watching, wildflower walks, jogging and just simple relaxation in the country. There are eight trails in the park which are broken down into interpretive, hiking and horseback riding trails. There are 14 miles of trails which weave in between 10 to 40-feet high sand dunes, through grasslands and trees, and around ponds. Modern facilities are limited. 2️⃣1️⃣Monument Rocks! The "Badlands" of Kansas, famous for its fossils, is an area of chalk bluffs, chalk flats, and chalk pinnacles. Eighty million years ago this region was an open ocean brimming with calcium-shelled microscopic animals (foraminera), giant oysters, sharks, bony fish, and reptiles swimming and flying overhead. The tests (little shells) of trillions of foraminera fell like snow to the bottom as they died, forming thick limey ooze, which enveloped the corpses of larger animals. Through time the ooze was covered by other sediments and pressed into chalk (a soft limestone). Thousands of years of sculpting by the Smoky Hill River have left what you see today. Although dry here in recent years, the Smoky Hill River once had enough flow to carve unique "badlands" in the fossil-rich chalk layers of western Kansas. One of the best-known formations is the area known as the Monument Rocks, sometimes referred to as the Chalk Pyramids, and officially recognized by the National Park Service as a National Natural Landmark. In addition to the unusual geology, the area also offers some interesting habitat for wildlife. Small holes in the formations provide nesting cavities for our smallest falcon, the American kestrel. Pigeons also fly from ledge to ledge as they commonly do in most cities. Here we gain an understanding of this introduced bird's natural habitat in Europe and why they are also called rock doves. Pronghorns inhabit the surrounding shortgrass prairie. Although they are large mammals, their colors make them surprisingly difficult to see. Also in the area are coyotes, black-tailed jackrabbits, lesser earless lizards, and the venomous western rattlesnake. Birders find Cassin's sparrows, ferruginous hawks, and golden eagles of special interest. Common birds include horned larks, vesper sparrows, western meadowlarks, and black-billed magpies. Winter brings prairie falcons, rough-legged hawks, and large flocks of Lapland longspurs. 2️⃣2️⃣Landon Nature Trail is 38 miles and a particularly scenic recreational trail stretching from the popular Shunga Trail in Topeka to the Clinton Wildlife Area, Pomona Lake and on to the 117-mile Flint Hills Nature Trail near Quenemo. The trail will be the only recreational trail in America to link the Oregon National Historic Trail with the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. In the North, this remarkable trail follows picturesque Camp Creek with its clear, rushing water and wooded oak-hickory covered hills which provide a shady tree canopy for trail users. It should also be noted that the nature trail passes by two wetlands teeming with waterfowl, native tallgrass prairie blooming with wildflowers and two lovely waterfalls. In fact, the land surrounding the Swissvale Waterfall lies within the corridor and can be turned into a picnic area. Very few trails in the Midwest offer the variety of scenery and history provided by the Landon Nature Trail. When completed, it will be an exceptional public asset available to everyone in the Sunflower State. Visitors are invited to come out and enjoy activities such as hiking, biking, running, horseback riding, and experience some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Midwest. Things to see on the Trail: 🍂Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site! The northern trailhead of the Landon Trail is adjacent to this famous Civil Rights national historic site which celebrates the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” This decision heralded the demise of segregated schools across the United States, and was a significant victory in the war against racial discrimination. Located in the former Monroe School, there are extensive photos, articles and videos. 🍂First Bicycle Roundabout in Kansas is located at about 20th & Kansas Ave. This is where the popular Shunga Trail intersects the Landon Trail. 🍂Oregon National Historic Trail, Union Ferry Branch! The Landon Nature Trail will be the only recreational trail in America to link the Oregon National Historic Trail with the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. 🍂Clinton Wildlife Area Wetlands includes two man-made wetland complexes totaling 460 acres in nine marsh pools are teaming with waterfowl. The wildlife area also features the long Wakarusa River railroad bridge. 🍂Camp Creek Valley! The trail follows picturesque Camp Creek with its clear, rushing water and wooded oak-hickory covered hills which provide a shady tree canopy for trail users. 🍂Swissvale Waterfall is a lovely waterfall located on Camp Creek. The land surrounding the Swissvale Waterfall lies within the trail corridor and may be turned into a picnic are. 🍂Redbud Bluff Waterfall flows from a bluff in the trail corridor south of the old whistle stop of Swissvale. Water flows in the spring. 🍂Tallgrass Prairie is tracts of native tallgrass prairie with wildflowers are located north of Overbrook along the trail. Private property. 🍂Santa Fe National Historic Trail Ruts! The Landon Trail passes near the Overbrook Cemetery in SE Overbrook where trail ruts or swales may be viewed. Also, there is a granite marker pointing out the Overbrook Santa Fe Trail Hitching Post (1822-1872). 🍂Historic 110 Mile Creek Bridge — This 280-foot-long railroad bridge spans 110 Mile Creek and features overhead lattice steel beam girders supported by cut white limestone pilings. Absolutely a great piece of railroad history. 🍂KU Wetlands is 10 acres of re-created wetlands west of K-68 north of Quenemo on the Flint Hills Trail near the Landon Trail southern terminus. Owned by the University of Kansas. Water in the wetlands is seasonal. The Conservancy’s old railroad bed makes the berm to hold the water. 2️⃣3️⃣Pillsbury Crossing’s Deep Creek Falls cascades over a 5-foot-high, 40-foot-wide fall onto topsy-turvy rectangular and ragged chunks of limestone before continuing downstream toward the Kansas River. Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area, is a few miles southeast of Manhattan, Kansas. (The actual crossing is a natural, flat outcropping of limestone, which the creek flows over just upstream from the waterfall.) Pillsbury Crossing is a low water river crossing where vehicles following Pillsbury Crossing Lane drive a 100' stretch through a few inches of running water. The Falls are just a few dozen feet down river from the crossing and can be reached from parking spots next to the east side of Pillsbury Crossing. The falls can also be reached from the north side where you must climb down about a 30' rock face. The climb isn't bad if you are careful, just enough to add a little adventure to the visit. The more risky footing is stepping into the very shallow water. The wet rocks are extremely slick. The Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area was donated to the Department of Wildlife and Parks in 1967. The 59 acres along Deep Creek provide public access to one of the most scenic areas of the northern Flint Hills region. The natural flat rock crossing was named for pioneer J. H. Pillsbury, who settled here in 1855. There is a short hiking trail or hikers may follow the sides of Deep Creek. There is good channel cat fishing both above and below the crossing. Other species include spotted bass, largemouth bass, bullhead catfish and carp. During normal stream flow, you may canoe, kayak, or take a small row boat upstream for 1/2 mile. Swimming is prohibited. 2️⃣4️⃣Buffalo Soldier Monument is an impressive monument and surrounding reflecting pool and statue busts of several renowned African American soldiers. (A must see!) The monument was initiated and dedicated in 1992 by Gen. Colin Powell to the memory of the 9th & 10th Cavalry Regiments made up of black soldiers. These troopers proved their bravery & valor throughout the Indian Wars, winning the respect of the Cheyenne warriors who named them "Buffalo Soldiers," a badge of honor. 2️⃣5️⃣Fort Larned National Historic Site preserves Fort Larned which operated from 1859 to 1878. It is approximately 5.5 miles (8.9 km) west of Larned, Kansas. Larned, Kansas and the fort that was constructed there are named in honor of Colonel Benjamin F. Larned, the paymaster general of the United States Army at the time the post was established. Renovations to Fort Larned took place between 1866 and 1868. The original sod and adobe structures were removed and replaced with the sandstone buildings that make up the fort today. With nine historic buildings, the fort survives as one of the best-preserved examples of Indian Wars-period forts. Most of the buildings, including the barracks, commissary, and officers quarters, are furnished to their original appearance. Fort Larned National Historic Site is open daily, year-round, and admission is free. The park offers several special events throughout the year, living history demonstrations, and ranger-guided tours. Historic Site Includes: 🍂Barracks housed the infantry and cavalry on the north side of the Fort. 🍂Shops; Repairs were handled by skilled, civilian tradesmen. Blacksmiths, carpenters, saddlers and wheelwrights were hired at high wages. 🍂Warehouses are on important role for a frontier fort was as a place to store the supplies that kept the Army functioning, including food, ammunition, and clothing. 🍂Officers' Row; The company officers' quarters were designed to house four companies' of officers. A typical company's officers included two lieutenants and one captain. The officer' were divided into two halls, each with four rooms; a lieutenant was housed in one room while captains could claim two. In the rear of each half of the building was a kitchen and servant's quarters. 🍂Blockhouse; The first sandstone structure to be completed was the blockhouse. It provided for defense. Built with two floor, each with loopholes to defend from attackers. It included an underground well. As the threat of attack diminished, the blockhouse was converted into the post's prison. The well tunnel was partially filled and used for solitary confinement. The rifle loopholes were also filled. The blockhouse is the only sandstone building that has been completely rebuilt, though it has been located on its original foundation. 2️⃣6️⃣Fort Scott National Historic Site! Representing a military fort of the 1840s, much of Fort Scott's story focuses on the role of the U.S. Army on the frontier. The site interprets the 1840s era with interpretive exhibits, period furnishings, and living history programs that include soldiers drilling on horseback and artillery demonstrations. The site preserves 20 historic structures, eleven of which are original buildings, the others are reconstructions built on the original foundations. The site is furnished to the 1840s era, but the story told here encompasses three decades of American history. From 1842-53, it was a military fort established to protect the Permanent Indian Frontier; soldiers kept peace between white settlers and American Indian tribes, patrolled overland trails and fought in the Mexican-American War. The fort was abandoned in 1853 as the frontier spread further westward. Two years later, the buildings were sold at auction and the fort became a town. The town was involved in the Bleeding Kansas era from 1854-61 when Kansans fought each other over the issue of slavery. There were episodes of violence and intrigue on the grounds of Fort Scott NHS during that era. During the Civil War, the United States Army returned to Fort Scott and established a military base that included many of the former fort buildings. Civil War Fort Scott functioned as a Union supply base, hospital complex, training ground and recruitment center. The site is open daily for self guided tours through the buildings. Visitors enter through the visitor center where they are oriented to the site, given safety information and provided with a park brochure. A twenty three minute movie provides an introduction to the site's history, while a series of exterior and interior exhibits help guide the visitor through the site and tell its stories. A cell phone tour of the site provides a one minute narration of each of the buildings that are open to the public. 2️⃣7️⃣Butcher Falls is located on the Red Buffalo Ranch, which sprawls across 8,000 acres, west of Sedan, Kansas. It is owned by television personality Bill Kurtis, who was born in nearby Independence, Kansas and has done a lot to encourage the development and survival of both communities. Butcher Falls is beautiful and rugged between its rock wall banks. During spring high water it is the most impressive natural falls in Kansas. The 14' high falls is on Pool Creek, just a 500' above the point where the creek empties into Middle Caney Creek. 2️⃣8️⃣Kansas Teachers' Hall of Fame is in Dodge City. The Kansas Teachers' Hall of Fame is the first one of its kind in the United States. It is dedicated to the early and present day teachers who have devoted their lives to this fine profession. Visitors can find photos and stories about Kansas' best and brightest teaching professionals. The Hall of Fame Gallery displays photos and stories of over 400 teachers named to the Hall of Fame. I put this one in for all my wonderful teacher friends. Maybe one day every state will have a Hall of Fame for Teachers. In my area our local TV channel takes nominations for local teachers and out of all the nominees they pick five teachers that go above and beyond teaching and give them a Golden Apple Award. In fact their taking nominations right now.

Wow that's a lot of shoes but it would be worth every pair to shoe the world. I'm not sure about a pear with chocolate on it, how about separate please. I don't need a special day to be wrong.😁 Another must visit state. Especially the forts and Monument Rocks for me.

Sending warm hugs! Hope they don't blow off course, we're under a wind advisory.🐶🐶💕🌥💕