Survey Coordinating

I celebrated my two month anniversary as a state employee last Saturday.  Within my first week, I was in Prairie Village investigating ruts that were formed by the Oregon Trail.

See that depressed area?  That's a rut.

The next day, I headed up to Marshall County to investigate more trail ruts at Alcove Spring.  This was a stop along the Oregon Trail because of its natural water source.  While travelers waited for an appropriate time to cross the Blue River to the west, some carved their names in rocks around the spring.

"Alcove Spring" carved into rock by Oregon Trail traveler.

We went to Marysville for lunch that afternoon, and drove by their old Spanish Revival Union Pacific Depot (did you know that Marysville is a huge U.P. hub?) with its fabulous tile:

The medallion says Union Pacific System, Overland.

A few days later, I drove out to Scott State Park in Western Kansas for the dedication of Kansas's first Historic Byway, Western Vistas Historic Byway.  Driving down to the park was similar to a video game where the scenery doesn't change, the road doesn't turn, and no one is around.  Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, these appear:

Monument Rocks.

We spent the night in Mountain-time Goodland, only 10 miles from Golden Colorado.  We considered taking a detour to the Rockies, but I had to get back for such an insignificant event as moving.  Not knowing it was an hour earlier than we thought, we ate dinner on Main Street at Buddy's BBQ (where don't even think about wanting white meat), and strolled down the street for the traditional site visit treat, ice cream.  Being the last day of September, The Vault Creamery was closing for the season October 1.  This meant homemade ice cream for $1.

Home of the $1 ice cream.

The next day, we headed home, and made a pit stop in Cawker City, home of the world's largest ball of twine (yes, it is a National Register object).

He stopped twining in the 1950s. 
Guess he figured it was big enough.

Just last week I found my favorite little house in a tiny little town called Beattie.  According to the date on the front of the house, it dates to 1878.  Isn't it precious?

James Fitzgerald House, Beattie, Kansas.

Hard to believe all of this is in Kansas, isn't it.  More hard for me to believe is that I am paid to go hiking and looking for historic places in Kansas.  What a hard life.