Along the Santa Fe trail

Our first stop on Day 2 was in Woodward, OK at the Plains Indians & Pioneers museum.  Never knew anything about Sam Houston's youngest son Temple Houston, but this is where he truly made his mark as a orator, lawyer, and gunslinger.  May be best known for his "soiled dove" defense of a local whore ... http://demo1.ask.com/wiki/Soiled_Dove_Plea

We then headed west towards Ft. Supply.  Were greeted at the gate by Bob Lea, curator of the site for the past 20 years and responsible for its renovation and upkeep.  Don't know if he greets all visitors and provides tours, but since it shares ground with a state mental hospital and mental facility, wouldn't be surprised!  Ft. Supply was one of the longer-lived outposts along the Santa Fe trail because it served to protect the reservation Indians from the whites long after the iron horse had replaced the wagons on the trail!

We moved on to one of the winners in our Town High School Mascot game ... Buffalo, OK - home of the Bison!  Now they clearly get it!  Other towns of mention ... the Winters (TX) Blizzards and the Shamrock (TX) Irish.  Buffalo is also home to Shorty's cafe, surrounded by beat-up old white farm trucks, obviously there for the chicken-fried and the apple pie!  Flaky crust, extra spicy, with crisp apples - definitely a four-star slice of pie.

Then on to Ft Larned, KS, also a guardian of the Santa Fe trail, and truly the best-preserved fort I've ever visited.  One feels they could put three company of cavalry in the field with a single bugle call.  Barracks, hospital, blacksmith, bakery, magazine, quartermaster store, officers' quarters - all there and fully-furnished.  Highly recommended for insight into frontier life and defense.

Education is like a ball and chain to some...

SOOooooo jealous!  I never got to fold the flag with a ranger at a National Park!!!

We raced sunset along the Santa Fe trail to reach Pawnee Rock, an outcrop of Dakota Sandstone with travelers' names from 100+ years ago scratched into it, before settling in Russell, KS for the night.

Trip miles = 985.3

Honorable mention on food for Meridy's in Russell for their bacon-wrapped pork loin.

Today is Halloween ... can't decide if I'll be a world traveler or upland hunter.  Hmmm...