| Saturday,
November 1, 2025: After spending the night in Greensburg, Kansas, we
went on to Meade, where we visited Meade Locker and Processing. We almost
didn't find it, as the processing building is the most visible and was
closed, but we finally found the retail store, sharing a sign and entrance
with a liquor store. They have a selection of about 30 brats.
We
got German Bratwurst with Sauerkraut, Teriyaki Beef Jerky, and several
specialty protein items.
Driving
east we drove to Big Basin Prairie Preserve Wildlife Area. I've been there
several time, but have never seen the bison herd. There were none as we
entered the preserve and we drove on to St. Jacob's Well, a natural sinkhole
with a permanent, spring fed pool of water which has never been known to
go dry. It has attracted visitors for many centuries, beginning with prehistoric
people and continuing until European settlement.
On
the way back to the highway, we spotted the bison herd across the Big Basin.
I was photographing the bison at a distance, when another vehicle pulled
up to see what I was photographing. The driver of the vehicle honked his
horn and the bison thought that meant we had food for them. They immediately
started racing across the basin and up to the ridge where we were parked.
They can move fast!
A
third vehicle arrived as I was returning to our car and I warned the passenger
who got out to take photos, not to get far from their car.
Continuing
east we stopped at the Fromme-Birney Round Barn in Mullenville. The 70
feet diameter, 16 sided barn was built in 1912 to hold draft horses, which
were eventually replaced by tractors. The barn went on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1987. It had several been several years since the
last time we went here. The main changes were a new roof and a growing
selection of flea market type items offered for sale on the honor system
in the barn.
Before
leaving Mullenville, we took new photos of Kanza Art Museum, which displays
the grassroots art of work of M. T. Liggett, who passed away in 2017.
Continuing
east along US400, we photographed the huge old John Rice barn, cotton fields,
and a cotton gin.
Supper
was at Chapeau in Pratt, Kansas, which opened as The Brunswick Bar in 1969.
Immediately prior to the current owner taking over in 1988, it was an Italian
Restaurant. The menu is somewhat limited, but the Pizza Taco and Burgers
came heavily recommended
The
Pizza Taco was inspired partially by the former Italian restaurant and
is served on a crispy pizza crust shaped like a taco and filled with your
choice of beef, sausage or chicken, and mozzarella cheese, shredded lettuce
and a choice of 5 spice levels of sauce. Even the $10.55 small version
is large. I liked it, but not as much as the burger.
The
Rat Burger has jalapenos, bacon, cheese and grilled onions and is named
for a customer who always ordered it. The menu doesn't say what size it
is, but it looked like a half pound.
We
spent the night at the Flag Point Inn & Suites in Pratt.
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Meade Locker
St. Jacob's Well
Bison Stampede
Fromme-Birney Round Barn
Pizza Taco
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| Tuesday,
November 11, 2025: For lunch today we revisited the Little Russia Chili
Parlor in the Little Russia district of Topeka, Kansas. We had a BLT with
about a pound of bacon, Chili Burger, chili dog and a cup of chili. The
burger was my favorite part of the meal, though it was thoroughly messy.
In
the evening, we photographed the Aurora Borealis from Shawnee Mission Park
in Lenexa, Kansas. The park was officially closed but Johnson County Park
Police opened up a parking lot at the front and let people come to take
photos.
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