The first stop was a pass through Greely, which I have photographed a couple of times before, but as my emphasis is shifting from attractions worth building a page about, to things worth posting about on Facebook, I am looking at things through new eyes. In addition to some winter shots of St. John the Baptist Catholic church and the downtown, I found an interestingly painted garage and an Air B&B in the former parish hall, called The 1913 Hall.

Next up was Mildred Store, in the 25 person unincorporated community of Mildred, Kansas. Charlie Brown Grocery was a served the community from 1915 to 2014. When it closed, Regena and Loren Lance took it over and the building now houses a market, deli, meat market, and event space which hosts music once a month. They also have the nearby Lazy Daz RV Park and stay Cabins.

Regena took a break from preparing food for later, to give me a tour including today's music venue, which was Brown Brothers Feed Store. The customers were friendly, letting me take photos with them in the shots and talking for sometime after we left the store.

Along US 59, I made passes through Stark, Moran, Elsmore, Savinburg, Parson, Erie, Edna and Altamont, I got some photos of the Erie Dinosaur Park with snow and a Bald Eagle feeding near the highway.

Lunch was at M J's Burger House in Altamont and was a real treat. The half pound Philly burger was hand formed from fresh burger and topped with Philly meat, grilled onions & peppers and Swiss cheese. This one is going on my Kansas Best Burger list and I wouldn't change a thing! The house cut fries were great as well!

Using a credit card added 3.5% to the bill.

Coffeyville was the destination of the drive and several stops were planned, starting with Sunflower Soda Fountain. I came here to have a slice of pie, but when Coney Islands were listed on the menu, ordered one them as well. It wasn't bad, but neither the the dog itself or the chili were particularly what I was hoping for.

There were many dessert offerings and and I settled on the pecan cream pie, something I've never had before. It was very good, including a nice crust. It would be nice see what their version of sour cream and raisin pie is like.

Other stops in Coffeyville included the lowest point in the state of Kansas. There is a small sign there, well actually about a half mile from there, but that is as close as the public can get without a boat. I also revisited Elmwood Cemetery to take updated photos of the graves of the Dalton Gang, their brother Frank, who was a US Marshall. two men who died defending Coffeyville from the Gang and John Cubine who created the first left & right cowboy boots.

Back downtown, I photographed a few buildings, then stopped at the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center, to have a free ICEE. The ICEE was invented in 1958 by Omar Knedlik, who had a Dairy Queen in Coffeyville, Kansas. When his pop machine broke down, he was putting bottles in the freezer to chill them. Bottle of pop stated turning to slush when opened and they were popular.

The ICEE machine at the Chamber of Commerce hadn't been turned on, but they were to start it up and I spent the time waiting for it to be ready to operate photographing the lovely old bank building and reading some of the local travel information. There was a choice of cherry or orange creame and I was happy with the cherry.

After stops for more photos on the way home, supper was at Chancy's Grill & Shake in Moran, which I last visited in May 2022. After thinking of some of the good burgers and fries that I have had here before, I went with the special, a hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes, choice of one side and a drink for $11.50. It was a very good sandwich. 

The only side which interested me was the apple sauce, which did not taste homemade.

Mildred Store

Erie Dinosaur Park

M J's Burger House
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lowest point in the state of Kansas
 
 

Cherry ICEE