Kansas.... We didn't know!

Our original plan for our adventure through Kansas was quite simple... grab Mingo... the oldest active geocache in the world!   We struggled with how to make a trip into western Kansas for the cache without adding too much time to our travels.  We routed and re-routed our return trip from Washington to Georgia trying to make the path shorter, smarter, easier.  In the end, we went back to the beginning.  We changed our travel plans on the way to Washington (catching different states in the new route) and this afforded us more time to reach Mingo (Colby, KS).

We arrived in Colby after dark and decided to just head for the hotel.  The plan was to stop at Mingo first thing in the morning, maybe catch a cache or two nearby... then blow through Kansas and in to Oklahoma.   Well.... Kansas had more to offer than we realized!

Mingo was a quick find... as were the few other caches located nearby.  We were back on the trail in no time flat.

A few miles down the road, we decided to stop for a quick restroom break.  We pulled into a town called Oakley.  In the median of the road was a sign that caught our eye... a teaser about the "significant historical value" of the seemingly quiet town.   Cue the music... break out the Google!!

As luck would have it, we landed just a few miles from the historical Bill Cody and Bill Comstock show-down.   Drumroll please..... Oakley is the birthplace of "Buffalo Bill"!

The twice-the-size-of-life statue had a commanding presence on the hill above the interpretative center. Buffalo Bill on top of his favorite hunting horse with his gun, Lucretia, about to down a buffalo.   Prior to his Buffalo Bill fame, Bill Cody was a professional hunter... hunting buffalo for meat he contracted to provide to railworkers in the region.

Oakley is also the home of Annie Oakley.... the sharp-shooter that traveled with Buffalo Bill's shows!

It seems fitting that the TTMs could step back in time for just one split-second to become these historic people.... so we did!  :)

Then we were off again... Next stop was planned for Hays, KS.   A couple of earthcaches, a virtual.... and a microbrewery for a late lunch!    But again... it just isn't that simple in the TTMs world.  On our way, we stumbled upon an unusual geo-art.  E-L-L-I-S is spelled out along the dirt roads of it's namesake town.  What makes this geo-art unusual is the each smiley is a traditional cache.  Most geo-art is made from puzzle caches which allow the icon to be placed almost anywhere with the final cache located some distance away.  This gives the cache owner a little creative-licensing to focus on the art without being restricted on icon placements. With traditional caches, they are physically located where the icon is placed.  It was fun to find something different... and so strategically placed!  

With the geo-art done, it was off to Hays.  A few caches... and a few pictures... a new microbrew later... we were finally heading out of Kansas and on to Oklahoma!

♡Mac