| A Trip to the Southwest and the Plains November 2007 Wichita — Page 3 |
Our Time in Wichita
Our stay in Wichita would last for a little over a week. During that time
we would go to a casino north of Topeka, watch a lot of football games on
TV and on Thanksgiving day we would eat. Then there was a lot of fun time
playing with four basset hounds, each with a very distinct personality.
Kay and I arrived at the Blasi RV Campground on Monday about 30 minutes before sunset. The temperature was 77 degrees and the relative humidity was 90%. As I unhooked our towed vehicle, I worked up a sweat even though this was the third week of November.
The warm weather wouldn't last; in fact it turned cold by the end of the next day. For the remainder of our time in Wichita the weather was chilly in the daytime and cold at night. The utility heating system in our motorhome — used to keep the water systems from freezing — was turned on and worked very well during our stay at the RV campground.
On our second full day in Wichita, Jim and Donna took us to see the new pedestrian bridges that span both the Arkansas River and the Little Arkansas River near the confluence of the two rivers. These structures make it possible to walk out to the stylized sculpture of a Native American chief called The Keeper of the Plains.
There was a stiff breeze blowing making the temperature feel very cold indeed. Checking a wind chill chart later, I found that the perceived temperature was just a few degrees above zero Fahrenheit. Even so, I wanted to take some photos out where the large sculpture is located. Kay and I wore our heaviest winter coats to ward off the cold.
 Kay's hair is being blown by a very cold breeze that was with us most of the day |
On the way to the sculpture I came to a flock of Canadian geese. They begin showing up around this time of year as they migrate from their summer home. At first I thought it was nice to see so many of these beautiful birds very close as I crossed a grassy area to get to a paved walkway. Then at the sidewalk I saw that it was covered with a lot of fowl poop.
 These geese are fun to watch — however, be careful where you step |
As I made my way out to the point of land where the sculpture is located I took photographs along the way. The foot bridges are an attractive design using a single suspension point above the center of each bridge. The view of the bridges, the suspension cables and the towers changed with each step.
 An interesting suspension bridge design |
Once on the point of land I walked quickly around the Keeper of the Plains statue taking pictures of the city skyline. There were a couple of city workers opening access doors around the sculpture. I found it interesting to see how access was disguised to make a minimum visual impact on the view of the scene near the statue.
 The Keeper of the Plains |
Behind the Keeper of the Plains sculpture is a curved wall that displayed images and information about the Native Americans who lived in the area when settlers arrived. One item caught my eye, it is a simple map of the United States with the names of the tribes of the plains people and the approximate locations of where they lived.
Click on image to view a larger version Map of tribes and where they lived |
| The cold wind was stinging my face, so I decided to cut my walk short and returned to the warmth of the car where the saner people in our group waited for me. It really felt good to get in the heated vehicle. Once I was back in the car, Jim took us out to the Old Town part of Wichita to show us the new developments that have taken place since our last trip. It was a nice ride and good to have someone other than me do the driving. |
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We returned to the house to find Steven covered with dogs. After settling in, Kay checked her email while the rest of our group found places to sit to watch a college football game. There was a lot of football games on during our time in Wichita. It seemed as if nearly everyday at least one game was played with three games on some days.
It is easy to tell when the Green Bay Packers are playing because Donna — being a big fan of the Packers — puts a Green Bay Packers flag out on the front of the house. With the others occupied with football I spent time using my computer to process photos I've taken and working on the story of this trip.
 It is easy to tell that there is a Packers fan in this house |
Jim and Donna had the back porch of their house upgraded to a very nice all weather room. Windows and sliding doors cover the east and south sides letting in a lot of light to warm the room in the winter. While in the summer the sliding doors open up to convert the room to a screened-in porch. The dogs really like the new room and I found it a nice place to read while sitting in one of the cushy chairs.
 A nice place to relax with the pooches |
On one of our days in Wichita my sister came to our motorhome for a while. It was nice to see her and to have an enjoyable visit with the two of us getting caught up on what we've been doing. My sister's computer experience has been pretty much limited to sending and receiving email. So I showed her how to browse the web using my RV Fun Trips website as an example.
The weather remained cold most of the time we were in Wichita. On one morning when we I looked outside I saw that our car had about two inches of snow on the roof. So, in a few days we went from very warm weather to really cold weather — cold to us — with us getting snow. The snow didn't hang around very long with most of it being gone by the end of the day, however the temperature stayed low.
 Now this is something we don't see outside our motorhome very often |
At one time when we were over at Jim's and Donna's house, ice was needed for cold drinks. Jim went to the store and brought home a bag of ice. The weather was cold enough that Jim didn't bring the ice into the house — the refrigerator was filled — he simply laid the bag down in the garage next to the door that went into the kitchen. So, there is some good use for the cold weather other than just pretty white stuff.
Our time in Wichita lasted nine days with us doing a lot of eating and taking it easy. Some of the best eating took place on Thanksgiving Day with Jim and Donna turning out a very nice dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Also, there was a nice ham to fill out the menu. Donna's mother and sister, Debbie, came over to join us for dinner. I always enjoy seeing Debbie. This was one of those days when watching football games filled out the day.
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