We didn’t spend any time in Olpe. The original plan was to have lunch at the
Chicken House with our niece and as much of her family as we could round up,
but she was otherwise occupied that day.
So we drove the 10 miles or so to Emporia and out the west side on
Highway 50.
That road eventually goes to Newton, although that wasn’t
necessarily my destination. It is an
enjoyable trip through some really pretty country, and since the road has been
reconstructed, is a better highway than the death trap it used to be.
Our trip on Highway 50 was uneventful, except for our
stopping at two places. One was one of
those “historical marker” signs that one sees once in a while. This marker was on the roadside a couple of
miles east of Cottonwood Falls. It talks
of the “bluestem pasture region” of the area…otherwise noted as the Flint Hills
of Kansas. A couple of items of note
from that marker are that the bluestem region covers about 4 ½ million acres,
and is home to a million head of cattle each grazing season. The marker sits at a place where one can gaze
out on hundreds and hundreds of acres of the hills. Quite a sight!
We also saw a sign on the roadside that said, “Clements
Stone Arch Bridge” and pointed to a county road that went over a railroad and
through what was left of the little town of Clements, Kansas, in western Chase
County. We decided to stop and see the
bridge.
We went a mile or so down the road, and found a sign
pointing to a path not much more than a wagon-path through a field. We went that way, and found a wonderful
structure, no longer used, that spanned the Cottonwood River, and was in use
until several years ago when the road that went over it was re-routed and a new
bridge was built about 500 yards east of the old bridge. The bridge is in some disrepair, and good
people are looking to find funds for its restoration. But it is a marvelous testament to the
ingenuity and skill of folks long past and gone to build something of this kind
on the prairies of Kansas, using what they had available to them (limestone).
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| Clements Stone Arch Bridge...looking to the Northeast |
We took a few photos of the bridge, then headed on down the
road. As we went on, we decided to stop
in Newton at the Breadbasket restaurant, where we have eaten before. It’s just south of the rail crossing on the
main north-south street downtown. We
pulled up a little after 1pm and went in.
Normally, we go in the evening when they have a buffet. This day, we ordered at the register. As it was my birthday, I ordered a hot beef
sandwich…something I don’t order because it has way too many carbs and not
enough (or any) veggies. I had a choice
of a half or the whole thing. Thinking
of normal hot beef sandwiches I’d had, I ordered the whole. Oh, my!
It came on a large plate with about three times the beef,
potatoes, and gravy that I was expecting.
And the bread was a huge bun…not sliced bread. I managed to down it, however, as it was
very, very tasty. But I knew I wouldn’t
be having anything much for the evening meal that day. In the first place, I didn’t need it after
that. In the second place, I wouldn’t
want much anyhow!
We then got back in the car and came home in an uneventful
last 30 minutes or so of our day trip.
What a wonderful way to spend some time with the wife of my youth and
seeing things that make me thankful that Kansas is my home…at least in this
life.
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