Day 4 - Ottawa, Kansas to La Junta, Colorado

Another long, long day! In addition, it was unbelievably hot, as you may have seen if you have been watching the Weather Channel. I kept the top down for about half the day, but around noon, it was time to put it up and crank up the AC! As expected, after I left Ottawa, the country quickly flattened out and corn and soybean fields abounded. In yesterday's post, I mentioned cheap gas. I think I have determined one reason: abundant supply. Near Macpherson, Kansas, there was an extremely large facility owned by Williams Energy that I can only assume was for fracking. Just east of that was an even larger underground storage facility that must have covered over 100 acres. As I drove by, I detected the distinct odor of propane. I decided it not wise to take any pictures, though! This was one of several similar facilities I saw today in Kansas and Colorado. One thing I forgot to mention from Day 2. Somewhere in Southern Ohio (I forgot where, exactly), I passed a road sign with an arrow pointing left that said: "Centrifuges." Directly across that intersection was the Atomic Federal Credit Union. Wonder if I could get some enriched plutonium there??? Better not ask, I guess. Hmmm...

Now for today's trip.The morning's GPS reading:

About 30 minutes into the trip, I saw a sign that I had noticed on my map when planning my trip, so I turned off, not knowing what to expect.

Just another one of the hidden treasures that our National Park Service provides for us.
Here are a few pics from the site:



And my obligatory pic of my car in front of the sign:

I can't imagine what these homesteaders endured when they established these ranches in the 1800's. They certainly were a hardy folk, to say the least.

Further down the road, discovered another little gem:

Once again, I had never heard of this. Since I was following the Sante Fe Trail, it shouldn't have surprised me to see forts such as this built up along it.

And, of course, the obligatory car pic with the entrance sign: BTW, by this time, it was HOT!

My final stop was just after I passed into Colorado, and it reflects one of the saddest times in American history, as far as I am concerned, the way we treated the Japanese-American citizens during WWII. What is even sadder, is the way the US has completely neglected this part of our history, as you will see from these pictures. First of all, there was only a small sign that I almost missed alongside the road, which pointed to a dirt road:

As is apparent, our government has done nothing to recognize this. The entire site was a restoration effort by the local volunteers, and it is in a sorry state of affairs, though they gave it a valiant restoration effort.


I did not venture into the scrub underbrush, as there was a sign warning of rattlesnakes. However, you can see the concrete slab where one of the housing units was located in this picture: None of the other structures were remaining as far as I could see.

It was, indeed, a sad time in our history. I'll say no more. I won't even post the pic of my car in front of the entrance sign.

Today's final GPS post. Oh, there apparently is a malfunction with the GPS, as the max speed reads 36 MPH over the highest speed limit I saw. It just can't be right!!! :)

Dinner tonight was recommended by the desk clerk at the motel. If you are ever in La Junta, I heartily recommend Lucy's Tacos. It's basically a food truck, but absolutely wonderful!