Farewell to Junction City, Kansas

We spent most of the summer here and while it would not be our first choice in summer destinations we had a very nice visit and as always when it is time to go we feel a certain sadness creeping in.  We were fortunate and avoided severe weather for the most part during our stay from late June through late August.  We will soon head west to Yakima, WA, via KS, NE, CO, WY, MT, and ID.  We have about a month to get there so we will just take our time and live each day as it comes.

As we began moving from the loaner Teton trailer back into our New Horizon trailer, I stumbled abd hit my knee on a wall.  It barely broke my skin, but within 5 minutes my knee cap had swelled up to the size of a softball!  So I went right to the sofa for repeated rounds of direct pressure and ice packs.  It is better today so I will resume helping with the repacking and moving again today.  Gari is such  great partner, she picked up my slack yesterday while taking care of me at the same time!

New Horizons has our two coaches set up side by side for our ease of moving, and that is working great!

 Just before I hit my knee

We leave you with images we captured as we toured around Junction City and vicinity....
Houses on Skyline Dr

Oak Street

A Catalpa Tree on Oak St, see the beans?

 Pretty stone Episcopal Church

Junction City Post Office

Junction City Courthouse and Fire Station

 In front of the courthouse

Junction City Library

Downtown Junction City, a patriotic place, see the flags?

 Junction City Opera House

 Free Music night at the Opera House

Junction City Honkey Tonks in the daylight

Our Bicycle Route down to the Republican River

Wagon House by the Park

Bike Route up Springhill Road or as we called it Donkey Hill Road

Junction City, Kansas; The City of Parks

Junction City is so named from its position at the confluence of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers.  Junction City was established in 1855 and formally incorporated in 1859.  We are enjoying our visit in Junction City.  We have had a few very hot days where it was uncomfortable if not down right dangerous to be out and about during the heat of the day.  We schedule our walks and rides early and late in the day to escape the worst of the heat.

We have known for sometime that we wanted to purchase bicycles to use as we travel about so we can cover more ground and get a little exercise to boot.  We found a good deal at Big Poppi Bike Shop in nearby Manhattan, Kansas.  We selected the Fuji Crosstown 2.5 Model.  These bikes have 21 gears, a large padded seat, narrow 26" tires and is all aluminum so it is fairly light.  I didn't think we needed all those gears but they are working out great on the hills.  We have and wear helments as you will see in our pictures below.

Back to the Junction City Parks, but I had to mention the bikes because that is how we get to the parks.  Junction City has great parks.  Junction City is very patriotic and All American.  They love their baseball and honor those who have defended our great country.  Junction City is a military town with its' own US Army installation, Fort Riley.   The parks we visited included Rathert Stadium (the local minor league baseball team home of the Brigade), Coronado Park, Heritage Park, Playground Park, Rimrock Park, South Park and Highland Cemetery.  Below are images of these great Junction City Parks.

Rathert Stadium

The Junction City Brigade used a six-run sixth inning to break open a close game, and rolled on to a 10-5 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs in the last game of the season.

Coronado Park

We found a basketball court, playground, picnic pavilion, tennis courts, bath house facilities, plus monuments to WWII Veterans and the Quivira at Coranado Park.  It's a pretty place inside the south side of Junction City.

Gari at the Coranado Park WWII Flag Court and Monument

The Quivira Monument - Quivira (legendary peoples) thought to be in central Kansas, first discovered by Spaniard Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541.  Turned out to be Wichita people, a confederation of Plains Indians.

Beautiful gardens compliments of the Junction City Garden Club

Hertiage Park

Heritage Park is where Junction City sets up its' 4th of July festival, The Sundown Salute.  This park is near the center of town and is a monument to the city and our nation's veterarns.  The park is set up for musical and theatrical events.

 Military Memorials

The City Fountain, donated in 1937 by early city resident Jacob Callen at his death.

The theater and sound stage

The bath house and Time Capsule, to be opened in 2076, 100 years after placement.

Playground Park

Playground Park is located northwest near town and hosts the municipal swimming pool, the Girls Scouts facility and tennis courts that the Junstion City High School's Bluejays utilize.  Across Eisenhower Drive is the Junction City Country Club.

Rimrock Park

Rimrock Park hosts one of the Junction City water supply reservoirs and provides a tranquil visiting and strolling location as well.

South Park
South Park is a country park with wide open spaces on the south side out of town and boasts two lighted baseball diamonds, a 9-hole disc golf course, playgrounds, championship horseshoe pits, picnic facilities a hiking/riding path with a majestic overlook of the Great Plains.

Horseshoe pits, no one pitching today

Disc Golf Course, some Doo Doo vandalized the sign.

Selfie at the overlook

Picnic Shelter

Highland Cemetery

Highland Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Junction City.  The cemetery was established in 1870.
We observed gravesites dating back as far as 1879.