April 6, 2019 – Mockingbird Moon, Fayetteville and Junction City, Kansas

Road Warrior!!!!

After a quick but fun visit with my family, I drove back to Little Rock, spent the night and got up to drive nine and half hours to Junction City, Kansas.  For a drive that long, I decided I needed a little treat so I checked for some yarn shops along the way and saw that there were two.

Mockingbird Moon

I decided to stop in Rogers at Mockingbird Moon because I had never been there before and it was a nice stopping point in my trip.

The shop is right off the old downtown area of Rogers in a building that houses one other business.  I was warmly welcomed by the 3 women sitting at a table knitting and discussing what sounded like a new class or event coming up at the shop.

I browsed around from front to back, looking through (and touching) many colorful yarns. {ED. NOTE – Apparently, there was a “you touch it, you buy it policy”!!}  They had a good selection of needles in the back and a small coffee/snack table for anyone wanting a nibble.

By the front counter were a collection of goodies – knitting paraphernalia, enamel pins with sheep, sweaters or sayings on them, measuring tape bracelets (which I already own and love), different sets of stitch markers, and scissors.   They also had their very own project bags – with  bunnies and carrots on them – a little spring and Easter theme 😊!

A lot of folks talk about it – few travel this road!!!!

The owner told me she and her husband had once discussed traveling the country after retirement, but then this shop became available for sale.  Her husband asked if she wanted to buy it and, of course, she said yes – I mean – what a dream! {ED. NOTE – We are assuming this was a rhetorical question} I wish I had visited the shop when I was living in Little Rock – I certainly would have made it a destination!

On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again!!!

I got back in the car for the rest of my 6-hour trip.  I have to admit to getting a little bored.  I’m not used to traveling that long by myself and not having anyone to talk to – even if its just Rosie and Alice! {ED. NOTE – “No, honey, I can’t talk to you on the phone for 6 hours because you’re bored!!”}   As I got into Kansas, the scenery once again changed and became quite different.  I chose to take back-ways instead of the interstate and the plains were low and flat, just a road and fields.  As I got closer to Junction City, I began to see steppes – a change, once again, as I moved in to the Flint Hills region.

Apocalypse Now!!!

The other thing I noticed were burnt fields.  Apparently, controlled burns are done every year to help the grass grow better for the cattle and to keep lightening strikes from starting fires.  Our son, Josh, told us that the first spring he lived here, he would be driving home from work late at night and see the fields on fire, wondering if the end of the world had come!

The trailer parks of RV parks!!!

We are staying at the Owl’s Nest Campground.  It is in an industrial area right next to the highway.  There’s a lot of road noise throughout the day and night.  The sites are fairly close together and set up so the picnic tables are behind the RVs and ours is facing a fenced warehouse behind us.   So, definitely not as picturesque as our last spot! There are many long-term residents here and the management seemed surprised that we were not staying longer than a month.  But they are very friendly and quite helpful.   

 

Happy Hour is whatever time I say!!!

We are very grateful that Josh and Taylor’s home has a very big and lovely backyard for the dogs to run and us to enjoy sitting outside in the afternoons.  Plus they are letting us come over and use their wifi and washer/dryer!

The trees aren’t the right height!!!

One plus is a very nice park about a mile away with a large fenced-in dog park, a paved walking path and a disc golf course.  This path is up on top of a hill with short evergreen trees and a view.  It’s quite windy and very sunny.  There is another section of the park that starts with a paved trail, then turns into a dirt path through the trees and around a pond.  It’s a bit of a hike with rocks and tree roots to climb over but a nice change of scenery from the other path.

Of course, the best thing about Owl’s Nest is the location to the kids’ house – 2 miles!