Doniphan County, Kansas (Our 3rd Kansas County)

Well, folks, it’s come to the point when the last post gets published from our recent trip to Kansas and that makes me a little emotional. We discovered so much during our time here and met so many great people along the way as we always do in our gallivants. This came to no surprise to us because we knew there was good times coming when we met a network of Kansas locals at a conference in Clear Lake, Iowa, in the past spring. Here is one of our last stops before crossing state lines and it turned out to be one of the most spectacular from the whole trip. This is a just a sample of beautiful Doniphan County in Northeast Kansas.

We always take the long way home during our gallivants and can honestly say that we took longer than usual as our Kansas takeover was winding down. It has to end but not before we went off the beaten path. A quiet, scenic, and stunning byway running alongside the great Missouri River was exactly what we needed to leave Kansas in historic style.

These Iowa travelers got a couple reminders of home in Doniphan County. First was the Unincorporated town of Iowa Point surrounded by countless acres of Kansas farmland and timber. There was hardly a breeze in the air but the sounds of the Kansas prairie wind was still very much alive. The video below is what I will always go to when I want to hear rural Kansas.

The sounds of Iowa Point, Kansas, lured us in for a long walk in this tiny community with a huge place in our hearts. We crept down the byway to another rural destination that gave us a useful spot to scout out the next leg on our trip.

The view from the river and interpretive landmarks told a brief story of the area and the ever-present Lewis & Clark reminder that we were still hot on their trail. This would be the “peak” of our drive through Doniphan County.

The unique beauty of the Midwest is captured perfectly from Four State Lookout in White Cloud. Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and far off in the distance is Southern Iowa. In my eye, this could be the best example of just how stunning and majestic the Midwest can be. The winding muddy Missouri meeting the ancient tree lines along its banks with plentiful crops in full view in their greenest moments of the season. Purple mountain majesty is something to behold, but never forget the imagination that waves of grain can provide here in Middle America.

Like I said earlier, much has obviously changed since the Corps of Discovery weaved it’s way through the area. What is still the same are the Kansas winds that can enchant anyone, especially when you’re alone with a rural scene all to yourself. The historic and always important Missouri River guiding us the entire trip and constantly in view since we arrived in Kansas City and crossed it again days later in Rulo, Nebraska. And those Kansas skies. An endless skyline that displayed a blood moon over a star spangled bridge in Atchison. A Kansas sky that added to the intimidation of a federal penitentiary in Leavenworth and then flooding its sunshine into a carousel museum enjoyed by all ages just a couple miles away. A Kansas sky that shows the travelers of the world just how spectacular the scenery is in the Midwest from an overlook that’s fittingly in a town called White Cloud. There might be established trails, but that doesn’t mean there’s not more to be discovered. We can’t wait to explore it all over again. Thank you to all in the Sunflower State. Until we gallivant again……