Kansas

Sunday, August 2, 2015
We were up early this morning so we could make the 200 + mile drive to Abilene, Kansas and still have time to tour the Eisenhower Presidential Museum before it closed at 4:45 pm.

The drive was very similar to yesterday's drive - lots of fields, windmills,and  relatively flat land. We were still up close to 3000 foot elevation at last night's campground (thus the name High Plains) but today we did enough driving on rolling land to bring us down to about 1500 feet.

We noticed a lot more bugs were hitting the windshield - something we didn't seem to have a problem with in California. And the heat is a little harder to handle as the humidity is higher here than in the Western states. Of course 95 is hot no matter where you are.

The main road in Abilene was lined with American flags flying along each side of the street making it feel quite festive.

Once we were into our designated spots at the Covered Wagon RV Park, we unhooked our car, picked up Frank and Bette and were off for the Visitor's Center for the Presidential Library and Museum where we watched a half hour movie about Eisenhower's life.

Then we walked to his boyhood home for a tour.  It still sits where it did when he was living in it with this dad and mom and 5 brothers.  

But the surroundings have certainly changed since all of the land around it is now part of the complex so the only nearby buildings are the museum, library, visitor center, and chapel where he and Mamie are buried.The rooms in the house were quite small but then that is what I remember about my childhood home.  It was sufficient and provided all they needed for the seven of them plus grandma.

We were told there were three bedrooms upstairs for the boys.  The one bedroom downstairs was for mom and dad,

After touring the house, we went to the museum and spent a couple of hours enjoying all the displays including quite an extensive history of WWII.  

This museum did not have nearly as much "flashy" stuff (as other presidential museums we've visited) but did a good job of sharing his life story and his involvement in WWII.  The four of us enjoyed seeing so many reminders of our formative years - the 1950's when Ike was the president.  It brought back lots of memories especially of the growth of television and its affect on the culture.  Eisenhower was the first president to "use" the television as a major source of communication.as it was during these years that the TV began to show up in most everyone's home.  I know we got our first TV with its little screen in 1954 - my first year in high school.

There was a statue of Eisenhower in the courtyard area between the library and museum

And also a chapel where he, Mamie, and their son Paul (who died as a child) are buried

We then drove to Ike's Place - a bar and grill in town - for supper before returning to the campground where Bette and I played several games of Tri Ominos and Quiddler.  This was her night for winning.