THROUGH MIDWEST TO WILDWEST...

It’s raining when we leave the Mothership and continues all day.

Adios Ohio…

Hello Indiana…

More rain in Indianapolis…

What’s Up Illinois?

Stop for the night at the Cedarbrook RV Park in Mulberry Grove, IL.  Seems like a nice park with lots of trees and a pond. Overnighters have their own lot with pull-throughs and full hook-ups, WIFI functional.

Hey there Missouri!

Kansas already?

Homewood RV Park: Small park close to the highway with a pull through full hook-up and ok WIFI.

Pass the Mid-point of the USA on Highway 50.

We get to Dodge City and it’s time to take a break from all this towing/traveling.  We park at the Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park with a pull through in the back with good WIFI and full-hookup. It’s practically around the corner from the Boot Hill Casino andResort the first of three State-owned gaming centers in Kansas and the lowest performer.  It’s a clean low-key casino where a good number of folks seemed to be winning. (We somehow just didn’t fall into that category… sigh…)

Dodge City was a wild frontier town of the Old West. From 1876 to 1885 Texas Longhorns were driven to the Dodge City stockyards where they were collected and rail- shipped back east.  During these years the city became famous for gunfighters, saloons, gambling halls and brothels. Today it still relies on the bovine for the major source of income: feed lots and processing plants. The largest plant is near the airport, which explains phrase most uttered by first time visitors as they disembark: “My gawd, what’s that horrid smell?” It’s not really that bad, as long as you stay upwind.

Classic Steakhouse
Ambience

Since we’re keeping upwind, steak seems like an appropriate dinner in the Queen of the Cow Towns, so we head over to Casey’s Cowtown Club to savor some of their Prime Kansas Beef.   Dinner’s come with a salad, choice of potato, vegetables and rolls.  Salad is a Midwest special: Crisp Iceberg lettuce, a few slivers of red cabbage and one small piece of tomato. (Yawn.) Our potato choice is twice baked, with good flavor and consistency. (Yea!) Green beans are the chef’s vegetable choice.  Too bad they weren’t fresh. (Ban the Can!)  The rolls were light and warm, fresh from the oven. (Smile.)  With the exception of the vegetable of yuck, all of the side dishes rate on the high side of OK.  One bite of the Rib Eye and The Dodge City Strip and all is forgiven.  Generous portions, perfectly prepared per our requests and deftly seasoned are melt-in-your-mouth red meat perfection.  Forget the sides… It’s all about the meat!

The Doctor
will see you now.

We get rain in Dodge…so off we go to the Boot Hill Museum.  Here we get the picture of what the city looked like during the cattle shipping heydays.  (Too bad all the streets around the area are the land of franchised fast food.) At the museum, we start with a short film about the real history of the town and then walk up to the Boot Hill cemetery and the native gallery.  We are reminded once again that our nation was occupied prior to our ancestors’ colonization, and of the sometimes not so pretty history.  Then it’s back down through working replicas of the original town.  The general store has a collection of Colorado vintage sundries displayed and an assortment of Wild West themed items for purchase.  The saloon is open for business. No Spirits, but they do serve on tap the Beer that rhymes-with-sewers.   We opt for their house made Sarsaparilla, a tasty soft drink much like a root beer.  The rest of the storefronts are stocked depicting the 19^th century lifestyle. 

Combo Plate

One last dining experience here… since we’re definitely west of the Mississippi, Mexican food is back in rotation.  We pick the El Charro restaurant based on the number of cars in their parking lot during lunchtime.  While we await our orders we check our Urbanspoon app… Yikes, a 66% rating and really confusing reviews… big portions… small portions… expensive… reasonable…  does disappointment taste like chicken?

Large Burrito

The house salsa is really flavorful, but lacking heat.  Our server brings us their other two salsas – the “California” similar to the house with the addition of fresh cilantro and the green salsa – a jalapeno heavy and super spicy sauce.  We find that equal portions of each combined makes for one really fine salsa.  The Chips are served warm, but some of the chips are pushing the stale scale.  The combo plate with beef taco, enchilada and a flauta with rice and beans is a good value, lots of tasty beef fillings encased in light crisp tortillas enhanced with a generous addition of the hot sauces. The large pork burrito with a substitution of green sauce instead of the rojo is super spicy and also a generous portion. (Half went home in a box with some of the rice and beans.)  This one was hot enough without additional sauces.  The meat was tender and full of flavor, a pretty great dish. Overall, a pleasant dining experience, with attentive wait staff and a good value meal.

Well it’s time to get the hell outa Dodge… keep pushing westward…

k