Tuesday, 22 September
Cheney State Park
We arrived at our campground at 2 pm after driving 160.3 miles and getting 9.7 mpg.
Our site was a pull-thru and impressively spacious. It was set in a grassy opening with no gravel path or designated parking area for the trailer. The fire pit and picnic table were positioned so that the trailer would face the road for optimal use, but we opted instead to orient the trailer toward the lake for a better view.
Before unhooking the trailer, we decided to enjoy the lunch that Lisa had packed. Afterward, we quickly disconnected, set up, and walked along the lake. The shoreline was lined with red pebble rocks, stretching about eight feet wide, but tree debris made it difficult to walk very far.
Next, we decided to explore the park and get some gas. We drove through a few campgrounds and the local sailboat marina, enjoying the scenery. We had a run-in at the marina with a loud group of geese. We also went to Garden Place, about 10 miles away, to fill up on gas before heading back to the park.
Exploring Cheney State Park
The park was vast and divided into two main areas: East Shore and West Shore. According to the website, there are 223 reservable water/electric sites and over 400 primitive sites. For fun, I checked availability for this weekend, and only five of the water/electric sites were still open. We were staying in the West Shore area, but after settling in, we decided to explore the East Shore first. We were also surprised to discover how long the dam was—it stretched farther than we expected. Unlike most dams, though, we couldn’t drive on top of it. It took us several hours to drive through both park areas, but it was worth the time. As a bonus, we stumbled upon a couple of piles of firewood at empty campgrounds, which we grabbed for later. We also left another #ShryockRocks at the park entrance sign to continue our little tradition.
When we returned, we ate dinner of Philly chicken on rice and settled around a fire. After the fire burned down to coals, Lisa got our s’more supplies.
After we went inside, we found we were close enough to civilization to get TV stations and access the internet again.
Wednesday, 23 September
Evening Visitor
The previous evening, we heard some rustling outside, so I turned on the outside lights and wandered around the camp to see if anything unusual was going on. In the morning, Lisa noticed raccoon tracks all over the top of our grill. It looked like they had been trying to get into it—sneaky little creatures!
The weather was pleasant enough to enjoy our coffee outside, although it was a bit cloudy. We decided to make eggs and bacon for breakfast, but unfortunately, we had to contend with a swarm of flies throughout the meal. It was a bit of a battle, but we managed to enjoy it anyway!
Sandhills State Park
After breakfast, we decided to head to Sand Hills State Park, one of the parks we hadn’t had the chance to camp in yet. It was about an hour’s drive north of us. Unfortunately, Google Maps led us to the wrong entrance, and we had to circle the park on dirt roads until we finally reached the campground. Once we got there, we were a bit disappointed. The campground featured a small, winding pond called an aquifer in the center, surrounded by 64 trailer sites. However, no large trees provided any shade, making it feel a bit barren.
The park was created to preserve a unique landscape of dunes, grasslands, and woodlands. Unfortunately, the dunes had been overgrown with vegetation, so they weren’t very visible. Several trails traversed the park, offering glimpses of these natural features. We decided to take a short trail that passed by some dunes, but we quickly realized that the trails were poorly marked and didn’t always align with the park maps. As a result, we ended up walking longer than planned, but the trails themselves were scenic and pleasant, with a variety of natural features to enjoy. It was a little frustrating, but the overall experience was still enjoyable.
Cheney State Park
We had lunch at the park campground’s small pond, where we decided the weather was still too cold to try to kayak. Instead, we decided to take another road trip and go to Rock City Park near Minneapolis, KS.
Rock City Park
It took us about an hour to reach Rock City Park, and we were pleasantly surprised by the park’s unique and striking round rock formations. These massive boulders, some as large as houses, seemed scattered across the landscape like a giant’s playground. The site was known for its unusual rock formations, shaped by millions of years of erosion, which created a surreal and almost mystical atmosphere. Normally, it would cost $3 per person to visit, but due to COVID-19, the visitor center was closed, and we could explore the park freely without the usual entry process.
Lisa and I had a great time climbing around the rocks, navigating the natural maze of stone, and taking plenty of pictures. The formations were fascinating, with some rocks stacked in precarious ways that seemed to defy gravity. We could squeeze between large boulders in narrow passages, enjoy the scenic overlooks from the tops of the stones, and marvel at the variety of shapes and sizes of the rocks around us. It felt like we were exploring an ancient fortress built by nature.
A trail wound through the park, guiding us past the most impressive rock clusters. There were also some informative plaques about the history of the park and the geology behind the rock formations.
Evening
It was around 4:30 when we headed back to Cheney. On our way, we stopped at a Braum’s for some ice cream, then refueled about ten miles outside the park. When we returned to the campground, we made sausage and pasta for dinner, and then relaxed by the campfire while I worked on burning up the last of our firewood. The sunset that evening was especially stunning, likely enhanced by the smoke drifting from the fields being burned as we drove back to the trailer. The colors in the sky were rich and vibrant, casting a peaceful glow over the campground.
As the temperature dropped and the evening grew colder, we decided to head inside. We cozied up in the trailer and spent the rest of the night watching Netflix, unwinding after a great day of adventure.
Thursday, 24 September
Sunrise
I rose early enough to sit outside and catch the sunrise. The temperature was in the low 60’s so it was a little chilly. The sunrise was beautiful.
Packing
We took our time packing, especially because there was a heavy dew on everything outside. I left the outside lights on during the evening and somehow we accumulated a lot of bugs on our outside table also.
Homeward Bound
After visiting the dump, we were out sometime after 11 am.
The route home took us initially through Wichita which was slow going as we kept hitting stoplights. Once we got on the interstates, the drive was faster. There was a little wind blowing from the south, so when we were going north we got good gas mileage, but when we headed east, Lisa had to fight the wind a little.
Blue Beacon
About two hours into our trip, we stopped at a Blue Beacon in Emporia to wash the trailer. Unfortunately, the wait was longer than expected, and we ended up in line for over two hours. To pass the time, we ate our packed lunch, I took a quick nap, and we even watched a little Netflix on my phone to keep ourselves entertained.
Once our camper and truck were finally washed, we hit the road for the last leg of our journey. The final 90-minute drive home was smooth, and we parked the trailer at the storage facility. We covered 206.8 miles and achieved our best gas mileage of the trip—10.3 mpg—thanks to a strong tailwind that helped push us along.
Dinner
For dinner, we decided on Church’s Chicken. Lisa dropped me off at home with the truck so I could unload it, while she took the car to pick up our dinner. It was a simple and satisfying end to a long day, and we were both ready to relax after the journey.