From the Santa Fe Trail to the Kansas Cosmosphere

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but much of our route since we left Santa Fe has followed the historic Santa Fe trail, which was a prime commercial corridor between the United States and the southwestern North American continent for some 60 years. Here's the route:

We left Taos and drove north to Pueblo, through some beautiful country,

Then east to La Junta, CO and Bent's Old Fort and on toward Dodge City, Kansas. Just west of Dodge, there is an historic site where you can see the wide, sloping, ditch-like depressions left by the hundreds of wagons traveling four abreast toward Santa Fe. The books say there were hundreds of wagons at a time making the journey up until the railroad reached Santa Fe in 1880. You can read more about it here: Here, however are some pictures of the site of the old tracks. Ignore the old windblown guy. There's lots of wind in Kansas, mostly hot, this time of year.

Further on in Kansas, we reached the KANSAS COSMOSPHERE & SPACE CENTER! 

You know, if they are that excited about it, they would use "AND" instead of "&". But that's just me.

Anyway, it's a neat place, and has exhibits starting with space-related memorabilia and artifacts from before World War II and coming forward to our landing on the moon. After that, nothing we could find. They don't seem to find mechanized space exploration at all interesting. But I recommend a visit if you find yourself in Hutchinson, Kansas.....which I think is unlikely. It's not on the way to anything I know of. You can learn more at Cosmosphere!. Here are some of our photos.

That's a REAL SR-71!

I suppose it's named for a distant cousin.

We spent the night in Hutchinson and then pressed east to Columbia, Missouri. Stay tuned.....