Council Grove via the Native Stone Scenic Byway
Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The day started with bright sunshine and temperatures in the low 50’s. The weatherman on TV said it might reach 80. I was alive. These are indicators of a great day for riding.
My trophy bride, however, was otherwise engaged. My riding friends, also, were unavailable due to work, recuperations, out-of-town vacations, work, work, etc. This ride had to be a solo excursion.
From Shawnee I rode north on K-7 Hwy to Bonner Springs where I caught Hwy 32 west towards Lawrence, KS. It was 57 degrees with hardly any wind – beautiful riding. Hwy 32 ends where it meets Hwy 24 and Hwy 40 just north and east of Lawrence.
I want Hwy 24 west so, just north of Lawrence I take a right where 24 and 40 split ways a short distance later.
As I rode west on 24 a few miles east of Hwy 4 there is a cross street named after a very famous (infamous?) family. Picture provided below:
I picked up Hwy 4 west headed toward Topeka. Hwy 4 joins briefly with Interstate 70 as it goes through Topeka. West of Topeka Hwy 4 heads south and a few miles down the highway the Native Stone Scenic Byway begins.
My trophy bride, however, was otherwise engaged. My riding friends, also, were unavailable due to work, recuperations, out-of-town vacations, work, work, etc. This ride had to be a solo excursion.
From Shawnee I rode north on K-7 Hwy to Bonner Springs where I caught Hwy 32 west towards Lawrence, KS. It was 57 degrees with hardly any wind – beautiful riding. Hwy 32 ends where it meets Hwy 24 and Hwy 40 just north and east of Lawrence.
I want Hwy 24 west so, just north of Lawrence I take a right where 24 and 40 split ways a short distance later.As I rode west on 24 a few miles east of Hwy 4 there is a cross street named after a very famous (infamous?) family. Picture provided below:I picked up Hwy 4 west headed toward Topeka. Hwy 4 joins briefly with Interstate 70 as it goes through Topeka. West of Topeka Hwy 4 heads south and a few miles down the highway the Native Stone Scenic Byway begins.I stayed on 4 through Dover to Eskridge, KS, the gateway to the Flint Hills. 
Riding west out of Eskridge Hwy 4 is also Hwy 99 for 10 miles after which they split. Sticking with 4 would be a shorter ride, but I want to head north on 99 to Alma, KS so I can catch the Skyline Mill Creek Scenic Drive.
The ride along 99 is beautiful. Flint Hills, barns, farm homes, stone fences, and some twisties make for a great ride. A stone sign as I’m entering Alma says it is a City of native stone. Alma is the county seat for Wabaunsee County and it looked as though the court house was made of stone.
In Alma I caught the Skyline Mill Creek Scenic Drive, which meanders west and south 15 to 20 miles to Alta Vista, KS. It more or less parallels Mill Creek. Who would have guessed? The road is not the best but it is paved all the way and it is a pretty ride. I saw an impressive native stone farm home and school along the way.
Riding west out of Eskridge Hwy 4 is also Hwy 99 for 10 miles after which they split. Sticking with 4 would be a shorter ride, but I want to head north on 99 to Alma, KS so I can catch the Skyline Mill Creek Scenic Drive.
The ride along 99 is beautiful. Flint Hills, barns, farm homes, stone fences, and some twisties make for a great ride. A stone sign as I’m entering Alma says it is a City of native stone. Alma is the county seat for Wabaunsee County and it looked as though the court house was made of stone.
In Alma I caught the Skyline Mill Creek Scenic Drive, which meanders west and south 15 to 20 miles to Alta Vista, KS. It more or less parallels Mill Creek. Who would have guessed? The road is not the best but it is paved all the way and it is a pretty ride. I saw an impressive native stone farm home and school along the way. I picked up Hwy 4 again just south of Alta Vista, which took me west a short distance to Hwy 177. I turned south on 177 and rode towards Council Grove. I passed Council Grove Lake on the way in.
I arrived in Council Grove at 12:45 PM after 160 miles in the saddle. It was 75 and sunny. I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant called “La Hacienda” on Hwy 56 in downtown Council Grove. The food was OK, and I’d eat there again, but the burrito “supremeo” I had was not impressive. It was tasty but too small to be classified as supremeo.
I departed Council Grove at 1:30 PM riding east on Hwy 56. I stayed on 56 all the way to Olathe where I took K-7 north into Shawnee and home. It was 80 degrees when I arrived home, 125 miles since leaving Council Grove.
The ride covered a total of 285 miles. I enjoyed every bit of it. Next time, however, I hope my little woman and/or my friends can join me.
To see addtional photos from this ride click the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/CouncilGroveViaNativeStoneScenicByway?authkey=Gv1sRgCJP4g8a8lqbRcQ&feat=directlink
I arrived in Council Grove at 12:45 PM after 160 miles in the saddle. It was 75 and sunny. I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant called “La Hacienda” on Hwy 56 in downtown Council Grove. The food was OK, and I’d eat there again, but the burrito “supremeo” I had was not impressive. It was tasty but too small to be classified as supremeo.
I departed Council Grove at 1:30 PM riding east on Hwy 56. I stayed on 56 all the way to Olathe where I took K-7 north into Shawnee and home. It was 80 degrees when I arrived home, 125 miles since leaving Council Grove.The ride covered a total of 285 miles. I enjoyed every bit of it. Next time, however, I hope my little woman and/or my friends can join me.
To see addtional photos from this ride click the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/CouncilGroveViaNativeStoneScenicByway?authkey=Gv1sRgCJP4g8a8lqbRcQ&feat=directlink
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