We pulled into a Kansas State Park at Tuttle Creek Pond on a Thursday afternoon. We were able to get a space overlooking the pond. This is backwater from Tuttle Creek. It is full of fish. Below is the view out our front window.
Out the dining room window we could see the lake as we ate our meals. The weather was cloudy and it rained a couple of times. But we were able, between the rain storms, to meet some of our neighbor campers. One fellow was an avid cat fisherman, and full of funny jokes and stories. We spent a few happy hours visiting with him and a bunch of his friends that came up over the weekend to fish. We were amazed at how full the campgrounds get over the weekends. People love the camping and fishing experience and Kansas has many parks and camping sights.
After we left Tuttle Creek we drove about 50 miles to Topeka. While getting some work done on the coach at Yingling Auto Body Shop we toured a few places in Topeka. Topeka is the state capitol, so of course we had to visit the Capitol building, which is one of the three highest domed capitol buildings in the US. Below is a view of the glass part of the dome from the inside viewing landing. We were on the Dome Tour when we took this picture.
We are now above the glass dome in the roof dome. The lights that you see in the above picture coming through the glass are from those round windows at the bottom of the picture. See the spiral staircase? Dixie climbed up those stairs. The entire trip from the bottom where we started the Dome tour to the top of those spiral stairs is 296 steps! I can't believe I did it!!!
Below is the view from the landing surrounding the dome on the outside. After climbing up the spiral stairs you go through a door and stand on a landing (with a very high railing around it!) to view the city. As you can see Kansas is flat! You can actually see 35 miles away from this view point. Oh yea, this was the only day in Topeka that the sun was shining! We had clouds and mist and rain all the rest of the time. The first night we arrived in Topeka we were awakened at 5 a.m. by a LOUD thunderstorm. Thunder, lightning, rain and even some hail welcomed us to Topeka. We both were very happy that it didn't do that again!
After we finished the Dome tour we toured the capitol building itself. This is a very old building and it is in the process of being refurbished. They are restoring it to it's original splendor as much as they can. Of course they have to have some of the modern equipment to function (see the telephones at each of the Senator's desks), but the furnishings and decor are as authentic as they can be kept. Below is Frank, at a Senator's desk.
When this part of the ceiling in the congressional hall was restored, they found four original fresco's painted on the ceiling. They had been painted over and forgotten. The lighting had been changed to fluorescent. Now with the restoration in progress, it is being returned to its original grandeur with chandeliers reminiscent of the period.
In the hall of murals you can see the workman repairing and refinishing the wooden banister. When this is restored the archway you see blocked up with sheet rock and the area where he is standing will both be opened up again. This is a 10 year project with completion supposed to happen in 2010.
Below is the Governor's office. Her temporary office until the restoration is complete. The desk and the mantel are all original.
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