|
|
Kansas Prairie Packers An organization for individuals and families interested in hiking, backpacking, canoeing, bicycling, cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities. |
|
|
Atchison Weekend Tour Eleven adventurers met at the Atchison Visitor's Center Saturday morning, March 13, 2004 . Our first stop was the Evah Cray Historical Home Museum which was built in 1882 by W. W. Hetherington; he was theson of the founder of the Exchange National Bank of Atchison. Next we toured the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, her grandparents home, where Amelia lived until she was twelve years old. It was built in 1860, and restored in the 1990's by the Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots. Lunch time found us at Pumpernickels Cafe. In the afternoon we tried to tour the Muchnic Art Gallery, but did not connect with our guide. Some of us watched the St. Patrick's Day Parade and some of us concentrated our attention to shopping. We gathered late in the afternoon for dessert at Jerry's Again; after that Mary Glanville and Carol Glanville came back to Topeka. We located and settled in at the Saint Francis Academy Lodge, just minutes from downtown Atchison. This facility sits on 188 acres and is a quiet, serene weekend get-a-way. Dinner Saturday evening was at Cedar Ridge Catering and Banquet Hall, a renovated barn just a short drive north of Atchison. Sunday morning we enjoyed a catered breakfast at the lodge after which Sharon Carlson came back to Topeka. Most of us attended Mass at the The Abbey Church. After that we all toured the church which was finished in 1957; it was designed by an architect who was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. We were treated to an organ demonstration. The nearly 2600 pipes are played from the three-manual console located in the choir. It was time to eat again so we were off to Paolucci's Restaurant for another wonderful meal. Then we joined "A Luck o' the Irish Trolley Tour" filled with Irish humor, legends and sing-alongs. We visited St. Patrick's church, the oldest Catholic church in continual use in Kansas, and rode around town learning a little more of Atchison history and Atchison today. After looking through the Visitor's Center Museum our group drove out to Warnock Lake to view the Amelia Earhart Earthwork. This one-acre portrait was created by Stan Herd in 1997; it is composed of permanent plantings, stone and other natural materials. The balance of our group, Rick and Trudy Racine, Weldon and Linda Hyde, Richard Johnson and Paulette Schaller, Cindy Lash and Judy Shipman said our so-longs, all agreeing we would like to return to Atchison to take in more history and sites. Membership entitles you to our monthly newsletter, preference for trips with limited group sizes and enjoyment of the outdoors through a variety of activities. |
