My wife DiAnne and I needed a few supplies today so we decided to take a late morning trip into WaKeeney, Kansas. It was about a 15-minute drive from our campsite at Cedar Bluff State Park.

WaKeeney was named after land speculators Albert Warren and James Keeney who surveyed the land in 1878 then established a colony there in 1879. The 1960 census recorded over 2800 people; but by 2010 the population had shrunk by about 1000 residents.

It was 11:30 so the first stop in town was for lunch at the Brazen Bull. The Works Burger that I ordered for lunch was really good but the Flame Roasted Stuffed Jalapenos appetizers were heaven!

While DiAnne went to Hometown Bakery, I ventured in to Keyser Hardware. They didn’t have the key blanks in stock to make a duplicate set for the motorhome, but I found some friendly folks and the 3M Command Hooks that I needed for the shower. I met DiAnne outside of the bakery/coffee-house. She had bought some homemade bread, sweet rolls and Bierocks for dinner tonight. DiAnne told me that the gal who owns the place drove a truck prior to opening the bakery. I didn’t get the owner’s name but as we were about to get in the car to leave, she came out with a bag of donuts for us. She was closing for the day and thought we’d enjoy them. Very nice lady! I truly admire all of those individualists who own/operate businesses in small towns and have to compete with franchises and corporate giants. You’re a breath of fresh air in a cookie-cutter world!

Next, it was off to find groceries, but first I snapped a few pictures along main street. Above is the Trego County Courthouse. Below, the drinking fountain on the sidewalk as one approaches the courthouse.

Above: WaKeeney City Hall. Below: Close up of the Victory Bell.

The last stop in Downtown WaKeeney was Heartland Foods. Inside this store were some of the friendliest folks on earth as well as the finest looking cuts of T-Bone Steak I’d ever seen. The only thing I couldn’t find in town was bait for my trip to the Cedar Bluff Reservoir this coming weekend.

On the trip home I stopped along State Highway 147 to take a few more photos. Above is the attractive Swedish Luthern (that’s the spelling above the door) Emmanuel Church, Trego County, 1902. I peeked through the windows to see old-fashioned wooden pews and a simple alter. Pictured below is the outhouse behind the church. It appears to no longer be in use so I assume the members decided to install indoor plumbing at one point.

Above: Seems as though every farmer’s field in this area has at least one oil well pumping 24-hours a day. Below: Finally found some bait at Sport Haven near the entrance to Cedar Bluff State Park. The charismatic woman behind the counter charmed me into buying Haagen-Dazs ice-cream bars when she spoke those alluring words, “Buy one, hun and the second is just a buck”.

It was a fine day to go into WaKeeney and be an explorer. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and tomorrow promises to be another beautiful day for me to try my hand at fishing again. I’m told there are monster catfish in that reservoir and I’m a gonna get me one!