Next came Dalhart, TX for a great homey stop and full fuel. There was a tiny Cafe near the fuel pumps with friendly people and good food. Next door, Ingram Flying Service helped us decide where to spend the night. Cecil tempted us with some help staying at a Dalhart hotel he knew of, but we wanted to fly a bit further east so he suggested the town where I'm writing this blog update (next door to a place from my childhood). But our next stop before getting here was in another state and it was OK! The name is unusual (Hooker, OK), and the town has a sweet prairie charm.
After a brief look around the deserted airport we made the short hop to Kansas, again curious about the name: Liberal. It turns out this is not a den of socialists, but in fact named for an early settler who was "right liberal" with the water from his well. The people here are equally friendly and good natured to those at every stop along our way, especially since Santa Fe. By now sunset was approaching so we decided to stay. We've been surprised at how interesting the landscape is from below 2,000 feet, having each made the seemingly endless drive through seemingly featureless terrain. From just above, it's a very different place filled with interesting things to look at. So here we are at the Liberal Inn, which turns out to be across the street from Dorothy Gale's farm house. In case you didn't share my childhood fascination with her story, you might have heard of a late 1930s film named "The Wizard of Oz" about adventures with her dog Toto. So tonight we strolled across Hwy.54 and turned right at the big lighted sign to the little house. Now I'm curious to look it up on IMDB to find out more about what scenes were filmed there.
Thus ends another day that feels more like a week, what with all the different states between morning and night. I'll put more pix on the Photo link and already sent a photoessay to EdHat on the Words link. Good night from Kansas!
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