Tall Grass Prairie National Park

In the distance you can see the one room school house at the top of the hill after I crossed the creek.

The night was loud here at the sketchy hotel in Topeka. I got up and left before dawn. My destination today was the Tallgrass Prairie National Park which is almost a ninety minute drive away. Half way there I tired of driving 75 miles per hour so I took a route that was 3 minutes faster. At first I was disappointed that the road was gravel.

Disappointment turned to joy once I caught sight of this barred owl. I kept taking pictures until it flew away.

I stopped for breakfast at Aunt Bee's restaurant. I felt better after two cups of coffee, two eggs and a biscuit. I arrived at the National Park just a few minutes after it opened. This visitor center was closed. I walked to the mansion. The park ranger said the video is in the barn. I watched the video in the barn and then took off for this nature trail which went through a stream. With wet feet I hiked up to the one room school house. The school was not open but I could peek in the windows. Bison roamed in the distance. I heard meadowlarks, red bellied woodpeckers, robins, American tree sparrows and northern flickers.

The national park app lets you arrange your photos into postcards. These are shots from inside the mansion.

I could watch buffalo roam for a long time. After changing shoes and eating lunch I hiked up the hill into the buffalo enclosure. I walked for 45 minutes. A couple of lady nurses were standing there talking. Buffalo had roamed over the road. They were afraid to go further. People stood on the road at the far end of the buffalo herd and they couldn't get back to head quarters. Once the buffalo started walking toward us we decided it was time to go. The two ladies were going to inform the park ranger that people appeared to be stuck on the road. I really enjoyed this national park. The picture that appears to be looking through a hole was taken when I pointed the lens of my telephone through a hole in the door of the barn.