Saturday, March 31, 2012

Statue of Liberty Tour part 1

This year the Heartland Rider's tour is to go to as many of the 26 Replica's of the Statue of Liberty in Kansas and take a picture. There are about 200 of these nationally. Here is a link that shows where they are: http://www.cheyennetroop101.org/liberty/
I took off yesterday afternoon on a beautiful spring day and headed northeast on K-4 to Atchison, then north on the K-7 traveling the Glacial Hills scenic byway. http://www.ksbyways.org/glacial_hills
I made it to Troy in Doniphan County for my first Boy Scout statue.
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
This is a very beautiful courthouse with a carved American Indian so take a look at it also while you are there.
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
I headed back south passing through Atchison and continued following the Glacial Byway. There are several neat homes along this stretch and a farmer that specializes in longhorn cattle. The road is narrow and hilly so no pictures. The fields are steep and have large terraces to hold the water and soil. They raise lots of corn and soybeans on this fertile land. I arrived in Leavenworth for the second statue which is by city hall.
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
There are over 200 of these replicas in 39 states in the U.S. and several of its possessions and territories. The project was the brainchild of Kansas City businessman, J.P. Whitaker, who was then Scout Commissioner of the Kansas City Area Council. The copper statues were manufactured by Friedley-Voshardt Co. (Chicago, IL) and purchased through the Kansas City Boy Scout office by those wanting one. All were erected in the early 1950's by Boy Scout troops and others to celebrate Scouting’s 40th anniversary theme, "Strengthen the Arm of Liberty."

The statues are approximately 8 1/2 feet tall without the base, constructed of sheet copper, weigh 290 pounds, and originally cost $350 plus freight.
I left Leavenworth heading west on K-92 highway. This a nice curvy highway that meanders southwest through farmland and goes through McLouth and Oskaloosa and comes out north of Meridan on K-4. This was a nice 200 mile ride with perfect weather.
Today I went to our state capitol and took a picture of the statue there. It is not as impressive as the other since they are still working on the capitol and may be for the rest of my life!
From Boy Scouts Statue of Liberty
So I have 3 of the 26 statues in Kansas. We can earn extra points by going to other states. So stay tuned for more of these post this year.