Page 51 - KCRPCA MarApr 2020

I decided a road trip would not be complete without a little sight-seeing. That is when I saw my first point of interest; White Tail Run Winery & Vineyard. It seemed like a logical place to stretch my legs. I slowed and turned into the grassy front lawn. Several locals put their wine glasses down as The Ghost, my white 996TT with 2.5” Speedtech exhaust, grumbled and bur-bled to a front row parking spot. Two guys raised their glasses to toast my arrival. True car guys always do that. Not meaning to stay long, I bought what had to be their best wine. It’s got to be good if it is called Buck Naked. Right? I fired up The Ghost and was soon rolling along again on Old 56 HWY. There was very little traffic for a Saturday afternoon. The little highway stretched out for miles ahead of me. In the distance, I could see a point of interest sign. I’ve seen hundreds of these and normally pass right by, but not this trip. I turned right and into the Battle of Black Jack. Well, it would have been a battle if I had arrived there in May of 1856. The Battle of Black Jack was one of the many skirmishes across the State of Kansas that helped establish Kansas as a free state. I paused before headed on. We should never take any kind of freedom for granted. I headed west on Old 56 again. I knew if I headed west far enough, I’d hit a highway I could take north into Lawrence. A few rolling hills later, a big sign saying Lawrence as next exit greeted me. Memories of college days came back. Somewhere around here is Douglas Lake. It was a favorite swimming hole back in the day. I put that destination point on my places-to-visit list for next time. Lawrence was quickly approaching, and a gas station was calling my name. I filled up The Ghost and paused for a moment, feeling the afternoon sun warm my skin. I wanted to find another highway back to Kansas City, other than K-10. I soon found E 1500 Road which headed south and N 1000 Rd which headed west. I kid you not. I passed through the metropolis of Sibleyville, which in 1910 had a population of 25. There is nothing left of the town but some crumbling buildings and weed covered train tracks. It’s few remaining residents probably enjoy their anonymity. E 2300 Road took me north to K-10, but not too close. I was able to stick to less traveled by-ways. In the distance, I could see four water towers. I knew right where I was, at the Sunflower Ammunition Plant. During World War II, the plant produced more than 200 million pounds (91,000,000 kg) of propellants and employed as many as 12,067 people. Following the war, the Der Sportwagen 51