“Watch out for buffalo poop” is not something we typically say on Christmas day. But this is Christmas 2020 so things are weird. We can’t have our normal fun celebrations with family and friends (well, we could, but health experts don’t recommend it).
What does that mean for Christmas day? Disc golf at Clover Cliff Ranch, a highly-rated course in Kansas.
We packed a lunch (probably not much open but a gas station on Christmas day in rural Kansas), popped Ali in the van headed north for about an hour.
Middle of nowhere Kansas. We didn’t see many other cars on the road today.
Clover Cliff is a bed and breakfast too. I called about staying the night, but they don’t allow pets. 😕
The view from the first tee box.
There were several of these wiggly bridges around the course. Ali is scared of them, so someone had to carry her across.
The course is hilly, with varying terrain like prairie, rocks, boulders, and forest. A few times a year, bison come through here (the course is closed during those times), so you really have to watch it so you don’t step in bison 💩.
I love how blue the sky is in these pictures. We started out with hats, gloves and coats, but about halfway through, the boys started shedding layers. We lucked out on the weather today.
See the boys under that tree… way over there?
Oops. Hopefully no one falls in.
The creek was iced over, enough to hold a 17 pound dog, but not enough to hold a 125 pound 17 year old. I had *just* said, “don’t fall in,” and then went to look for Ali who was enjoying her freedom, leash-free. I came back to kid #2 wearing Scott’s clothes and Scott wringing out #2’s pants and jacket. The story goes that Scott told him it was fine to get his disc, and then the root he was holding on to gave away.
Kid #1 now helping to get the disc, which is now underwater.
Eventually we did retrieve the disc! It was one of kid #2’s favorite.
After 18 holes, we headed to Cottonwood Falls to eat our Christmas lunch (turkey sandwiches, apples, whale crackers, and pumpkin bread). The boys played a quick few holes at Swope Park, which has an 18 hold course, plus a nine hole “fun” course.
On the way out, we stopped at the oldest jail in Chase County (or the first one, I’m not sure and I didn’t take a picture of the sign). The boys were unimpressed.
Then, a quick stop at the Clements Stone Arch bridge, the largest stone bridge still standing. It’s about 5 minutes off of highway 50 in rural Kansas.
It’s a double arched bridge, with 28 foot arches built with stone from quarry. It was completed in 1888. It’s open only to foot traffic now. This is standing in the middle of the bridge.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. If you walk under it and yell, it makes a cool echo. #LivingWithBoys
Santa came while we were gone and left us presents and filled out stockings.
The boys received daily calendars – kid #1 got “The stupidest things ever said” and kid #2 got “Thoughts of dog.” Scott got a deck of “emergency dad jokes.” I got a warm throw with “foot pockets” because contrary to what others think around here, you can never have too many blankets.
Kid #2 got sour cream and onion Pringles and two packages of hot pockets, and kid #1 got a 4 pound bag of shredded cheese and a box of Cheez its.
In stockings were playing cards (kid #1’s had a “circuit” theme, and kid #2’s cards were the 50 states), hand warmers, disinfect hand wipes, a mini Rubik’s cube, Lego mini figure (kid #1 got a male mini figure flying a drone, kid #2 got a pink girl mini figure with a rabbit), flappy man (a miniature of those huge waving stick looking figures outside gas stations and retail stores) and a mini lint roller.
One Kansas Girl 