Friday, Jun. 12, 2009

Geary County offers rural fun in Flint Hills

In this economic climate, many people are curtailing extravagances and curbing extravagant habits.

One of the first casualties of the family budget is often the summer vacation. Maybe Disney World is out of the question; maybe Disney World was never in the equation in the first place. No matter. Creative thinking and a little planning can yield high returns in the form of the old standby — the family road trip.

A couple of hours out of Johnson County, Geary County, Kan., offers hiking in the Flint Hills, fishing on Milford Lake and horseback riding at the historic Sunrock Ranch. Just three miles outside of Junction City and with 163 miles of shoreline, Milford Lake is the largest lake in the state and considered the fishing capital of Kansas. Here are all the elements needed to get away from e-mail, cell phones and video games.

“It’s a gem, an unfound gem,” said Linda Craghead, executive director of the Flint Hill Tourism Coalition. “Geary County is much more than just Fort Riley.”

A hypothetical itinerary, put together by the Craghead, goes something like this:

Geary County is 134 miles outside of Johnson County. To get to the Windmill Inn by 6 p.m., 1787 Rain Road in Chapman, Kan., travelers may need to leave work early on Friday. Dinner at the Windmill Inn is prepared by the proprietor, Deb Sanders, and enjoyed in a 1917 prairie style foursquare home, surrounded by fertile farmland and the grasslands of the Flint Hills.

According to Craghead suggests asking Sanders for help arranging fishing trips, picnics and dinner for Saturday night at the Munson Family Farm.

Families or couples can stay at the Sun Rock Ranch Resort, a three-room bed and breakfast in Junction City. The cost for a family of four in one room is $85 per night.

After a complementary breakfast, Saturday’s adventures begin with an eight-mile horse ride on championship caliber trails at the Sun Rock Ranch.

After lunch, the trip continues on to Hildebrand Dairy Farms, where families can go on a free tour. Visitors witness the family-run dairy production from start to finish, taste fresh milk from the bottle and sample other fresh dairy products in the store.

The evening concludes with a visit to the Munson Angus Farms Black Horse Hitch. Here, families ride on surreys pulled by Percheron horses through the rolling hills of Smokey Hill River Valley. Afterwards, visitors can enjoy Angus-certified steaks and homemade ice cream.

Normally, the Munson Farm caters to parties of 20 to 39 people with a minimum charge of $300. But Craghead said the proprietors will make arrangements for families and couples with at least 24 hours notice.

After spending the night once again at the bread and breakfast, families can hit the road headed for home, or go on their own adventure.

The area offers other diversions for spontaneous stops along the road trip, and the open road of the unknown, backseat shenanigans and family bonding provide the memories that last a lifetime.

“The Flint Hills is a getaway in our own backyard that we may not even consider,” said Craghead. “Families have the chance to experience life in its simplest form.”

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