A President and Two Witches

Day 9 - October 7

"Rise and Shine" came early so we could get an early start at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. The grounds were absolutely beautiful. 

We went into the Visitor Center and went to see the movie. We were given tickets for the Eisenhower Home tour and told to go directly there when we got out of the movie. When we were finished, we went outside and looked at our tickets. They said we had an 11:15 tour and it was 12:15. We knew we had an hour until we had to be at the sight.

The Memorial Chapel was our first stop. A beautiful fountain outside invited visitors to the Chapel. The building itself was very attractive, both inside and out. Inside are the graves of President and Mrs. "Mamie" Eisenhower as well as their 3 year old son, Doud Dwight "Icky" Eisenhower. It was very peaceful inside the Chapel.

Next, we walked to the Library. We stepped inside to get a peek before heading back outside.

We walked to the large statue of General Eisenhower, which was getting some renovations. The Great Seal was impressive.

From the statue, we walked to the back of the property. Along the way, we saw huge solar arrays and then behind them was a working train. Once we got to the back, we viewed the Daughters of the American Revolution tribute to the Eisenhower family.

We headed back to the Museum and were given brief directions to help us get the most of the exhibits. Since we knew we had to be at the Eisenhower Home at 11:30, we discussed if we could get the first room completed before the tour. The lady at the desk stopped us and said it was 12:15 already. She explained that they were in Central Time Zone. Unbelievably, we hadn't checked, which was very unusual for us. She gave us new tickets and sent us directly there! We felt silly that we didn't think to ask or check. So off we went to the home.

Our tour guide met the 12:30 group at the house and talked with us a little of the history while outside. This house belonged to the parents of President Eisenhower and is where they raised their 6 boys at that time. The house was quite tiny. The tour did not include a visit to the top floor, though we were told it was just bedrooms. We went inside where our guide took us to the different rooms and told us the details and stories behind each room. The indoor plumbing was added at a later time as well as the conveniences in the kitchen.

An interesting thing we learned was about the horn above the door of the parents' bedroom. This was where the father hung his hat when he was home. The boys knew their father was around so they had better behave. 

We also enjoyed hearing how the mother used the bread box (place for bread dough to rise) to prepare 12 loaves of bread each week for the family.

The family photos displayed around the house were very interesting and told many stories of the family's changes over time. We also enjoyed seeing the birth entries into the family Bible which was the official records of the time.

As we left and the back screen door slammed, our guide said, "I bet this screen door slammed all day long with 6 boys running in and out."  That was probably an understatement!

After the tour, we walked back to the Museum. The traveling exhibit, which filled 2 large rooms, was all about World War II. While there were some displays of artifacts, it was overwhelming written text and pictures. We spent quite some time in these rooms because it took time to read.

The first room of the Eisenhower sections was very small and held a few items, but again, mostly writing. Mamie's room was next and it was quite entertaining. Not only were there the china and dress displays, but it also included the hair steps and fashions Mamie inspired in people throughout the world. Everyone wanted their hair to look like hers.

The next 2 rooms were about Ike's military background. The D-Day Planning Table was highlighted in one of these rooms. It was used by General Eisenhower and other Allied commanders during planning sessions for Operation Overlord. The table and set of matching Chippendale chairs were on display in the White House Staff Conference Room in 1955. 

Everything from tanks, parachute troopers, cars, and medals awarded were on display in the next room. The medals and decorations filled an entire side of the room in long display glass cases, each filled to the brim.

Finally, the last room was about Eisenhower's presidency. There were some interesting things we learned in this room, such as both Republican and Democratic Parties wanted Eisenhower to be their candidate. He chose to run for the Republican Party and the rest is history!

Some of the things that happened during Eisenhower's administration include Fallout Shelters, Eisenhower Highway System, and establishing more National Parks. 

President Eisenhower became the first Television President. He was the first president to take advantage of the opportunity to speak to the public directly. He understood that television was changing politics forever. Eisenhower was the only president to receive to receive an Emmy Award for his extensive usage of television.



In order to run for President, Eisenhower had to give up his active military status. After his presidency, he was reinstated to active duty as a 5 Star General of the Army.

Ike and Mamie enjoyed the remainder of their lives on their Gettysburg farm and some of their other retreats. Many future Presidents consulted former President Eisenhower on strategies and input, especially on military decisions.

Some of the words of wisdom from Dwight D. Eisenhower can be lessons to all of us.

• "Leadership - the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
• "Always try to associate yourself closely with and learn as much as you can from those who know more than you, who do better than you, who see more clearly than you. Apart from the rewards of friendship, the association might pay off at some unforeseen time - that is only an accidental byproduct. The important thing is that the learning will make you a better person."

We left the Eisenhower Complex with more knowledge in our heads, but overwhelmed with so much military exposure. We understood the military played a major role in Ike's life, but it was hard to take so much in at one time.

Next, we drove around Abilene to see some of the sights we had just learned. Our first stop was the Old Santa Fe Train Station, which is the current depot. In addition, we saw the restored Union Pacific Railroad station, which is now Abilene's Civic Center. We went to Little Ike Park to see the statue, which had been dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2002. As we drove around town, we spied a statue of Benjamin Franklin sitting on a bench outside of the local public library.

We left Abilene and followed the yellow brick road to Wamego, KS. Yes, we were going to the Wizard of Oz Museum. We found a Cracker Barrell along the way and ate lunch.

As we made the 65 mile drive, we saw lots of fields and some rivers/creeks. We drove into Wamego and found the museum. We liked the name of the restaurant next door.

The Wizard of Oz Museum had some very interesting displays. As we walked down the path, there were displays on each side. Each main character was in its own highlighted scene. Some of the exhibits had memorabilia from the movie.

Dean was known as the Tinman during his banking career. He always said he had no heart when it came to listening to people's excuses as to why they didn't make their payments on time!

In addition, he used to say, "Don't make me have to have my flying monkeys come after you!" So he got to bond a little with his flying monkeys.

There were funny parts, too! Dorothy's red slippers were stolen before the city's big celebration. Robin really thought Connor would love the message from the Wicked Witch of the West.

We shopped a little and then it was time to find the Yellow Brick Road that was supposed to be in Wamego. As we drove around town on our hunt, we found Dorothy's house. The Wicked Witch's legs and slippers were sticking out from where the house had fallen on top of her.

We finally found the Yellow Brick Road so we could go "Up , up, and away" back to Abilene. 

Our trip back had more sights than the trip over. We still had the rivers and fields, but there were more hills instead of flat land. We saw a helicopter flying overhead and then came up to Fort Riley and Marshall Field. There were lots of helicopters and 

We spied a Goody's department store. The Goody's we used to shop at went out of business. So of course, we had to go check it out.

Once we got back in Abilene, we drove around town a little bit more. We went to see the whistlestop train car. Then we looked for some of the mansions. We found the Seelye Mansion and the LeBold Mansion. We wished we had had time to tour the Seelye Mansion, but there was only so much time.

We also found the Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum. It was already closed, but would have been an interesting place to see.

We went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We had been told about a family-style restaurant we shouldn't miss. It had been an old hotel which had a small dining room. Over the years, the family had expanded. The restaurant had become so popular that they moved it to the new location and made it just a restaurant. They kept the decor featured in the different rooms of the hotel. It turned out it was directly across the street from our hotel. We walked there and were seated. The decor was exceptional and very fitting to the time period presented. Our meal consisted of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and lots of other side dishes. We enjoyed the meal, but Yoders' fried chicken is still the best! 

After we ate, we walked back over to the hotel and saw a group of 6-8 cats outside. Obviously, someone at the hotel was feeding them and they were very comfortable hanging around. 

We went upstairs and packed up our things so we were ready to leave in the morning. We had a long drive back to Denver to catch our flight back home.