Old Dutch Mill - Wamego, KS

Not far from the land of Oz is the Old Dutch Mill. It is the only working stone mill in the state and still grinds wheat into flour today. But not the day we were there. It was closed for renovations. But that didn't stop us from exploring!

Before the mill, we stopped by the small Wamego Museum to see what other interesting artifacts there were. But it cost money to look around and the elderly woman behind the desk did not seem the least bit thrilled to have a few hyper young girls in her quiet temple to the obsolete, so we decided we didn't want to see her dumb old museum anyway. Instead, we went to see the mill before we wandered around the very lovely park.

The mill was a large stone pillar encased in the metal scaffolding - it was an interesting contrast as if the present were holding up the past. We walked up the winding stone steps with debris on either side. Weeds and fallen branches blocked our path but we cleared them away as we circled around for a better look.

That is until the fish. On the steps was a dead fish, presumably from the pond over 20 feet away from the mill. That is when we discovered Kelly's ichtyophobia - an extreme fear of fish. She completely lost it! She was screaming and dancing around, having a complete conniption fit. It had probably been dead two weeks, but that didn't calm Kelly down. I'm not sure what exactly she was afraid of, but Jessica and I certainly enjoyed watching her spinning around, waving her hands in the air and rambling at the top of her lungs about, "The fish! There's a fish!"

If you decide to take a trip to Wamego, enjoy the Old Dutch Mill but beware of the fish!

Toto's Tacoz and Emerald City Market - Wamego, KS

There is only one option for lunch in Wamego - Toto's Tacoz! It is next door to the Oz Museum and its called Toto's Tacoz! If I have to explain why that is incredibly awesome to you then I pity your lack of whimsy. The name alone was brilliant enough to make me overlook my hatred of intentional misspellings in signage. (A side note: Spelling "crazy" with a "k" does not make you or your business clever, it makes you illiterate.)

It was more expensive then Taco Bell and I'm not sure if it was as good, but I did enjoy my beef taco. Once I found the beef under all the garnish that is. As my friend Kelly noticed, it was pretty much a salad on top of a taco with the actual ingredients buried somewhere underneath.

After a consuming our much needed vittles and enjoying the museum, we started to wander down Lincoln Street to see what other Oz-themed entertainment we could find. There was the Poppyfield Gallery, where we looked at the paintings created by local artists and a large collection of quarters. Interestingly, there is a law office above the gallery and we suspect the same man runs them both. There was also the Oz Winery and the JavOZos coffeehouse, although the latter was closed to our caffeine needs.

Eventually, we paid a visit to the Emerald City Market. It was like a very small William-Sonoma, everything was very ritzy and very over-priced. But we did find something - Wicked Sister fudge. This stuff is amazing. It is pure unadulterated, happy goodness in an edible form. I got the mint - just because it had green swirls in it and it reminded me of the Wicked Witch of the West. Later I would eat way too much fudge in our hotel room, go on a massive sugar high and discuss stealing golf carts with Jessica. We thought about hot wiring them and then driving down the middle of Highway 24 a la Waterboy. Instead, we ate more fudge.

Roadtrip Music - "Girls Gettin Gone" Mix

Every roadtrip has a soundtrack. In this case, my friends and I each decided to make a mix cd for the road trip. Jessica put together a collection of fun music to sing along to, Kelly couldn't bring hers so brought along the Wicked musical soundtrack for inspirational purposes, while I went the more thematic route. I created a roadtrip mix called "Girls Gettin' Gone" featuring all female performers (mostly acoustic, country and classic) singing about the road.

"Girls Gettin' Gone" Mix
By Kris the Educated Vagabond

1. "All American Girl" - Melissa Etheridge
2. "Everyday is a Winding Road" - Sheryl Crow
3. "Particular Place to Be" - Melissa Ferrick
4. "L.A. Song" - Beth Hart
5. "Freeway" - Aimee Mann
6. "Welcome to my Life" - Melissa Ferrick
7. "Get Out the Map" - Indigo Girls
8. "The Road's My Middle Name" - Bonnie Raitt
9. "Me and Bobby McGee" - Janis Joplin
10. "Get Out of this Town" - Carrie Underwood
11. "Heads Carolina, Tails California" - Jo Dee Messina
12. "The Long Way Around" - Dixie Chicks
13. "Till We Run Out of Road" - Jewel
14. "Cigarettes" - The Wreckers
15. "Vegas" - Sara Bareilles
16. "Giggling Again for No Reason" - Alanis Morissette

So what do you think? Did I forget any really good songs?

The Oz Museum - Wamego, KS

We went to see the wizard! Last weekend, my friends Kelly and Jessica joined me on a wonderful trip to Oz...also known as Wamego, Kansas. On Saturday morning we climbed into my car armed with mix cds and the Wicked soundtrack to set off to see the wizard!

The drive was a little over two hours but it was great. We gossiped about our lives, sang along to the music and saw some very interesting road signs in little towns, such as the auto shop offering "Brain Surgery while you Wait." Finally we arrived in the wonderful land of oz...I mean, Wamego.

The museum was absolutely lovely! You walk through different rooms based on different characters. The first introduction is Dorothy, of course. Along with a manaquin dressed in her classic sundress were commemorative ruby slippers and all sorts of memorabilia, including a swatch of cloth taken from the original costumes hem. There are rooms commemorating all the favorite characters - the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Wicked Witch of the West (I still think she's just misunderstood), and Glenda the Good Witch.

For those fans of the movie, there are several television sets showing the classic film staring Judy Garland as well as the originial silent film of Wizard of Oz, although it was a terrible failure both critically and in the theaters. For those fans of the original books, you can see original printings and learn amazing things about the author L. Frank Baum. (Fun Fact: Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, derived the Wicked Witch of the West's name "Elphaba" from the initials of L. Frank Baum).

My friends and I went through the museum oohing and ahhing over everything we saw. Only after we left did we realize we should have stayed just to watch the movie again and again and again. But there was still more to see in Wamego, Kansas.

Click here to see more photos!

Total Trip Time: 27 hours

Distance Traveled: 245 miles