You are invited to the South Central Kansas Model T Tour October 3-5, 2014. The tour is based in Arkansas City, Kansas, and arranged by Ed Emerson and Steve Jelf.

Friday, October 3 — 8:00 AM – Cowley and Chautauqua Counties, Kansas; Kay and Osage Counties, Oklahoma.

We’ll drive scenic country roads through parts of all four counties to the Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left on earth.


The wide views of open prairie and about 2500 free-roaming bison give a taste of the tallgrass ecosystem that once stretched from Texas to Minnesota.






After visiting the preserve, we’ll motor to Ponca City for a tour of the Marland mansion, a lavish Italian villa once the home of E.W. Marland, wealthy oil man and former Oklahoma governor.





While in Ponca City we’ll also visit a private collection of antique cars. We’ll return to Arkansas City by way of Silverdale for a stop at the Born limestone quarry, which has supplied the stone for historic buildings in the area since pioneer days. Approximately 185 miles total.

Saturday, October 4, 2014 — 8:00 AM

More country roads will take us to the historic stone bridges of Cowley County.



Crabb Creek, 1890


Floral, 1905


Pudden, 1913

Constructed in the 1890’s and 1900’s, these limestone bridges provide some excellent photo opportunities for a portrait of your Model T in a period setting. The drive will include a visit to the Wheat State Winery and a stop in Dexter at Henry’s Candy factory, operated by the family that originated the Oh Henry candy bar. Approximately 120 miles total.

Sunday, October 5, 2014 — 10:00 AM


We will visit the Cherokee Strip Land rush Museum, which commemorates the great land rush of September 16, 1893, when thousands of prospective settlers streamed across the border into Oklahoma to claim homesteads. Other stops will be at the Audubon Society’s Chaplin Nature Center and the museum in Geuda Springs, once a thriving health resort where throngs of visitors flocked to “take the waters”.


We’ll have lunch at the 1874 Old Oxford Mill before returning to Arkansas City. Approximately 53 miles.

DRIVING CONDITIONS


If you insist on paved roads, this tour is not for you. Some of the places on the tour are reached only by unpaved country roads. They’re good, graded roads, but unpaved. In fact, we planned this tour to avoid any high speed modern highways. Unfortunately, a few miles of 55 mph road were unavoidable. Luckily, traffic on them is generally light. Don’t expect high speeds. This is Model T touring and much of it will be on the kind of roads that were major highways in 1914. It’s life in the slow lane. If you live in a place infested with heavy modern traffic, this is your chance to enjoy uncrowded Model T era motoring where you may go fifty miles before seeing another car. There are a few steep hills.


They’re steep but short, down into a ravine and up out of it. These low pedal hills total less than half a mile.
On Friday and Saturday especially, it would be wise to start the day with a full tank. It will be a long dry spell, over 100 miles, before you see another filling station.

Note the starting times on Friday and Saturday. For those days it may be most convenient to arrive the evening before.

ACCOMMODATIONS
The host hotel is the Comfort Inn, 3232 N Summit Sreet, Arkansas City, KS 67005, which has ample trailer parking. Call (620) 442-7700 for reservations. Mention that you are part of the Model T tour for a small discount.

There is no tour registration fee. Meals are Dutch treat. There are admission fees at two stops.

Marland Mansion:
Adults – $7.00
Seniors 65+ – $5.00
Students ages 12 to 17 – $5.00
Students ages 6 to 11 – $4.00

Cherokee Strip Museum:
Adults – $4.50
Seniors – $3.50
Children 6-10 – $2.00
Under 6 are free

If you have any questions, contact Steve Jelf at (316) 772-7421 / jelf1@cox.net or Ed Emerson at (580) 548-3799 / elemerson@yahoo.com.

You're welcome to tour with us one day, two days, or all three days. For a registration form email or write Steve Jelf.

Mailing address:
3202 East Birch Avenue
Parkerfield
KS 67005

Steve, Wow, That looks like a great trip. I just checked mapquest. Over 1400 miles for me one way. I will have to see how things go as the date gets closer.

Looks like fun! But a 185-mile day will be a long one if much of it is on gravel roads. Have you driven that in a T to see how long it will take (including stops to see the sights)?

If only I could. Looks like a gas to me. Whoever goes will have a great experience I'm sure. Will have to settle for seeing it in the post tour photo share here.

Wow, sounds like a great tour.

Same week as the Texas T Party. I already sent my money in for that one and made hotel reservations.

October 1-4, 2014 - San Angelo, Texas. The 37th Texas T Party leaves the hotel Wednesday at 1:30 with a visit to Aeromotor Windmill manufacturing plant, a 30 mile long drive around the lake and a car show with burger cookout at the Ford dealership. Thursday includes pictures at Fort Concho, a drive to the Goodyear Proving Grounds, lunch in Robert Lee, some fun hills and turns on Burma Road and an Ice Cream Social at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Friday, we will tour Native American Indian pictographs, lunch at Olfen, Texas with access to a beautiful “painted church”, then the Barrow Museum near Eola, TX. Saturday will include a visit to West Texas Boy’s Ranch, lunch at a winery, a drive with turns and fun hills, including a paved road though a private ranch, closing with the banquet in the historic Cactus Hotel ballroom, a 1928 Hilton Hotel. The Clarion Hotel can accommodate our entire group (325-486-3300 - $99/night). Mention the Texas T-Party when you call. Trailer parking will be at an adjacent all-weather lot. RV’s call KOA Kampgrounds 325-949-3242 or military retirees Goodfellow Rec. Camp 325-944-1012.
Costs are $175 for the car & driver, passengers $150 and children under 12 will be free.
Contact 2014 Chairman Marshall Huling at 325-651-7132 or Email for more information.

I haven't been over all of it in a T, but I did go at T speeds when checking the miles. I will cover all of it by T well in advance, probably more than once, just to see if the T notices anything the modern car missed.

I was asked about camping, so here's the info on that.

For those who prefer a campground, camping is $5 a day at Walnut Park, at the intersection of US 77 and Madison Avenue. There is a dump station in Newman Park at South Summit Street and Lincoln Avenue, just north of the Arkansas River bridge. Camping there is also $5 a day. Pay at City Hall, Central Avenue at First Street.

If you'll be arriving in town after they roll up the sidewalks, phone (620) 441-4400 and enter 1 between 9 AM and 4 PM to make arrangements.

Man, I would love to go on that trip. Poorness keeps me home LOL

Steve if ya'll put half the effort into the tour that went into just making this post about it it'll be an amazing tour indeed!!! If I can ever pay off the wife's student loan I'm going to start going on some of these things.

Steve: Really looks like a great tour. I would be signing up in a minute but I will be on my way to Nashville to drive the Natchez Trace. I hope all goes well and if you decide to repeat this tour another time I would love to participate.

Wow, I'd love to try this one. William L., I'm kind of in the same boat as you. These dang $100+ per night hotel bills are what kills ya on these tours. Early Oct. usually brings cool, crappy weather here in Ohio, being a transitional month of sorts. Steve, how's the weather there usually that time of year?
I might step outside the financial box and at least go part of it.

Being in the center of the continent, temperatures here can vary wildly. The record high for October 5 was 96º in 1947. The record low was 34º in 1932. Those are the rare extremes, of course. The normal daytime high that time of year is around 75º and the low is about 63º.

When it comes to economy accommodations, it's hard to beat camping at $5 a day. The only way I know of that's cheaper is the way I usually go, in the Camry motel. The driver's seat leans back to make a bed. A rest area or a 24 hour Wal-Mart provides the restrooms. Eventually I aim to make a Model T trailer and travel by T.

Steve, here is my RSVP for two. Not sure if coming in on thur or friday yet.

Jerry, send me a PM and I'll email the PDF's.