This is the first full day of Kansas on the trip with many days to come. I don’t normally shoot stained glass details but these were pretty special. This is in WaKeeney, KS:

This one is in Colby, KS:

The Annie Oakley Motel in Oakley, KS was originally named the Oakley Motel The town was not named after her and she never lived there.

This sign is in Hays, KS:

This rooftop bulb sign is in Ellis, KS:

These faded Frigidaire and Maytag signs are in Osborne, KS:

This Carrier sign is in Great Bend, KS:

These backlit Masonic glass globes in Russell, KS would have had different symbols painted on each one originally:

A long vacant storefront with peeling paint in LaCrosse, KS reveals the Pokorny Rexall Drugs sign:

This cafe sign is in Ellsworth, KS:

Let’s move on to some buildings. The Sundowner Lodge and its companion restaurant in WaKeeney, KS was built in 1963 as shown in this postcard:

The motel survives as the Kansas Country Inn. The restaurant also survives and despite many occupants coming and going over the years, the wood-paneled interior remains. It is currently vacant:

This long-vacant, former Sinclair station is in Ellis, KS:

This former Phillips 66 station in Sterling, KS was built around 1933. It now houses the J&B Dairyland ice cream stand. There’s a former station in Hutchinson, KS with the same design:

This former Conoco station in Hays, KS now houses Tiger Station Fish & Chips:

This former Standard Oil station in Ellis, KS was spruced up in 2018 with a replica pump, lights, and plastic letters for a used car dealership. The dealership closed in 2020 and this building remains vacant.

How about some midcentury buildings? This former Russell State Bank from 1967 in Russell, KS remains intact:

This dome in Hays, KS is not so midcentury since it was built in 1983. But it’s still pretty great. It houses multiple offices.

That’s enough for now. More Kansas coming soon.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs

I’m combining these two days which were fairly low-volume and pretty grey. This is the last of the Colorado photos as we will now move on to Kansas for about eight days. All of the Colorado photos are now up at my website (roadarch.com).

I probably need not remind you but I have also been uploading some different photos over at Flickr, simultaneously with these blog posts:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/

Let’s start off with the long-closed Virginia Dale Cafe sign in Virginia Dale, CO:

This sign is in Estes Park CO. I love the little cottage-shaped panel at the bottom. It’s gotta be early 1960s with the corrugated plastic panels and neon combo:

The Humphrey’s Gifts sign in Grand Lake, CO could use (and deserves) some love:

Let’s change gears for a few midcentury modern buildings. The Ideal Cement Company Testing Building is in Laporte, CO:

The former Fort Morgan Times building in Fort Morgan, CO:

Another one from Fort Morgan. This bank building has a curved, flagstone facade and jutting canopy:

From Greeley, CO – a nice stretched out A-frame with legs:

There are some sweet, vintage obstacles at the Tiny Town Mini Golf in Estes Park, CO:

This sign is also in Estes Park:

Another Estes Park sign from 1960 – restored in 2014:

The screentower at the former Sunset Drive-in in Craig, CO:

A very abandoned and gutted former Stuckey’s with its original gas station canopy in Sedgwick, CO:

This motel sign is at the Last Indian Raid Museum in Oberlin, KS:

The Bratton’s Office Equipment store in Greeley, CO is closed but its two signs are still in place (and lit, strangely enough):

Another sign in Greeley – the store is long-closed. I’ve got a very comprehensive page at my website with signs and boot signs here:

https://www.roadarch.com/sca/shoes.html

The Kozy Kort Motel sign in Brush, CO could use some help:

This department store in Holyoke, CO is closed but the sign is still in place:

Let’s close this post with a couple of gas stations. This former Phillips 66 station in Phillipsburg, KS was restored a couple of years ago to its 1963 look:

This station in Cawker City, KS was a closed chicken restaurant until a few years ago. The building was restored, the addition to the left was removed, and some replica pumps installed. It is now a single-unit motel room:

Lots more Kansas to come.

Happy trails,
dj & the dogs