Lewis & Clark State Park (Kicking Off March)

Now that the weather is getting the tiniest bit nicer, I've been back to my planning and plotting ways, trying to get my family outdoors again. The thing with Kansas seems to be that the majority of really worthy activities are outdoor activities, enjoying all these wide open spaces.

Some days, due to Baby A's schedule (which keeps us in #napjail- TM my friend Emily- from noon to three most days), we have to plan to be out in the morning and afternoon separately or risk the wrath of a tired toddler. So, I was looking for something I was interested in visiting that was less than an hour away... meaning closer than most of Kansas City or KCMO metro activities. I found Google images of Lewis & Clark State Park and figured it was time to go.

I didn't know a lot about Lewis and Clark and honestly you can watch this Drunk History and get enough information. Probably more than going to the park on your own.... which was somewhat informational but we all know that you can't read ALL of the signs with a kid in tow. Mostly I feel some type of way that the input of Sacagawea and the other Native Americans seems to be generally ignored or diminished by most of the sources of information widely available... and we all know they wouldn't have made it anywhere without them (and yes, I know Sacagawea wasn't met until further along their journey but there were definitely some Kansa and other tribes that were encountered and friendly to L&C). 

 Truly, I think this park is good for the views- better in the spring or summer when the trees are green and grass is growing- but even stark and wintry it was beautiful. 

The Oxbow Lake/Lewis & Clark Lake

The main entrance to the landward side of the park; the trails circle back to the lake with a viewing area

The wind was high so we didn't spend much time there after we wandering along a few of the trails and saw the giant compass rose area. There is a children's play area and plenty of space for camping, grilling, and picnicking. We will certainly go back later in the season because it was a scenic 32 minute drive from Leavenworth, and went by Weston, which is where we stopped for lunch afterwards. 

The Farmer's Market in Weston always has cute treasures (I'm going back for those canteens)

 Baby A had a yummy BBQ lunch at the Tin Kitchen and read to us from his book, too.

 Happy travels,

Big A⚓