Trek up the State Capital Dome – Topeka, Kansas
We spent two days at Blue Acres (Boondockers Welcome) over Memorial Day weekend. This was better than a packed, busy campground and provided a quiet place until Sunday afternoon. Our host was delightful, and we would revisit if the opportunity arose. Late Sunday afternoon, we drove to Perry Lake COE where we had a lake view site.
Our visit to Old Prairie Town was relatively non-eventful, with most of the stores closed, but we did enjoy the murals painted on the side of buildings. I was ecstatic to find an all-gluten-free bakery. Those are hard to come by. The cinnamon strudel was delicious, and I took one to savor for another day.
We eagerly awaited our time to climb the State Capital Dome. The building is an experience one shouldn’t miss. The interior is magnificent, as the bottom floor has walls made of limestone, providing a grandiose feeling of awe. Each floor has beautiful tile floors, wooden staircases, and multiple murals depicting historical events.
Standing in the middle of the bottom floor and looking up through the dome makes you wonder how it is humanly possible to create an engineering-challenged and beautiful structure. This is the second-highest dome but the only one that lets visitors climb it to the top. Mitch has a fear of heights but is constantly pushing himself to overcome the fear. When our guide arrived, we looked at each other and acknowledged this would be an exciting journey up 238 stairs to the top. The number of steps wasn’t the issue, knowing the staircase was in the middle with no walls around and a straight fall down if caution wasn’t exercised. I do not fear heights, but going around the spiral staircase made my heart pump, and I could hardly catch my breath. Mission accomplished! We reached the top and enjoyed the 360′ view of Topeka.
Burnett’s Mound is the highest (not very high compared to our dome trip) land point in Topeka. It was a flat trek until the very end, when you reach the peak. It is said this area is sacred ground to the Indians. It was a blistering day, and I was glad to return to the campground and take a breather.
