Melvern Lake

I have heard a lot about Lake Melvern but have not been there yet. I like doing this blog towards the end because I am running out of places that I have been. Now, I have to start researching new places and I am finding that next summer is going to be full of new adventures. This lake is part of the Corps of Engineers like Lake Clinton, which is my favorite lake. They take such good care of everything and now that I know that this lake is part of them I will be visiting it for sure.

Photo shows an aerial view of the lake

Photo found on the US Army Corps of Engineers Website below
http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/DistrictLakes/MelvernLake.aspx

Fugitive Beach in Rolla, Missouri

Video by The Fugitive Beach

on YouTube 

I am originally a Missouri girl and try to go back every summer. We are planning a float trip next year and hopefully I can talk everyone into going here also. I am so excited to cliff jump and see the blue water. Missouri is a nice retreat if you don't have a lot of time or money to get out off Kansas for a little while.

Pomona State Park

Bobber the water safety dog video

found on the US Army Corps of Engineers website

 

 

I found this safety video on the US Army Corps of Engineers of Kansas City website. I thought that it was really cute. I also think that is extremely important to be safe of on the water. What a good idea, to make a cartoon for kids.

Pomona State Park is about 40 miles away, east of Osage City. I'm excited to try go here next year. I thought it was just a fishing lake but after looking up some information I found out that they do offer a swimming beach, which is important to us because we don't have a boat yet. They are also a fully equipped camp ground. The website sounded like the area is known for its natural beauty. Below is an excellent website that has the information about camping, plus rules, and regulations.

http://KSoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Pomona 

Oceans of Fun and Worlds of Fun

Photo of the Wave pool
found on the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun website

 



This is a really fun place to go with family and friends! Located in Kansas City, MO it is an all day attraction. In fact when you buy Worlds of Fun tickets, you can now go to Oceans of Fun for free. So, I think that the next time, we go, we will have to make a two day trip out of it. There is so much to see and do now that they let you into both parks. Daily ticket prices are $54.99 for adults and $34.99 for children and seniors. Plus $15 to park. We spent all day in Worlds of Fun and didn't have any time left for Oceans of Fun the last time I was there. I really wanted to do the newest slide, the Predator Plunge. The floor falls out from under you as you are standing on the platform waiting to go down this slide.

My daughter loved camp Snoopy at Worlds of Fun. It is an area for the kids and has smaller rides and things that she really enjoyed. She still talks about it even though we did not make it there this year. Maybe next year.

Here is the web address for more information https://www.worldsoffun.com/index.cfm

Milford Lake



 

Photo of Milford Lake
Photo from http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/DistrictLakes/MilfordLake.aspx

 



Milford Lake is the largest lake in Kansas. This lake is out past Junction city and is part of the Corps of Engineers. I haven't been there but it is on my list of places to visit. My Aunt Katie and her family love to go there. I have seen this lake on a lot of commercials early in the year for being a great place to go and catch fish. The website above shows people that have caught huge fish! However, one of the reasons that I did not make a special trip out there this year was because of the blue green algae that has been popping up in the western waterways of Kansas. Hopefully, by next year this problem will have ceased but you never know. Blue Green algae can be fatal to the wildlife and cause illness in humans. I hope that the waterways can fight this and come back fully. The website above also has information on the algae problem as well.

Surrounding area pools

I must say that it probably sounds strange to go to other pools in other cities. However, Topeka pools have a problem with being over crowded. There really isn't a deep part of the pool that the community pools let you hang out in here. I think that as a child that was my favorite part of swimming. I loved to go to the bottom of the deep end and dive for things or see who could touch the bottom first. My brother has been a life guard at the Enterprise pool the last two years, so we go there a lot. Enterprise is a tiny town west of Junction City. All the people there know each other. It was fun getting to meet everyone and having a pool to go to that is relaxed. The pool was small but it offered a driving board and slide. They would allow the swimmers to play games and swim in the deep end, which I thought was extremely cool.

Photos of my brother Isaiah Piper life guarding and the Enterprise Pool

Photo by Cortney Piper

Kansas River

My daughter and her cousin on the sandy shores of the Kansas River

 Photo By Stephanie Smith 



The Kansas River is beautiful and now that we finally got some rain this year it is even prettier.  I really enjoy looking over at the water while crossing the Topeka Boulevard bridge. The river runs through Topeka and is 170 miles long. It runs from Junction City to Kansas City.



Photo of the weir

Found on Kansas+River+drown.jpg on www.wibw.com

 

A cool place to access the river is the weir, at NW 14th Street and NW Warren in Topeka. I had the opportunity to go to the weir this year. Which I would describe as a fishing platform in the middle of the Kansas River. After doing some research, I found that a "weir is a barrier across a river designed to alter its flow." (Definition from Wikipedia) Which makes it a great place to catch fish! I enjoyed watching all the fishermen do their thing. One day, I would like to have a tackle box and take my girl fishing. Right now, we are new to the outdoor world and she is too little to sit for long periods of time. We had an epic fail the last time we tried and we both just kind of  thought at the same time that we were not ready for fishing yet. I few more years and I might be able to get her out there and we will learn together and I am sure we will enjoy the Kansas River more.