Trail Cookbooks 4-Sale!

The Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail are selling cook books with some “must have” recipes. The cookbooks are only $8 each and will be available at Garnett City Hall or via the ORDER FORM. “Over the years, we have been asked many times to share salad recipes from our annual trail birthday bash. So we have decided to produce a cookbook, dedicated to the history of the Prairie Spirit Trail and our annual March birthday parties”, says Ruth Lee Hastert, member-Cookbook Committee. Special sections include salads, along with all kinds of recipes just right for camping, hiking, biking, or for enjoying a picnic along the trail at one of the beautiful lakes. Think Recipes include:

• Birthday Bash salads
• Soups for a thermos
• Appetizers
• Entrees for tailgating or camping
• Desserts –prepared at home or over a campfire
• Nutritious snacks for the trail
• Kids fun recipes
• Miscellaneous ideas

Be sure and buy a copy of this unique cookbook. Proceeds of this fund-raiser, along with the sales of Prairie Spirit Trail hats, t-shirts and walking tiles, support future activities along the trail.

Thanks from your cookbook committee -
Diane Doran, Terry Singer, Karen
Showalter, & Ruth Lee Hastert

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Trail Talk with Trent…

For those who may not be getting outside much recently, do not feel alone!
This winter has been an interesting one with the weather. Lots of snow, plenty of cold, and when it isn’t cold it is soupy wet out. With the abundant moisture and the problems it causes, we haven’t been able to get much outside work completed on the trail this past month.

Of course, the glass is either half empty or half full. There have been some office and shop things that have been on the back burner for a while that really needed to be completed, and this time has let me concentrate on those things. I guess the weather has allowed me the OPPORTUNITY to catch up a little.
I have to be honest, when it comes down to office work or working out on the trail, given a choice, the outside work would win most of the time. I do say most because I love to work outside when it is cold out, but when the temp runs over 100°F I don’t mind a little AC office type work in the afternoon!
I am currently working to get equipment ready for the 2010 mowing/spraying season and trying to clean out things from 2009 that were set to the side for a less busy time. This involves a lot of routine maintenance in the shop and trying to weed through 2009 files in the office to see what needs to be kept and what needs to be shredded. Not real exciting, but it is work that needs to be done to allow everything to flow smoothly once warm weather hits.

Like a lot of people, I get a little cabin fever if I don’t get outside real regular. For me, my “medication” for cabin fever is to use some inside home time for fun research and to force a little outside time for some fresh air, regardless of the conditions. Fun research for me means using the Internet or books to look up plants, trees, bugs or other things that I may encounter during the warmer months to increase my resource knowledge. (It is OK to think “GEEK” at this time.)

As far as forcing outside time, I take walks, even if it means wearing my mud boots. Getting outside doesn’t mean a wilderness adventure and you don’t need to really go far. I slept outside at home in the backyard for a night recently just to get some outside time. My wife and daughter thought I was a little off, but I wasn’t forcing them to sleep outside and oddly neither volunteered to join me. I set up a tarp to cover me from the rain and a tarp to keep me out of the soup in the yard and I slept in my sleeping bag. The air was cold and I did have to hang some gear up in the basement to dry the next day, but I slept warm and dry. Oddly enough though, I will say that I’ve been noticing that somehow the ground is getting harder every year through some strange geologic action that I cannot understand.

So if you feel the cabin fever starting to kick in, get outside if you can. You may have to push yourself a little, but it is worth it. If not, think green thoughts and get ready for spring.

Trent McCown
Manager, Prairie Spirit Trail

 

Trail Destination Information

Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail
P.O. Box 71, Garnett, KS 66032-0071
E-mail: info@prairiespirittrail.org
Website: www.prairiespirittrail.org

City of Garnett – City Hall
P.O. Box H, 131 W. 5th, Garnett, KS 66032
E-mail: info@garnettks.net
Website: www.garnettks.net
Website: www.experiencegarnettks.net
(785) 448-5496

Garnett Area Chamber of Commerce
and KDWP Trail Manager’s Office
419 South Oak, Garnett, KS 66032
Website: www.garnettchamber.org
(785) 448-6767

Franklin County Visitors Bureau
2011 E. Logan, Ottawa, KS 66067
Website: www.visitottawakansas.com
(785) 242-1411

Iola Chamber of Commerce
208 W. Madison Avenue
Iola, KS 66749
Website: www.iolachamber.org
(620) 365-5252

Just email, call or write to request information and it will be sent to you at no charge right away!

Be sure to watch this website or your membership issue of The Prairie Spirit Express for up-to-date information on the development of Phase III on the Prairie Spirit Trail. Phase III (Welda to Iola) is currently under construction. Upon completion, the current 33-mile trail will span more than 50-miles, from Ottawa to Iola, Kansas.

Remember

Anytime you visit a restaurant, store or attraction along the trail, be sure to tell them you’re visiting because of the Prairie Spirit Trail. If you have questions or comments before or after your visit please do not hesitate to e-mail us at info@prairiespirittrail.org.

Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail P.O. Box 71
Garnett, KS 66032-0071

For information on Lodging, Restaurants, and Places of Interest, contact:

“America’s Hometown” – Garnett
City of Garnett
131 West 5th Avenue, Garnett, KS 66032 (785) 448-5496
Website: www.garnettks.net
E-mail: info@garnettks.net

Garnett Area Chamber of Commerce
419 South Oak Street, Garnett, KS 66032 (785) 448-6767
Website:www.garnettchamber.org

“ The Town To Come Home To” - Iola
Iola Area Chamber of Commerce
208 West Madison Avenue, Iola, KS (620) 365-5252
Email: director@iolachamber.org
Website: www.iolachamber.org

"Victorian Ottawa"
Franklin County Convention & Tourism Bureau
P.O. Box 203, 2011 E. LoganOttawa KS 66067 (785) 242-1411
Website: www.visitottawakansas.com
E-mail: director@visitottawakansas.com

If you have any positive trail news please e-mail it to: info@prairiespirittrail.org and we will do our best to include it in future issues of The Prairie Spirit Express.