Miles Driven: 516
States: Kansas · Oklahoma · Texas · New Mexico
We’re Off to See the Wizard
Leaving Garden City, we were en-route to Amarillo, Texas. However, similar to Dorothy, we took a slight detour. As our Ultimate Road Trip Game continued, we got to wondering where the Wizard of Oz was based. After a few Google searches, we found that just 30 minutes south lies a little city named Liberal City, Kansas.
The original Wizard of Oz’s iconic Dorothy was simply from Kansas. There was no actual town given until the city of Liberal took it upon themselves to create Dorothy’s House in 1981. Today sits a small old farmhouse with a pathway of yellow bricks. Along the yellow brick road sit life-size versions of the Scarecrow and Tin Man, while “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” and “Over the Rainbow” play at the flip of a switch.
A 15-minute tour of Dorothy’s House is given by girls dressed up as Dorothy reciting key dialog and plot points from the movie. The tour follows the yellow brick road to a warehouse that resembles The Land of Oz, a Tornado Simulation Room, and ends in a museum full of memorabilia and time period pieces.
Palo Duro Canyon
Plans to hike Palo Duro Canyon were quickly crushed by a park ranger at the trailhead. We were informed that the bottom of the canyon was 130°F and it wasn’t advised for us to hike. I was a little frustrated because there was no mention of this closure at the park entrance before paying. But 130°F? I’ll pass! We took some pictures at the top of the canyon and continued our four-state journey to New Mexico.
Check out more of my cross-country road trip here.
