My trip to Abilene Kansas was hosted by Visit Abilene Depending on how you count it, there are either 16 or 17 Presidential libraries. President Gerald Ford has a split library with the library located in Ann Arbor Michigan and the museum located in Grand Rapids Michigan. I have only visited four of the Presidential libraries but there are many that make traveling to and … [Read more...]
8 Stunning Louisiana Plantations to Tour in the Historic River Parishes
I was hosted on this trip by Louisiana River Plantations I love history, and I have visited historic locations around the world. I have never been a proponent of cancelling history. I have visited Dachau concentration camp in Germany, Civil War battlefields and forts, Medieval torture chambers, even a Philippine prison that played a part in WW2 history. Some want to bulldoze … [Read more...]
How One Man’s Chisel Built a Hidden Art Treasure in Kansas
Update: Pete Felton, passed away in Feb 2026 and although he is no longer with us his legacy lives on in his art that is on display throughout Kansas. My trip to Hays Kansas was sponsored by Visit Hays Discovering a Kansas Sculpting Icon I always enjoy meeting people when I travel. People tell the story of places and the history and culture of those places, like the day … [Read more...]
How a Notorious Dutch Conman Became the Namesake of a Texas Town
Google Podcasts Spotify Apple Podcasts iHeartRadio TRANSCRIPT 00:00 Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the podcast where we discuss travel, culture and history. I'm your host, Bob Bales, and today we are talking about the Texas town named after a con man. So stay tuned and we take a journey into the heart of history, where truth is sometimes stranger than … [Read more...]
Visit A Historic Kansas Landmark: Seelye Mansion’s Luxurious Past Unveiled
I was hosted on a trip to Abilene Kansas by Visit Abilene Kansas The Story In 1970, while visiting Abilene on a choir trip, a young man named Terry, and his brother, happened to see an old majestic home. The outside of the home was unkept and the home looked like it needed some care but there was something about it that drew him and his twin brother Jerry into wanting to … [Read more...]
