Road trippin’: Kansas Explored

I-70 through West Kansas

When they chose the land years ago along which they would eventually pave Interstate 70 through West Kansas they did an incredibly good job of picking the flattest most uninteresting part of that state.  My travels the last few years have taken me from Colorado to the East Coast several times (usually by car so the dogs can join me)… and well there was that whole moving thing… and trying to stay awake on I-70 west of Salina Kansas is a chore even if you’ve just woken up from a good nights sleep and are all hopped up on caffeine from that morning cup of joe.  Even having books on tape (I don’t suggest Hemingway’s Short Stories) is difficult in helping pass the time. Sure there are the prehistoric looking turbines on the wind farms, the world’s largest prairie dog (extremely disappointing) and the countless signs for Rattlesnake Jewelry along the roadside but let’s face it West Kansas can be about as boring as it gets. 

Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve

On my last venture west from a visit to see family in North Carolina I stopped in Kansas City to catch up with a friend and break the monotony of the drive.  The next morning I got out my road map and decided to venture into the heart of the state once I got bored with the Interstate and hit the city of Emporia.  Surely there was more to see in this state and I was hoping Hwy 50 would take me someplace new.

Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve

Signs depicted this stretch of road as a scenic byway and also advertised an am radio station you could tune in to for information on the area.  Quarries in this area drove the economy long ago and even a distinct style of Limestone Brick was born from this region and used as an architectural element that still resonates in structures being built today.  It wasn’t long before I came up on Strong City in Chase County and with the direction of signs hit my right turn signal and headed north on 177. 

Spring Hill Ranch

Spring Hill Ranch

A few miles north I found myself at the Spring Hill Ranch on the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The gently rolling landscape of the Flint Hills where covered in grass and clouds of tens of thousands of small birds seemingly bounced off the horizon and into the blue sky. To the northwest I spotted a bright red steeply pitched French style roof that umbrella’s a three story Second Empire style ranch house built in 1881 from native stones. Since it was off season for the visitor’s center I got to explore the house and its matching barn and outhouses with out interferences aside from the whining dogs in the backseat of the car which I did let out once I knew the coast was clear. There were a few signs to tell me a bit about the ranch that was founded by a Texas cattle rancher in the 1870’s, but most of the story was left to my own interpretation. I’m not sure you could consider this a destination attraction for family trips, but it turns out there is actually some cool stuff to see in Kansas if you’re willing to get off the beaten path.

Spring Hill Ranch

Spring Hill Ranch