Off The Beaten Path

Anyone who knows me knows that to get in the car with me means we have set off on some sort of journey, yet to be determined (right, kids?).  I have been blessed (or cursed) with a curiosity about all things yet unknown to me, which, when combined with the boredom of a long car drive, turns into a slightly manic pursuit of off-the-beaten-path stops.  I've been doing this since I was in charge of getting myself anywhere on my own, but since the advent of cellphones and Facebook, you lucky people get to enjoy it with me.  Cellphone photo link gratuitously attached at the bottom of this blog.

This week was no different.  I headed off to southwest Kansas for a work thing Wednesday afternoon, feeling a little anxious.  I'd been rushed getting things ready and, as usual, crammed too many things into the day.  But as soon as I hit I-70, headed west, the wondering began.  I have often wished for my own personal car journey narrator that would explain everything I have questions about as I'm traveling along (and, no, Mom, that would not be you).  Google's pretty good, but 75 miles an hour is usually too fast for Google (and my fingers).  As I drove routes completely new to me, I kept seeing things I was curious about, but I didn't have time to stop.  So I promised myself that on the way back the next day, I would cram everything I could into every minute I had (and, yes, I'm aware there appears to be a pattern here).

I still didn't get photos of some of the things that surprised me, like the completely dry Arkansas River bed in Dodge City.  What a contrast to the big, wide, lazy Arkansas River that hugs the bluff and meanders alongside my home town in south central Kansas.  And speaking of Dodge City, there were m.a.n.y. things I wanted to explore but had zero time to do so--next time, Dodge, you can count on it.  Including your feedlots, of which I also got no pics.  I guess when you've seen 10,000 cows, you've seen them all.

The wind turbines just blow me away (sorry).  Seriously--the juxtaposition of the timeless wide-open sky and prairie against these huge, stark-white ultra-modern techie machines stops me in my tracks every time.  And there are some serious wind turbine farms in southwest Kansas.  I met no fewer than 20 "oversize" semi-truck loads on the highways coming and going, hauling more turbine pieces to that part of the world.

Milo (grain sorghum, to you scientific types) harvest was in full swing in that part of Kansas, and the leaves on the trees were just turning, which made for glowing color everywhere you looked.  The old abandoned grain elevators spoke of a simpler time, and I had visions of my farming grandfathers in my head. But, please, someone--how do you pronounce Offerle?

I'd heard about Pawnee Rock most of my adult life, so when you drive right by the sign that says "Pawnee Rock, 1 mile north", you have to drive 1 mile north.  My first thought, unfortunately, was "that's a rock?"  But, you know, when you're there, you do it all, right?  Because you don't know when you might be back...right?  So I drove up the "rock", parked and wandered around a bit, finally climbing the circular iron staircase to the viewing platform.  And, boy, was I glad.  I can not quite explain what that sweeping expanse of land and sky does to my heart.  It's such a contradiction of fullness and emptiness that my brain seems to suspend all conscious thought for a minute.

I sadly (twice!) zipped right by Cheyenne Bottoms and the new Wetland Education Center building just northeast of Great Bend.  I simply did not have time to do it justice, which means (darn) a trip to plan and look forward to sometime in the future.  And the Smoky Hills around Ellsworth deserve some appreciation, though I need to figure out how to actually get exploration access to a piece of property.

Thanks for letting me share my visions with you. Until next time!  Southwest Kansas Sights