WaKeeney to Independence

Day 41 Photo Album

October 13, 2009

I did some weather searching last night, all the way out to Pittsburgh. I’m in for cloudy skies and rain through the week. At least the temperature is above freezing.

So. Gotta make the best of what’s out there. Ready to be wet and sun-deprived.

The KOA in WaKeeney was the cleanest I’ve been in. Niagara Falls was good, but not as good as this one. That’s a super treat for all those things you do in the mornings that you don’t usually need to think about in your home.

All day long I saw signs for the OZ Museum and when it came to turn off, I was in the left lane. What a way to make a decision. It seemed like something I should investigate and take a break. That goes to show you that putting billboards up for 150 miles doesn’t necessarily get you business.

The rest stops along the highway leave quite a bit to be desired but they make up for it by having trash cans suspended above the ground. I just love this and the photo album for today has R2D2 and his friend posing. It looks like they swing forward but I didn’t give it a try. Perhaps there’s another reason.

Not far from Salina the hills start to roll and the land begins to have more trees. I was intrigued by the oil pumps in the middle of the fields. It certainly looked like the fields were for crops, but maybe not.

Describing what I'm seeing to my father over the telephone, he informed me that the maroon crops that resemble corn are milo. I like this crop. It’s still standing and as I looked out over miles of milo I’d see a rascal reaching higher than the rest with wild arms waving.

Rolling hills became serious around the Flint Hills. Rocks! Flinty rocks and Badlands-looking soil showing along the road. Strata of multicolored earth and rocks, some with flinty chunks and some just flowing.

Then we come to the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. This is something to see! The grass is a deep burnt orange and the land rolls along in smaller hills, stretching at times. I did a quick look on Google to see what this is about but I’m not sure I’ve found the full story. It seems that the National Park Trust purchased the land and is using it to allow the tall grass to come back. It could also be The Nature Conservancy but the sign I glimpsed looked like a National Park sign. It’s soothing and the occasional small herd of black cows make it perfect.

For fun I stopped at a truckers stop to rest. Drivers can take showers there, two towels provided for them. They line up their rigs in long rows of any kind of truck you can think of. After a while I picked up my camera and took shots of all the interesting shapes, cargos, colors, as they drove out of the lot. Lots of people are taking naps in their cars. One trucker had a dog in his cab waiting anxiously for him to bring goodies no doubt.

With the weather as it is I chose a Motel 6 instead of the KOA cabin given the price was the same. Approaching Kansas City the trees get thick and I feel like I’m back in the east. Not too much color changing but enough to give it some rusty shapes. Weaving in and out of multiple highways, I made it across the city and presumably the Missouri River, clinging to the big 70. Independence is on the east side of Kansas City, so I’m ready to head out to somewhere around St Louis tomorrow.