We spent a big part of the last few days exploring the Smoky Hills and Flint Hills Upland regions of Kansas before heading back to Kansas City. While traveling through Central Kansas, what I have learned is that Kansas isn't what most of us from outside of the area expect it to be. It isn't a boring, flat, wasteland. It is beautiful and unique, and it is worth exploring.
We left Oakley on Wednesday morning with a plan to see some interesting geological features of Kansas. Our first stop was Monument Rocks, an area just 20 miles from our hotel in Oakley on private land. Lucky for us, the cattle rancher who owns this land welcomes people to come on to his property to see this amazing site.
We traveled down miles of dirt/gravel roads with rolling hills and cattle in the distance. Soon we crossed a cattle guard and were surrounded by free roaming cattle. Since this is a working ranch, I knew that we'd potentially see cattle, and we weren't disappointed. There were points when they were right in the road and the girls would lose their minds barking and whining. Maddie turned into a killer and I actually think Peaches just wanted to play with them. I tried to hurry through those areas so that we didn't disturb the cattle too much.
Due to the nature of the landscape in Kansas with its wide open, treeless expanse, you can see for miles and, as we rounded a corner, I could see the giant rocks off in the distance. It was pretty exciting and I couldn't wait to get closer.
It was not surprising to me that we were the only ones here when we arrived. Standing next to those giant chalk formations surrounded by miles and miles of fields was pretty amazing. The formations are huge and have some interesting shapes.
It is a small area with two separate monuments not far apart and it is clearly part of the range used for the cattle as evidenced by the dried hoof marks on the ground. And this is the day that Maddie discovered a new pie she loves...cow pies! She was obsessed and I tried my best to keep her away, but they were everywhere and she is persistent.
As we were finishing up our visit, we were pleasantly surprised to see another car pulling up to visit this National Natural Landmark. It was a young couple from Kansas who had just recently learned about Monument Rocks and they were just as excited as I was to experience this area. Peaches was just happy to have someone else to give her some love!
We left Oakley on Wednesday morning with a plan to see some interesting geological features of Kansas. Our first stop was Monument Rocks, an area just 20 miles from our hotel in Oakley on private land. Lucky for us, the cattle rancher who owns this land welcomes people to come on to his property to see this amazing site.
We traveled down miles of dirt/gravel roads with rolling hills and cattle in the distance. Soon we crossed a cattle guard and were surrounded by free roaming cattle. Since this is a working ranch, I knew that we'd potentially see cattle, and we weren't disappointed. There were points when they were right in the road and the girls would lose their minds barking and whining. Maddie turned into a killer and I actually think Peaches just wanted to play with them. I tried to hurry through those areas so that we didn't disturb the cattle too much.
Due to the nature of the landscape in Kansas with its wide open, treeless expanse, you can see for miles and, as we rounded a corner, I could see the giant rocks off in the distance. It was pretty exciting and I couldn't wait to get closer.
It was not surprising to me that we were the only ones here when we arrived. Standing next to those giant chalk formations surrounded by miles and miles of fields was pretty amazing. The formations are huge and have some interesting shapes.
It is a small area with two separate monuments not far apart and it is clearly part of the range used for the cattle as evidenced by the dried hoof marks on the ground. And this is the day that Maddie discovered a new pie she loves...cow pies! She was obsessed and I tried my best to keep her away, but they were everywhere and she is persistent.
As we were finishing up our visit, we were pleasantly surprised to see another car pulling up to visit this National Natural Landmark. It was a young couple from Kansas who had just recently learned about Monument Rocks and they were just as excited as I was to experience this area. Peaches was just happy to have someone else to give her some love!
While it isn't difficult to get here, it is also enough off the beaten path that I'm sure it is overlooked by most people traveling through this area. But it was definitely worth the effort to see.
Next we continued on our journey through the ranch lands of Kansas toward our next stop. The Castle Rock Badlands.
The Castle Rock Badlands are another National Natural Landmark which are found on private land. They are a little more off the beaten path, and, as I would discover, a little more difficult to get to than Monument Rocks. But off we went through more miles and miles of ranch land on dirt roads.
The Castle Rock Badlands are hidden behind a hill, so until you've reached the top, you have no idea what you are about to see. We parked and climbed to the top and were amazed by what we saw. It is completely unexpected and the view is amazing.
Off in the distance, you can see the Castle Rock standing all alone. There are several trails around the area which you can travel to get up close to these chalk formations, but some of them are badly rutted and dangerous to travel. Since I didn't want to be trapped alone with two dogs miles from civilization with a broken down Jeep, I made the decision to explore from the top, but I hope to visit them again some day and get a closer look.
With no trees and nothing else to slow it down, you can really feel the wind here. It was amazingly windy up there!
Even the view in the other direction was pretty amazing. I know it's flat and treeless, but is still has a beauty to it. The big sky reminds me of the sky over a Great Lake and I love it.
After walking around the area and exploring for a short time, we were back in the Jeep and off for more adventures. We had not been disappointed with our stops so far and were looking forward to seeing what else we could see.
The Castle Rock Badlands are hidden behind a hill, so until you've reached the top, you have no idea what you are about to see. We parked and climbed to the top and were amazed by what we saw. It is completely unexpected and the view is amazing.
Off in the distance, you can see the Castle Rock standing all alone. There are several trails around the area which you can travel to get up close to these chalk formations, but some of them are badly rutted and dangerous to travel. Since I didn't want to be trapped alone with two dogs miles from civilization with a broken down Jeep, I made the decision to explore from the top, but I hope to visit them again some day and get a closer look.
With no trees and nothing else to slow it down, you can really feel the wind here. It was amazingly windy up there!
Even the view in the other direction was pretty amazing. I know it's flat and treeless, but is still has a beauty to it. The big sky reminds me of the sky over a Great Lake and I love it.
After walking around the area and exploring for a short time, we were back in the Jeep and off for more adventures. We had not been disappointed with our stops so far and were looking forward to seeing what else we could see.
Along the way, we had to stop at some silly roadside attractions...like the World's Largest Czech Egg.
Or Bowl Plaza, which is literally a public restroom with fancy art on the walls...and a nice little folk art park just outside of it.
We also made it to the Geographic Center of the Contiguous 48 States...so we were North, South, East and West all at the same time!
And would it be a road trip to Kansas without a stop at the Largest Ball of Sisal Twine? The smell of the twine reminded me of Fall and Halloween. Although it seems silly, it was an interesting stop.
Along the way to all of these other silly stops, we were treated to many pretty views, including this one of Lake Wilson.
Of course Maddie wouldn't let me drive by a lake, so we had to make a stop. These Michigan girls are missing water!
I also learned about "post rocks." These rock posts are everywhere in this central part of Kansas. They are in use in fence lines along the road for grazing pastures and for fencing around homes. They are interesting and I need to learn more about their history.
As Wednesday drew to a close, we had time for one more stop before heading to our hotel for the night so we were off to Rock City Park. This small, privately-owned park is home to a field of unique rock formations. There are some walking paths around the park and the girls thoroughly enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny.
I even found a mitten shaped rock! And Peaches had lots of opportunity for climbing which is definitely one of her favorite things to do. It was the perfect spot to end our day.
It had been a long day on the road-the longest day we had had for the entire vacation, but we really enjoyed seeing all that Kansas has to offer, both the natural beauty and the silly attractions. Most importantly, we enjoyed our time together. It was a great day.
Or Bowl Plaza, which is literally a public restroom with fancy art on the walls...and a nice little folk art park just outside of it.
And who needs to travel to New York City when Kansas has it's very own mini Statue of Liberty.
We also made it to the Geographic Center of the Contiguous 48 States...so we were North, South, East and West all at the same time!
And would it be a road trip to Kansas without a stop at the Largest Ball of Sisal Twine? The smell of the twine reminded me of Fall and Halloween. Although it seems silly, it was an interesting stop.
Along the way to all of these other silly stops, we were treated to many pretty views, including this one of Lake Wilson.
Of course Maddie wouldn't let me drive by a lake, so we had to make a stop. These Michigan girls are missing water!
I also learned about "post rocks." These rock posts are everywhere in this central part of Kansas. They are in use in fence lines along the road for grazing pastures and for fencing around homes. They are interesting and I need to learn more about their history.
I even found a mitten shaped rock! And Peaches had lots of opportunity for climbing which is definitely one of her favorite things to do. It was the perfect spot to end our day.
It had been a long day on the road-the longest day we had had for the entire vacation, but we really enjoyed seeing all that Kansas has to offer, both the natural beauty and the silly attractions. Most importantly, we enjoyed our time together. It was a great day.
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