It felt like it was going to be another hot, sticky windy day, and it was. After a leisurely breakfast, we set off at 9:30 and headed north from the campground. One of the biggest pleasures of RV'ing to us is having the ability for amble along on little used rural roads and avoid the interstates. This was a great day to do this, as our goal was to explore seldom used roads and stay off of I70, which is undergoing heavy construction in this area of Kansas. Like in most states, warnings are posted "Fines doubled in Construction Zones". Here in Kansas, this means slowing down to 65 on with one lane open and traffic cones placed within that lane!
Kansas is a truly beautiful state when one is not racing along at 75mph. The undulating hills, the well laid out and maintained fields, the streams lined with hardwoods and ponds everywhere make for a beautiful mosaic with the colorful agricultural fields. Our route of choice today took us down the Flint Hills Scenic byway, Kansas Route 177.
One of the most common sights to see is the way the farms are laid out. The photo at the right is a prime example. The main farmhouse, barns, silos and other out buildings are generally located in the middle of the property, frequently 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the highways. The cluster of buildings is surrounded by a copse of trees. The fields surrounding the cluster are a mix of different grains in varying degrees of growth or getting ready for replanting. Its almost like watching one landscape painting after another.
The Flint Hills area was formed 250 million years ago. The area was under an inland sea that evaporated, leaving alternating layers of limestone and chert (see yesterdays blog!), and very mineral-rich soil. As a result, this area is used not only as for agricultural, but also for grazing cattle. The Flint Hills area was the destination for many of the huge Texas cattle drives in the 19th and 20th centuries; the cattle were brought to this area of Kansas, fattened up, and loaded on trains to be shipped to meat processing areas.
Along the Scenic Byway is the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy but run by the National Park Service. It consists of a visitor center manned by Park Rangers and offers a variety of experiences for visitors. The property was once known as the Spring Hill Farm and Stock Ranch, dating back to 1878. Through the years, the fortunes changed for the owners and in 1935 George Davis bought it and combined it with his Z Bar Ranch; when he died in 1955, it consisted of 11,000 acres, and it became the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in 1996. Visitors can visit any of the buildings, and walk miles of trails around the property through pastures, along creeks, and just experience both how beautiful and unique a tallgrass prairie really is, and how the land is cultivated and used.
There is a great short but informative film in the visitor center that explains what the area is all about. We found the discussion of how valuable fire is to be most interesting. As far back as the nomadic Indians that inhabited the area, prairie fires were (and are today) deliberately set to kill off all the vegetation and dead scruff that has accumulated. The burned matter enriches the soil, and allows healthy and abundant new growth to appear that is invaluable for grazing animals (buffalo then, cattle today!). In this photo Becky took, one can see the dark newly-ploughed earth that had been burned from the center of the photo to the right in a triangular shape. The white-ish area bordering it on top, up to and including the line of trees, is a burned area with new grass growth coming forth. The green field beyond that is a field of vegetation that has not been burned.
Because this was the area for cattle trails and the land where Indians ranged widely and hunted buffalo, there are large metal cutouts (for want of a better term) on the tops of hills in various places overlooking the highways in this part of Kansas. This is what they look like from a distance, and close up.
We took a detour during the trip east to the city of Emporia, which is notable for a several important events past and present. It is where Veterans Day was founded after World War II, replacing Armistice Day that honored only the veterans of WW I. It is the home of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, which each year selects five teachers nationwide to be recognized and inducted for outstanding service. It is the location of the home of William Allen White, the famous newspaperman and author (unfortunately it's Wednesday, and it's only open Thursday to Sunday). 
Emporia also features a Historical Society research center along with a historical museum. Finally, it is the site of the Soden's Grove all-veterans memorial, America's first ever. There are monuments throughout this interesting and bustling little city, including this strange one on the outskirts that resembles Stonehenge! We have no idea what it is! We ate lunch in the RV, stopped at a Braum's for ice cream cones, and backtracked to K177 to continue our ride south. We eventually linked up with I35, as we wanted to get to the campground in Wellington KS by dinner time. It was not a good day for speeding, and we plodded along at 50-55mph on the 75mph highway due to the very heavy winds. It was a tough driving day for Jim and uncomfortable riding for the others with all the buffeting from the crosswinds. The KOA campground in Wellington is nicely run, clean, convenient to the highway, and has great internet reception! A plus in our book!
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