"This place is FLAT!"

That was how Gi described Kansas once we hit the road this morning. Indeed, it was flat, but it was also beautiful. The morning broke dry and clear after the front and storms passed through last night. It was a perfect day for a ride. We crossed quite a few creeks that were over their banks, so no doubt there was a lot of rain in those storms. We were very lucky not to have gotten drenched last night.

Flat as it is, Kansas was a lot prettier than I remembered it. Of course, most landscapes look more beautiful in morning light. It also made me realize that I had probably missed a lot of opportunities to enjoy the scenery of Kansas countryside because in my younger years I tended to drive long, cross-country hauls at night. In the daylight I could watch the ripe wheat being harvested around Salina, and one of the cool things about being on the bike was being able to actually smell the wheat grain in the thresher from the road. It was also interesting to watch, as we drove west and things got cooler and drier, the wheat becoming less mature, going from full, golden heads in mid-state to fully green heads by the time we hit the Colorado border.


We drove north from Wichita to Salina where we turned left from I-35 and headed west on I-70. We were treated to some military (or soon to be so) aircraft doing swings around the city airspace. That was a bit surprising since the local airforce base was converted to other uses some time back. But whatever, it was pretty neat to see the planes cruising around on test flights.

Further west along I-70 we were a bit surprised to come upon a wind farm with more than 50 towering windmills. I'm sure that none of these were there the last time I passed through the area. (For those that know the story, my last drive through Kansas to Denver was in 2000 when Gi came on her first visit to the US and I took her camping in central and southwestern Colorado before driving to Phoenix to visit Mom. The tales from that trip are still being repeated with shaking heads when the family gets together.) Anyway, the windmills were enormous, and quite fascinating. At the same time I could see exactly why some people are so upset about them. They are disconcerting, to say the least, and definitely detract locally from the feeling of wide open space.


The panoramic view from the bike is also good for seeing wildlife that one might miss driving by in a car. Western meadowlarks were everywhere along the median as were red-winged blackbirds -- both species from my youth that I miss seeing in the South. Gi spotted the first antelope; a pair of first-year fawns standing along the fence line just inside the Colorado line. (Here's a shot of the happy spotter!) And a little later I saw three adults stalking single file across the prairie, like the species has done for as long as they have been around. These are the little things that make me miss the West.

Not long after we crossed the Colorado line the interstate crossed over the Republican River and, Walt, you'll be happy to hear that the riverbed was completely dry and empty.

We hit Denver right on schedule, which unfortunately meant we drove right into the teeth of rush hour, and to make things more exciting some late afternoon showers were blowing down the front range. I had some GPS problems that knocked out my navigation and probably cost me an extra 45 minutes of drive time, but we made it safe and sound, and are looking to enjoy a couple of days with friends in the area.