Driving through Kansas

I always enjoy the drive to Kansas City. I especially like to be the one behind the wheel whether the rest of the family is with me or not. The three-ish hours it takes gives me a little time to reflect on whatever may come to mind. Additionally, for me, it is time to really take in the seasons in Kansas. If you have ever driven from Salina to the east you should know there is much to take in. Those who aren't from here often do not have the ability to appreciate the softness of the landscape, this is unfortunate.

The fall season is one of my favorite to take this drive. The hills of the Kanza really do roll... The highway cuts through the hills to expose too few layers of our archeological history and limestone posts jut out from the tops to form fence posts that separate one mans land from another. Clouds lay down shadows into the deep and narrow crevases. The land is laced with a multitude of tall grass varieties of which I no longer know the names but once learned. The colors are most eyecatching at sunset. Gold, deep purple, sage, and rust are further accentuated by the coming of night as the rays of the sun give the visual sense of summer passing like an old and faded denim jacket.

I have taken this trip along I-70 so many times I cannot begin to remember them all. I have been alone, with friends, my parents and grandparents, and with my own husband and children. It never ceases to amaze me that I always see something new. There is also something comforting about the familiarity of the drive. The winery is the half-way mark now, though at one time it was Paxico / Stucky's. Seeing the old orange 76 station at Solomon helped me to recognize when we were almost home. The turnpike has been changed since I was a child as have the roads and routes we take to get to our destinations. The trip still takes us through Topeka where it's still fun to see who can spy the Capital building first.

If you are taking this trip; roll the windows down, turn the radio up, wave at the cattle, and pay the toll for the car behind you...just once. Most importantly, look around you and see the glory of our nature that is there for us all to see.