Kansas Highs and Lows

I never considered Kansas to be particularly picturesque (no offense, Kansas), and rarely in the running for Most Beautiful State title.

Driving westbound on I-70, my initial impression of Kansan landscape was a blur of high plains, pastureland and fields of fodder as far as the eye could see. The drive was basically a bore and staying alert was becoming a challenge. I glanced at Leah. She was slack-jawed with her head back and pretend-listening to an audiobook.

I activated the ALEXA app on the dash display.

“Hey Alexa,” I intonated and enunciated, “Name the flattest state in America.”

Alexa quickly responded with, “By any measure, Florida takes the prize for the flattest state in the nation [along with its flat-earth thinking, of late] because the highest point in the state is only 345 ft above sea level… Kansas merely ranks seventh in flatness.”

Nevertheless, Kansas does have an honorary mountain barely within its western border, making it the highest point in Kansas at 4039 ft.

There was another notable elevation change that Leah and I explored before we reached the Rockies. We scheduled a stop at Lake Scott State Park (elev. 2979 ft) to break up the drive between Topeka and Colorado,

stretch our legs,

and discover the Badlands of Kansas.

But first, we detoured 15 miles east to Monument Rocks.

As the first National Natural Landmark in Kansas designated by the Department of the Interior,

we thought we ought to pay our respects, and we were just shaking our heads at the many visitors who couldn’t wait to desecrate the brittle, 50 ft chalk towers.

Although the formations were small in stature and compact in scale,

they were a site to admire,

and fun to explore!

See ya, fella.

With this tasty morsel served and enjoyed, our appetites were whetted for the main course.

I really wanted to be awestruck by the vision and overwhelmed by the novelty of the geology, but what I saw was a craggy white cliff with spots of color in an unexpected location.