Heading back to Colorado yesterday, I was forced to leave Interstate 70 at Salina, Kansas, due to a serious accident west of that city. Generally familiar with the regional landscape, I drove north to Kansas Route 18 and continued westward. Though I had never taken that road, I knew it would cross the northern portion of the Smoky Hills.
It turned out to be a pleasant, uncrowded drive across scenic terrain. Cattle ranches covered much of the area, where rock fence posts and old rock houses attest to the regional geology (see Post Rock Country). A number of sculptures, apparently constructed with old tractor parts, also adorned the route, most depicting dragons or dinosaurs. Birdlife was typical of the Great Plains, dominated by turkey vultures, mourning doves, western kingbirds and massive flocks of cliff swallows; common nighthawks were also observed on that hot, sunny afternoon, apparently refueling after their long migration.
At Plainville, I turned south toward Hays (where I spent the night). En route, I crossed the broad valley of the Saline River and kept an eye on thunderstorms, forming to the northwest. While the accident was certainly unfortunate for those involved, it forced me to explore new and interesting geography.
