The Seven Gables Inn, Pacific Grove, CA

With the long driving days behind us and having experienced our first day of Highway One, we were ready for a little rest and relaxation.  We chose The Seven Gables Inn, located in Pacific Grove, for our respite overlooking the bay. 

Perusing the web sites of the myriad of inns and bed & breakfast accommodations on the Monterey Peninsula, it is easy to develop brain cramp.  However, following a recommendation from our friends in San Francisco, we focused in on the Seven Gables Inn.  Not only do they have one of the best inn web sites we have seen, we were pleased to find that the inn and the accommodations were exactly as they were shown.  The staff was excellent, the inn absolutely gorgeous, the view of the bay fabulous and our Carriage House room a comfortable respite after 1800 miles on the road.  After a short walk up the hill for dinner, we flipped on the fireplace and settled into the canopied bed for the evening.

The Lone Cypress, Symbol of Pebble Beach, CA

It was only the thought of losing site-seeing time on the Monterey Peninsula, and the fabulous breakfast that awaited us, that rousted us from the comfort of bed.  We had scheduled only a day to tour the peninsula and make our way up to San Francisco to visit our friends who had instigated this whole road trip.  One thing that you find by staying in country inns is that, no matter how hard you try, it is tough to tear yourself away from the great breakfasts and conversation with the other travelers.

It’s interesting that only in the inns do strangers open up and visit like they do.  We would not normally consider visiting with guests at a motel continental breakfast, but somehow over stuffed crepes, quiche and fresh fruit served in the inn dining room, it just seems to happen.  It’s always interesting to learn where other guests are traveling from and the stories they have to share about their travels.

Along the 17-Mile Drive, Monterey Peninsula, CA

Loaded back into Traveler, our trusty Toyota 4Runner, we found the 17-Mile Drive and headed back around the peninsula on our way to Carmel and some fabulous scenery that is found nowhere else.  While not normally willing to pay a fee to experience a scenic drive, the $9.25 charged for the 17-Mile Drive was worth every penny, especially since the fee was taken off our lunch at the Gallery Café overlooking the first tee of The Pebble Beach Golf Links. 

The First Tee of Pebble Beach Golf Course

The coastline of the peninsula is fabulous and Carmel-by-the-Sea is the world-renown destination retreat community that it is billed to be.  White sand beaches, performing arts, art galleries, posh shops, gourmet restaurants and fabulous million-dollar cottages all combine to make this a unique community where celebrities rub shoulders with the common millionaires. 

Seaside Cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Enjoying the sights, but somewhat out of our league, we headed on toward San Francisco, vowing to return and spend a little more time taking in the swank life.

Back on Highway One, it’s north through Santa Cruz, following the coastline to Half Moon Bay, and then inland to navigate into San Francisco where our friends would be our hosts for the weekend. 

Pigeon Point Light Station, 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay, CA

We will pick up this narrative as we hit the road again heading north through Sausalito and Muir Woods on our way to Bodega Bay.  San Francisco is a very unique city and worth every day of the visit, but since this is a web site based on driving backroads and not urban adventures; we will forgo the details of our visit there and just say that we had a great time!  We will leave it to the urban travelers out there to guide you through the city.

For more information on the Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove, California, go to http://www.pginns.com.
Note: This is the fourth of our California trip blog-format newsletters.  Check back in the next few days for the next episode or go to the archives later to read all of the Notes from the Road entries.

Along Highway 1 South of San Simeon

Can you imagine the awe that must have come across the faces of the pioneers as they topped the last of the coastal hills and set their sights on the Pacific Ocean after their many months of arduous journey across the western wilderness? 

Early September Coastal Pastures

The joy I felt must have been only a fraction of theirs, but I was elated.  We had driven three and a half days for the view that spread out in front of us.  We joined up with Highway One (aka: The Cabrillo Highway) just south of Cambria heading north; ready to experience the best of the best scenic drives in the country.

Awesome Views to the South

Highway One and the Big Sur coastline are all they are hyped up to be and more.  Skipping the tour of the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, we opted to spend our afternoon leisurely driving and stopping at the many pull-offs with view after magnificent view of the dramatic coastline.  We would think we had just captured the most perfect photo, when around the bend there was another view that was even more spectacular! 

Awesome Views to the North

I questioned the guidebooks when they said to allow four hours minimum to drive from San Simeon to Carmel, just 93 miles, but we could have taken two days.  It’s one of those places that compel you to just stand there and drink in the experience.  The grandeur, the rugged beauty and the powerful emotional experience of just being there is not to be missed!

One of the things that the Internet is good for is providing you with a lot of random information.  We read an article on the Internet listing the 10 places to eat before you die and, wouldn’t you know, one of them was in Big Sur!  Nepenthe, the listed must-do bar and restaurant, is perched a thousand feet up on the rocky cliffs of Big Sur and commands a view that is unmatched. 

Enjoying the View at Nepenthe

We stopped there for the famous Ambrosia Burger and an adult beverage, remembering that we still had an hour of winding, cliffside driving ahead of us.  Nepenthe, named for the mythical drug, mentioned in Homer’s “The Odyssey”, that chases away sorrow, is one of those unique, eclectic places that defy explanation.  Part restaurant, part amphitheater, part conversation pit and part outdoor party bar, Nepenthe has been a favorite gathering place on the Big Sur coast for over 50 years.  If you have the time, do stop and enjoy.  You might take a peek at the Phoenix Shop and Cafe Kevah, a great gift shop and all-day alfresco brunch, just below Nepenthe.  Both Nepenthe and the Big Sur coastline are places you do need to experience before you die! 

Little Sur River and Hurricane Point

Back on the road, overwhelmed by the immensity of the whole day, we headed for Carmel, the Monterey Peninsula and the Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove, our personal treat for our road-weary backsides.
   
Note: This is the third of our California trip blog-format newsletters.  Check back in the next few days for the next episode or go to the archives later to read all of the Notes from the Road entries.

For more information on Nepenthe or just to check out the web cam, go to www.nepenthebigsur.com.

San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque

Sitting here thinking about the memorable aspects of two days of driving I-40 across the New Mexico, Arizona and California, the best word that comes to mind is progression.  There were many scenic points along the drive and great stops to see the Old Town of Albuquerque and the red sandstone buildings of the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, but the experience of watching the landscape change, sometimes dramatically, as you pass from one ecosystem to another is fascinating.  Travelers who board a plane in their hometown and suddenly arrive at the resort town of their choice have no experience of the progression and change in the land between the two destinations.

Red Sandstone Buildings of UNM

Take, for instance, between Amarillo, Texas and Flagstaff, Arizona, you progress from Shortgrass Texas Prairie range land to the dry buttes of Tucumcari, the pinion pine foothills east of Albuquerque and onto the high desert and mesas of western New Mexico.  Once in Arizona the land flattens out again in the high desert until dramatically changing to pine-covered mountains with a brief, intense thunderstorm outside of Flagstaff. 

Racing a Thunderstorm into Flagstaff, Arizona

Leaving Flagstaff, the progression goes in reverse from the wooded mountains to winding desert valleys between pinion covered hills.  By the time you reach Needles, California you are fully experiencing the Mojave Desert.  Several hours later you are rising again into grass covered hills with scattered trees in the Tehachapi Mountains before descending down into the San Joaquin Valley and Bakersfield, California. 

Watching the Land Roll By

You certainly would not appreciate the extent of orchards and growing fields surrounding Bakersfield without the progression through the desert southwest and you would not fully appreciate the extent of the vast, open spaces that exist in the western states without experiencing that two day drive.  Flying travelers may arrive days sooner but have missed out on the epic cross-country trek that brings you fully in touch with this great country.

Next, we’re on to California Highway One and the Big Sur scenic drive, probably the most dramatic single piece of highway in the country!

Note: This is the second of our California trip blog-format newsletters.  Check back in the next few days for the next episode or go to the archives later to read all of the Notes from the Road entries.

By the time you read this we will actually be home from our epic road trip to California that covered over 4,000 miles and three weeks in September. I had planned to update the web site on the road, but due to some technical issues, it had to wait until our return. I will admit to the backroads travelers out there that the first couple of days of our trip were on Interstates in order to cover the initial miles of travel in the least number of hours, but by the time we arrived in Bakersfield, California, we were on the backroads again and didn’t hit a freeway until we met up with I-70 in the Rockies on the way back.

Along Route 66, Shamrock, Texas

With that said, there are ways to get a taste of the backroads even while covering the miles at breakneck speed. You just have to exit once in a while and see what is being passed by.
I-40 through Western Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico roughly parallels the route of old Route 66, the “Mother Road”. In its heyday, Route 66 was the antithesis of backroads. It was the best and quickest route across the country and put vacation driving in the mainstream of the American psyche. Advertising hype and hucksterism lead to the iconic tee-pee souvenir shops and the neon glow of motel signs that is gradually fading away along the old highway.

A Taste of Bygone Days, McLean, Texas

Exiting at Shamrock and McLean, Texas for breaks in the drive, we were able to experience some of the feeling brought back by the historic Route 66. Preserved as well as time has allowed, there are still examples of the bygone era of road travel. Only through the efforts of local preservationists, many of the excellent examples of old Route 66 architecture are still standing. It’s well worth the time to stop and reminisce about the way things used to be.

The Neon Glow of Tucumcari, New Mexico

Tucumcari, a great modern oasis on I-40, is also one of the most preserved neon towns along the old Route 66. Just driving the old highway through town is worth the few minutes extra. Be sure to check out the Blue Swallow Motel and the Tee Pee Trading Post across the street. You might try to get there before dark unless it’s the neon lights that you are looking for. Tucumcari rolls up its streets and closes at dark.
Next, it’s on to Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Needles and Bakersfield.

Note: This is the first of our California trip blog-format newsletters. Check back in the next few days for the next episode or go to the archives later to read all of the Notes from the Road entries.

Hand-quarried sandstone homes with traditional wall-mounted grapevine trellises, hand-crafted baskets and brooms and a four-star golf course. Those were some of the reasons we chose Amana, Iowa for a location to meet my sister and her husband for a few days of get-away. It also fit the criteria of being relatively half way between Minnesota and Kansas.

The Amana Colonies are an interesting study in perseverance and religious ideals. In 1855, a religious communal sect, originally from Germany, established six villages along the banks of the Iowa River in east-central Iowa. A seventh was established in 1861 to give access to the railroad line making its way across the state. The Amana Colonies became one of America’s longest-lived and largest religious communal society. Homes, medical care, schooling, meals and household necessities were taken care of with all men and women assigned jobs by the village council. Men worked the fields and became craftsmen. The women were assigned the cooking and domestic tasks. All residents gathered for three meals a day at over 50 communal kitchens and attended 11 worship services each week. In 1932, due to economic and cultural pressures, the communal life was abandoned in favor of a profit-sharing corporation called the Amana Society, Inc., set up to manage the farms and larger enterprises. Now a National Historic Landmark, the colonies maintained their sense of history and hospitality.

Driving the Amana Colonies Trail that connects the communities you can feel your tensions easing. Brick, stone and clapboard homes with the grapevine trellises, well-tended vegetable and flower gardens, street lanterns, magnificent old barns and farm relics let you feel you have rolled the years back to the early 1900’s. The Amanas have a thriving arts and crafts community with shops offering handmade baskets, candles, brass and copper goods, furniture, clocks, toys, iron, pottery, glass, jewelry, brooms and quilts, along with paintings and fine art work.

We have been to the Amanas on previous trips as a stop-over between Kansas and points northeast. The last time through we ran across the Amana Colonies Golf Course and conjured up an excuse to return and play the beautiful, rolling championship quality course. Staying in the Colony Oaks condominiums overlooking the ninth hole, we treated ourselves to Amana steaks, Maytag Blue Cheese and a lot of California wine. It doesn’t get a whole lot better!

Maytag Dairy Farm’s Famous Blue Cheese

If you happen to be near Des Moines, Iowa, venture 22 miles east to Newton (Exit 164 on US 6 and I-80), and take a few minutes to search out the Maytag Blue Cheese factory, just on the north edge of town. Now, we had heard of Maytag Blue Cheese, but until our brother-in-law, Tom, introduced us to the gourmet side of designing an entire meal around blue cheese on our recent trip to Amana, Iowa, we would have figured the cheese crumbles found in the local grocery were about as good as it gets. Let me tell you, as a newly converted aficionado, Maytag will change your whole opinion of blue cheese! This highly flavorful and mildly pungent wedge is so smooth that it can be enjoyed simply on wheat crackers with a glass of wine.

Maytag, established by the son of the Maytag Appliance Company founder in the early 1900’s as a dairy farm, produced and bottled milk from their award-winning herd of Holsteins. Intrigued by Iowa State University’s new process of producing Roquefort cheese from cow’s milk rather from the traditional sheep’s milk, Fred Maytag converted the farm’s bottling plant into a cheese factory and in 1941 began producing an American Blue Cheese. Many awards and kudos later, the Maytag Dairy Farm is still producing America’s best blue cheese, by hand, in the original factory and hillside caves where the process began 67 years ago. The company has been quietly creating and selling their product, without advertising or a sales staff, and has managed to keep their family-owned company personal and friendly. Stopping in near closing hour on a Saturday morning, we were treated to a personal visit and tour of their facility by their energetic president, Verna Ver Ploeg.

It’s possible now to buy Maytag Blue Cheese through their web site, but if you are anywhere near Newton, Iowa, it’s a treat to experience the friendliness and sincerity of the Maytag employees and to see the small quality company that produces the country’s best blue cheese. You can also take home a supply to give to all of your friends and neighbors for 40 - 50% less than ordering and having it shipped. Trust me, they will be impressed!

Maytag Dairy Farm’s Famous Blue Cheese
www.maytagblue.com

Directions: Take exit 164 (Iowa 14, US 6) at Newton, 2 mi. north, turn east at intersection of F36 and Iowa 14 and follow the Maytag signs. See map here.

I am proud to showcase my landscape etchings and a new direction for Backroads Press. We will continue to bring you stories from the backroads and do our best to encourage you, our readers, to take the road less-traveled with us, but we will also be illustrating those great scenic vistas and tumble-down old structures through limited edition, original etchings produced by hand on our own Takach intaglio press.

The etching below is one of a planned series of original work inspired by the Kansas Flint Hills. We are putting together a one-man show of words and etchings, titled “Limestone, Oak and Bluestem, Parts and Pieces of the Kansas Flint Hills”. When our schedule of showings is formulated, we will be posting the locations and dates on our web site.

You can see some other examples of my original prints displayed at www.BackroadsPress.com, our gallery site. While we don’t have our gallery of etchings set up for internet sales at this time, we will soon be showing our prints at art fairs and galleries throughout the regions that we feature. Our goal is to create quality, original fine art pieces that speak to the emotions of finding that beautiful, winding road that takes you past an old stone farmstead or weathered barn. Our etchings are done in the traditional manner of the old masters, with warm, black line work and tones, yet with sensitivity toward the environment by utilizing the new non-toxic etching processes and materials. The black and white etchings skip straight to the point of the subject without distraction of color interpretation or emphasis, and as such, become a stronger statement of place. True, limited edition, fine art etchings are prized by collectors and will increase in value over the years.

OK. OK. I know gas prices are high and going higher and this is a travel web site based on driving. It is obvious that things are going to change. Like it or not, we all will be seeing changes in our lifestyles. We can either hunker down and gripe about Big Oil and the cost of gas, feel sorry for ourselves and take it out on others or make changes to our way of doing things. My solution? Change. Change the way we consume. Change the way we choose what we need. Change what we do for enjoyment. Change how we travel.

Have you taken time lately to actually notice that nearly everything we buy is made in China? Why is that? It’s because we, as a nation, want a lot of stuff and we want it cheap. The quality is going down, local Mom and Pop businesses are disappearing and we just keep buying more and more cheap stuff. I think it’s time for a REVOLUTION! Rebel! Turn the pages back to the 1960’s and take a lesson in quality of life.

All of our problems these days relate back to consumerism and consumption. We have been conned into believing that, if we have all the new gadgets and buy all the new trends at Pottery Barn, we will be living the good life. What has happened is that we have lost what was good and comfortable in exchange for more cheap stuff. No one has time to invite friends over for dinner anymore because we are so busy working for our stuff. All of our electronic devices are driving us crazy! China is getting rich and we are losing our minds. Slow down! Buy half as much and buy quality. Call a friend to come and visit over a glass of lemonade on the patio instead of texting each other as you both drive to the mall. Take your cloth bags to the local farm market and buy locally-grown products instead of avocados trucked in from Mexico. Seek out local businesses to support.

We can embrace the new era with a feeling of relief that we can now turn our attentions to enjoying life instead of trying to keep up. Our slowing down and consuming less should especially relate to our driving habits. Remember back, if you are my age, to the vacations of the 60’s, before the construction of the Interstates. We drove the two-lane highways at 55 miles per hour, stopped at roadside picnic tables for Mother-made sandwiches and chips, read every historical marker and totally enjoyed the trip. We drove half as far, two-thirds as fast and enjoyed it twice as much. We can go back to that. Drive the backroads, save gas by driving slower and driving half as far, reconnect with your local countryside and support the local economy. It’s what we have been advocating all along on this web site. It makes more sense now that ever before.

REVOLUTION? You bet! I think we will all be the better for a little change in life style.

Slow down, wander the backroads, buy some farm produce and home-made jam, spend your money in the struggling rural communities, consume less, throw away less, breathe deep, see the real beauty in the countryside and enjoy life more. How’s that for a revolution?

The Covered Bridge Capital of the World: Parke County, Indiana

If you yearn for a deep breath of earthy, Midwestern farmland air and a leisurely meander around one of the most photo-op friendly counties in Indiana, take a step back in time and tour the Covered Bridge Capital of the World, also known as Parke County, Indiana.

We had often read about Parke County and their claim on the Covered Bridge Capital in the many web sites that come up when you search for covered bridges, but had not actually made it there, until late last summer. Heading south from a week in Wisconsin, we had a couple of extra days to wander the backroads, so we plunged straight through the freeway ring of Chicago and headed for the heart of Indiana farm country and the much-hyped Parke County and their thirty-some covered bridges. While late August may not be the most ideal time to tour Indiana, we prefer the quiet solitude of summer over the more colorful, but festival-packed, crowded and chaotic October.

Literally, hundreds of thousand sightseers and festival junkies throng to Parke County for the annual Covered Bridge Festival every October, but if you just want to experience the slow-paced, laid-back rural countryside dotted with the most amazing collection of Burr Arch covered bridges in the world, visit in the spring or summer. Driving into Rockville is like a step back in time. The town square harkens from some early 1900’s era with the brick Italianate storefronts housing the usual variety stores, craft and antique shops, the requisite soda shop, a collection of professional offices and the Ritz Theater. The community has embraced the distinction of the Covered Bridge Capital of the World and has visitor centers handy to provide maps and information for the curious. One caution we might provide is that the signage provided to guide one around the several routes to the bridges is severely lacking. It’s as if they assume everyone will simply follow the crowds during the festival. Never-the-less, a wander through the rolling farmland in search of the bridges yields some benefits of its own.

Spending a day driving the tall cornfields, we were able to hide away from the bustle of the outside world and slow down enough to experience the sounds and smells of the country. Just rolling the windows down brings the crunching of the gravel roads, the rustle of cornstalks in the breeze, the singing of grasshoppers and the myriad other country critters, the clatter of hand-hewn timber flooring of the bridges as you drive through and the rich, earthy smells of cultivation and livestock. It’s a sensual, heady experience.

The bridges, stars of the county notoriety, are worth a walking study. The Burr arches, the internal frame of the bridge that carries the weight, were patented in the 1820’s by Theodore Burr. These massive Poplar timbers were steamed and bent to form the distinctive arch structure. The planking was generally White Oak for its strength and durability. During the time when these bridges were originally built, all the work was done by hand, including hand-hewing the beams and fastening all but the main timbers with wooden pegs. The covered bridge itself was devised to shield the floor timbers from the weather and to fool horse teams into thinking they were entering a barn rather than crossing a bridge. There must have been more than one instance of spooked horses giving their drivers a wild ride, due to open bridge crossings, to cause the builders to devise such an elaborate sham. Also, take notice the signs warning of crossing at no more than a walk. It makes you wonder how many bridges collapsed due to teams of horses setting up harmonic vibrations during a lively canter through the bridge. Oh, those crossing hazards!

Two bridges, on either ends of the county are must-sees for the short-of-time visitor. The Bridgeton Bridge and Mill is on the red southern route, if you can manage to follow the markers. The community of Bridgeton was founded in 1818 on the banks of the Big Raccoon Creek. The bridge standing there today is the third in its history, but J. J. Daniels built this one to last. The existing, 247 foot-long bridge has been there since 1868. The Bridgeton Mill, the last family-owned operating grist mill in the county, as been grinding corn meal and flour since 1870. Spend a little time on the banks of the Big Raccoon and you will fill your camera disk with many memorable scenes. Sandwiches are available at the mill, but for a unique, local establishment, try to find the Longhorn Tavern Restaurant, located near the Roseville Bridge at Coxville, between Rosedale and Mecca on CR67. Over great home-cooking, you’ll hear about the career and exploits of Tex Terry, the local guy who became movie cowboy bad-man, with black hat and all, during the Tom Mix and Gene Autry era.

If you are looking for the iconic covered bridge scene, the other must-see is the Narrows Bridge, north of Rockville at the Turkey Run State Park. This bridge, built in 1882, spans the gap in Sugar Creek as it necks down to funnel through massive limestone cut. A stroll down the pathway on the north end of the bridge will take you to the photo-op location. Parke County is rich with experiences, if you take your time to wander. From covered bridges (all 30 or so of them) to roller and grist mills, farm markets to Amish country shops, from festivals to antique shops and from scenic farmland to blue-sky-and-puffy-cloud serenity, the county is worth a day or two for rejuvenating.

Step back in time, wander some gravel roads, experience the joy as you happen upon the covered bridges and take in the feel of the countryside. ]]> http://www.backroadstraveler.com/2008/08/24/covered-bridges-and-a-step-back-in-time/feed/ http://www.backroadstraveler.com/2008/08/24/the-old-broom-basket-shop/ http://www.backroadstraveler.com/2008/08/24/the-old-broom-basket-shop/#comments Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:55:11 +0000 Steve Perry http://www.backroadstraveler.com/wordpress/?p=84

A step back in time. A breath of country air. A lot of hand-crafted workmanship. All that and more is waiting just off the Iowa Interstate. The tour busses have found the Amana Colonies, or Amana, Iowa in particular, but a leisurely tour around the laidback group of communities that hearken back to a different time is a refreshing bit of respite from the expanse of concrete interstate.

Take Iowa Highway 6, like we do, or take I-80 exit 225 onto US151 North, to South Amana. Follow the highway tour through South Amana, West Amana, Middle Amana and on through the tourist riddled Amana and you will find that you are in the midst of a community with a story.

In 1855, a German congregation of believers came to America and settled in this fertile Iowa River valley. Their desire was to form a community away from the influences of the rest of the world and devote themselves to their religious beliefs. Under the leadership of Christian Metz, the colony thrived as a communal society, farming, milling, weaving and sharing all that was produced. The Amana colonies came to own a total of 26,000 acres..

In 1932, economic pressures and a dissatisfaction with the communal way of life resulted in a change to a joint stock corporation and more of a capitalistic community. Small businesses featuring the traditional crafts of the communal era were developed to market products to the outside world.

One of those businesses can be found just outside of the neat, little community of West Amana. The Old Broom and Basket Shop is a treat. In constant operation since before the “Great Change”, as they refer to the change from the communal society to free enterprise, the quaint little shop sells a variety of hand-made broom types and traditional willow baskets, both made from materials grown on the surrounding land. Most days you will find a broommaker at the “kicker” broom winding machine creating one of the fine brooms that are in the shop. We had the privilege of visiting with the man at the machine the day we ventured through. Harry A. Leonhardt, a soft spoken craftsman as well as a decorated veteran, was willing to take the time to guide us through the process and craft of fine broommaking, as well as personally autograph the Household broom we selected. For the short time while we were there in the Old Broom and Basket Shop, it seemed like we were back in the days where time moved a little slower and people had time to create a fine product with their own hands.

If you swing through the Amana colonies, notice the rambling old homes with the grape vine trellises, the fine old barns and out-buildings and the pace of life that takes you back seventy-five years. Also, be sure to stop at the little Broom Shop just outside of West Amana. It’s just a refreshing change from today’s frantic pace.

It’s only fitting that we begin our journey in the glorious Flint Hills of Kansas. This north-south strip of Tallgrass Prairie has been my favorite piece of America for more than forty years. It is seen by most travelers from the Kansas Turnpike (I-35E) between Emporia and El Dorado, at 75 miles an hour, and on K-177 from Cassoday north to Council Grove, part of the designated Flint Hills Scenic Byway. Those sections of highway are scenic and we will write about some of the great features of those drives, but to truly get to know the Flint Hills, you have to drive some gravel roads, stop at the roadside and learn to see the details in the land.

What are the Flint Hills? Why do they look like they do? There are many books and informative articles out there that can do a much better job of explaining the Flint Hills than I can, but drive east on NE 150th Road, on the north edge of Cassoday, about 12.1 miles, and you will come upon a vista that explains a lot about the Hills. You are standing on the leading edge of a plane of limestone that was laid down under an ancient sea. As the forces of the earth’s movement uplifted the limestone, this edge was exposed to the elements. Through the centuries, streams have cut down through the edge of the limestone layer in places creating the valleys that run westward into the hills. The hard, limestone layer lies just under the covering of grasses, resisting, not only the forces of erosion, but the sodbuster’s plow. Attempts to farm these uplands have been fruitless, because of the shallow rock layer. What you see to either side of the road, as it cuts through an outcropping of limestone and drops down to the valley, is part of the largest remnant of Tallgrass Prairie still existing today. Look closely at the grasses. This Bluestem Prairie is a complex mix of hardy grasses, forbs and wildflowers. For eons, this prairie ecosystem has protected and nurtured the many creatures that have called the hills home. From the American Bison to Hereford cattle and all of the visible and not-so-visible inhabitants, this grassland has provided nourishment and a living for many.

Another 7/10th of a mile east and a left turn puts you smack into one of the many oil fields dotting this edge of the Flint Hills. This gravel road, as many in the Flint Hills, may not be passable in wet weather. While not so beautiful to scenery buffs, the oil fields have played an important part in the history of the region. The oil field road you are following will eventually bring you to the top of Texaco Hill, where the vista down the East Branch of Fall River goes forever. Stop by the road, take a short walk to the south point of the hill, feel the wind on your face, listen to the sounds of the prairie, the chunk-chunk-chunk of the oil pumps and experience Texaco Hill. Do remember that you are on private property, though.

Following the road west from Texaco Hill takes you along the ridge top, across open range until it intersects a north-south road. A left here will take you south and then west along Thurman Creek. While the uplands have remained grassland, the valleys throughout the Flint Hills have been and are still being farmed. Relics of field stone fences and stone structures can still be found along these valley roads. As you look at these fences, in particular, think about the time and effort that was invested in clearing the field of stones as they were turned up by the horse-drawn, walk-behind plow, carrying the stones to the road and stacking them in such a way that, over one hundred years later, the fences remain as one of the characteristic features of the region.

Click here to download a Flint Hills Drive Map.