backyard beauty

Today at two my mom, dad and I piled into my car and left for western Kansas; specifically Plains, Kansas.  Plains is about four hours away if you take 160 from Wellington, but it's a bit shorter if you take 45 out through Pratt, but I decided to take 160 out for the scenery; and let me tell you I'm happy I did.

Here would be where I would put several photos of the beautiful scenery that we saw as we went up and down the numerous hills; but I was the one driving and as talented as I am, I can't drive highway speeds on a hilly road and take decent photographs will out seriously screwing something up.

Anyway, I was a little hesitant about my decision of taking 160 out here because of the lack of towns.  Since I had my hip replaced, they told me that I need to get up and walk at least every hour, including car rides so I wouldn't get extremely stiff in the hip to the point where I couldn't walk. But eventually I made the decision to take 160 out mainly because I had never driven that way before and sooner or later I'd have to get used to driving new places by myself, so I might as well get a little jump on it now and put my poor directional skills to the test.

Once we passed through Medicine Lodge and got about ten to twenty minutes out we hit what the state has called the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway.  Let me tell you, it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in Kansas.  And what surprised me the most was the fact that I don't remember much of the Gyp Hills from when I was younger when we'd drive out that way at least once a year.

The Gypsum Hills, which are normally referred to as Gyp Hills and the Red Hills, are located in central Kansas just north of the Oklahoma state line.  Traveling 160 it seems like someone just plopped down the road on top the hills and everything. I found it almost difficult to stay focused on the winding road and going up and down all the hills at over 65 mph and not stare off to look at the rolling hills, mesas and canyons that make up the Gyp Hills.  I tried stopping at each of the scenic outlooks and historical markers to "stretch " and "walk my hip" but my parents saw through that and knew I just wanted to bask in Kansas' beauty and made me keep on driving.

There really aren't words to describe the Gyp Hills, even if I could find the right adequate words it wouldn't be enough to express how beautiful they are.  Even the photos that I found of the Gyp Hills do it justice.  It's one of those things that you just have to see for yourself.