Salina to Oakley, Kansas

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Geo: 39.1333, -100.863

Magge mewed a little about 3:00 a.m. which was when Mom would feed the cats at home. I called her to the bed, and she settled down. Got up about 7:15 a.m. and noticed when I loaded up the car that it had rained during the night. While heading to Oakley, a rainbow appeared in the distance. The clouds looked like they were going to clear up, but by the time I had reached Oakley a light misty rain had fallen 3 different times. Magge found a new spot to hang out, too. After getting gas, I headed to Monument Rocks. To get there I had take US Hwy 83 south at the Oakley exit from I-70, driving south 20 miles, I had to turn east onto gravel road at the sign, go 4 miles, then 2 miles south from the "T" intersection. Roads to this site were good, but once you leave Hwy 83, the roads are dirt (some areas muddy due to the rain). Monument Rocks is the first natural landmark chosen by the US Dept. of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark. This landmark in on private land and the owners are generous to share this site with the public. Erosion has carved these chalk and limestone formations, which originally formed 80 million years ago from what was once the floor of a vast inland sea. They stretch to 70 feet in height. I was the only person for miles around. I called Dad on the cell (had surprisingly great reception out there!) just so I could share what I was seeing and to have someone knowing where I was in case of an accident. The place was very interesting. One could walk right up to the towers and touch them. The various layers of deposits were easy to see. After about 20 minutes I headed back to Oakley and I-70. I could have spent another 20-30 minutes exploring, but my cell phone was dying so I had to leave. I drove into Oakley (population 2,400) to mail a letter. I was still on the outer edges of the town, when I pulled into a small gas station. I asked a teenage boy who was pumping gas if he was from there. He said he was so I asked if the town has a post office, and if so, where was it located. For someone being born in a town of 2,400, he was very vague about where it was. I got 3 different possible locations of where the post office was. I thanked him after the 3rd try, and followed a sign I saw while he was trying to remember that pointed the direction to the business section of town. The post office was two blocks away. I mailed the letter, took some pics of the town, and headed to I-70.

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