Sunflowers and Stones

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Off the well-worn highways of Kansas lies a beauty that most travelers may not get to experience. For some, Kansas is just a place to drive through to reach other destinations. Those who take the time and are willing to tread off the beaten path will find an experience that is more enduring than the usual tourist spots. The real treasures are made by nature, not man. Some have taken millions of years to sculpt into the alluring landscapes that take a willingness to leave the paved roads to procure the awe that will inspire you.

Among the treasures of Kansas are Monument Rocks and the area around Castle Rock. Both geological features were formed from Niobrara chalk millions of years ago when an inland sea covered the area.

The landscape of both places is a transition from the fertile grassland prairies of Central Kansas to the barren deserts you expect to see out West. This was my first time to ramble among the yucca plants and cactus, looking for new and interesting pictures to take. It was also the first time that I saw a pronghorn deer running unhindered by the cages and fences of zoos. There seemed to be a sense of ennoblement as the deer dashed out into the wide-open countryside. After a moment, it stopped and stood there watching me, with a sense of freedom about it that was inspiring. After a few moments, the deer turned and slowly walked beyond where my eyes could see. The waves of heat rose from the ground, obscuring the deer and blending plant and animal into the same illusion.

The slightest draft found its way through the towering stones, catching the dust on the edges of the protruding rock. A few insects were waking up to the late morning warmth to begin their daily routines. To the south, The Eye of the Needle opened before me leading around to the back of the “fortress” of pale yellow and white rock. The sheer walls drove nearly straight up and it was clear to see the ages that this stone has persevered. It was strange that the entire land around these stones was nearly flat or with gently sloping hills and then here, in the middle of nowhere were these stones, wore down over the years yet still standing majestically above the land.

A couple of hours away is another monument that has withstood the test of time. Castle Rock is much smaller but is still interesting to see, but the badlands area just south of there offers much more in the way of exploring. The badlands are small enough that you are not going to get lost while still being large enough to be fun to explore. The nooks and crannies that have been weathered down show how water has flowed through the stone. There are a few places where a column of stone has fallen over and created small tunnels to the deeper parts of the crevices and caverns. Yucca plants littered the paths leading further into the rocks. I even managed to be stuck in the leg by one.

These monuments of time were used by Native Americans as well as early settlers as landmarks to help guide them to their destinations. For me, it is as much the history that has taken place in the area that makes it fascinating and worth spending time there. I can only speculate as to the lives that had traveled through this area seeking fame and fortune or just a better life for themselves and their families. How many actually succeeded? How many had failed? While standing there with the breeze wrapping me in the aura of antiquity, it was difficult not to discern the eyes of the past upon me. In the faintest sound, partially hidden behind the sound of the wind, the echo of hooves clopping on the hardened dirt would fade away through the walls of the badlands. It was both uplifting and saddening at the same time.

Castle Rock itself sits away from the badlands, three towers reaching into the sky while a forth, shorter section makes for the body of the castle. It is an odd sight indeed to see the Castle standing on its own with naught another similar formation nearby. The late afternoon sun was casting shadows from the spires that looked like daggers slowly creeping across the ground and it was time to leave this place.

There were still a few hours of driving and it was getting late so we departed Castle Rock filled with a satisfaction that we had been to a special place and explored to our hearts content. As the miles fell behind us, I was already beginning to miss being a part of those places. I knew that one day I would be returning to the land of sunflowers and stones. A sense of awe presented itself to us in a manner that we will not soon forget, and even though many pictures were taken, it does not do justice to the stones that withstand time and the forces of nature.
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