Driving, driving, driving

We have moved across the rolling hills of Missouri to the gentle hills of eastern Kansas and the plains of western Kansas to the Colorado high plains and finally, the Rockies, 2,143 miles into our journey, we have come to the area we most wanted to explore. Some places will be new to us, others, more familiar.

Some impressions of our drive so far: 

Not sure what the Kansas DOT is doing in and around Kansas City, but the I70 detour around construction is crazy. It would have been helpful if the signage was more complete. In some places, we were left wondering where we were supposed to go. There nothing quite like driving a 28 foot beast and towing a small car in a 4-6 lane construction area where the roads all intersect. In one area, we got onto one road, only to have to cross 4 lanes of traffic to make a left exit. Big kudos to Ray for keeping it together here.

Most people believe that Kansas is the flattest state in the US. Drive across the state, and you will see that is not at all the case. The eastern third of Kansas is a mesmerizing scene of blue sky meeting mostly treeless  green rolling hills bisected by the road. We didn't stop there, but we have visited the Flint Hills and Tall Grass Prairie, and have come to really love this landscape. Most people think Kansas is the flattest state in the nation. In fact, it is the 28th flattest state in the US, gradually rising 3400 feet in elevation from east to west. 

We stayed at a KOA in western Kansas. The campground wasn't far from I70, but far enough away that you really couldn't hear road noise. It was a really peaceful spot. We were preparing to leave in the morning, when I saw the proprietor walk from the office towards a clearing with a flagpole. He was carrying a folded US flag, and proceeded to raise the flag. I was moved by this simple gesture on this gorgeous morning. In these crazy times, it seemed like an important thing.

The entrance to Colorado on I70 is not what most people think of when they imagine Colorado. The Colorado high plains greet you there. If there wasn't a sign there, you'd be hard pressed to know where Kansas ends and Colorado begins. But Colorado has an incredibly diverse land structure: alpine mountains, high plains, deserts with huge sand dunes, and deep canyons. It's always a cool feeling after having driven the eastern third of Colorado, to spot the "purple mountains majesty" rising in the distance

We drove through Glenwood Canyon, an area that was the site of the Grizzly Creek wildfire just a few weeks ago, and has burned over 32,000 acres. We saw evidence of the fire on scorched bridges and road decking and brush and trees by the side of the road. The road is normally split into east and westbound decks. All traffic now travels on the eastbound deck as repairs are accomplished.

Tomorrow we head to the less visited north rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison.