Across the Great Plains

On Sunday, after leaving Pueblo, we drove up toward Colorado Springs to catch US-70. Eventually driving east towards Kansas, the dramatic rugged landscapes disappeared, turning gradually to soft rolling hills beyond the Continental Divide, still snow packed.   By the time we crossed the border into Kansas, the land was relatively flat.  There was mostly one wheat-colored farm after another, with occasional clusters of trees., including now and again some that were blooming a fabulous purple that made up for the monotony of the rest.  At least for Susie.  It was sunny and warm (in the 70s) which was nice and kept us moving.  

 The State of Kansas welcomes visitors with a fancy visitors center and free coffee and maps.  They even let dogs in the visitors center, trying hard to push attractions and court tourists but there just is not much there if you are not into Eisenhower or John Deere.  We stopped for the night in Hays, were we found the typical

 unsightly tangle of motel and chain fast-food signs near the highway exit.   However we did make it to Al's Chickenette, a local hole-in-the-wall just down the road, that we read about in one of our "drive USA" books.  The fried chicken lived up to the recommendation.

The next day we stopped in Abilene, KS, which we learned was where all that warring between the farmers and the cattle ranchers occurred.  The stuff of old westerns.  We had lunch at the Kirby House (see picture of red mansion) and took a tour of the Seelye house (see picture of white mansion), built with the money of one of the inventors of patent medicine (dear to Ron's heart)  on the main street which was filled with cattle being driven to market when it first went up.  By this time it was raining, and we drove on east to Kansas City to Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue to check out the famous local cuisine.  In Utah we went from national park to national park.  Here in the plains we seem to be going from restaurant to restaurant.  Spending the night in Kansas City MO, then on East.