The Geologic Wonders of Kansas: Post Rock Scenic Byway

Ashlar | ashˈ lər | (noun) Hewn or cut stone. As we wrapped up our delightful stop in Lucas, we had come to realize that art was simply everywhere in this little Kansas town ~ from back yards to public restrooms to telephone poles ~ even ‘neath Lake Wilson. It was accessible art, art that

Lucas Kansas Grassroots Art

Meraki | may rahˈ kee | (adjective) Greek word used to describe doing something with soul, creativity or love. Putting something of yourself into what you are doing. Our folk art inspired tour of Lucas continued with stops at the Grassroots Art Center and Switchgrass Artist Cooperative. We started at Switchgrass, which is an eclectic

Rocktown Trail and Wilson Lake

Amenable | əˈmēn ə bəl | (adjective) Open and responsive to suggestions. As we continued our exploration of roadside attractions in Lucas, Kansas, it looked like we were going to have to adjust our loose itinerary right off the bat. Although I was disappointed that the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of

Roadside Attraction Mecca: Lucas, Kansas

Outré | o͞oˈtrā | (adjective) Unusual and startling. I’m going to briefly diverge from our “Geologic Wonders of Kansas” theme and spend a little time on some man-made wonders. As a big fan of roadside attractions, folk art and weird things, I have wanted to visit Lucas, Kansas, for decades. Whenever we passed it on

The Geologic Wonders of Kansas: Little Jerusalem Badlands ~ Social Isolation at Sunset

Lithogenesis | lith·o·gen·e·sis | (noun) The formation of sedimentary rock. Continuing our exploration of the geologic wonders of western Kansas, we peeled away from the sunset “crowds” gathered around the keyhole at the Chalk Pyramids and headed a short distance further west to Little Jerusalem Badlands. We expected to see a few more sunset seekers

The Geologic Wonders of Kansas: Chalk Pyramids in the Golden Light

Coccolith | ˈkäkəˌliTH | (noun) A minute rounded calcareous platelet, numbers of which form the spherical shells of coccolithophores. After visiting Castle Rock, the next stop on our “Geologic Wonders of Kansas” tour was the famed Chalk Pyramids and Monument Rocks, just a little further west. Since our goal was to get off I-70 as

The Geologic Wonders of Kansas: A Rocky Start

Litholatry | Lithol´atry | (noun) (Greek) The worship of a stone or stones. As we headed west from Kansas City across I-70, the landscape was typical Kansas — flat as far as the eye can see. I don’t know what I expected when we turned south at Collyer, but maybe it’s that unrelenting flatness that

Silent Night

Coruscate | kȯrˈ-ə-ˌskāt’ | (verb) To give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes; sparkle. We chose Wakeeney as our first overnight stop on our west/central Kansas road trip based entirely on geography. It was the nearest town of any size to the famed Castle Rock and Kansas Badlands, which we planned to