We spent the night at the Goodland, KS KOA. The folks that run this KOA are from Poland and very nice people. They keep the facility sparkling clean and even served breakfast that morning.
Chris is not normally an early riser so I had a tough time getting him out of his bunk this morning.
On our way out of town we had to stop and check out one of the largest paintings I have ever seen. It’s a reproduction of Van Gogh’s “3 Sunflowers In A Vase” and was painted by Cameron Cross in 1996. The painting sits on an 80 foot tall easel and is quite an oddity.
We then headed east out of Goodland across I-70. Some people think I-70 is just a long boring ride across Kansas, but those are the people that travel with their eyes closed.
There is more to I-70 than meets the eye you just have to look around a little to see it.
We turned off of I-70 at the hwy 83 exit and headed towards Monument Rocks which is only a few miles down the road. You will have to do some gravel road riding to get there but that’s half the fun.
Beware of road hazards along the way like this one. Chris flogged the throttle a few times and they scattered clearing the way for us to get through.
We finally arrived at our destination and what a site it was! This area looked like something right out of an old western movie.
During the Cretaceous period this area was a shallow sea so its not surprising that these formations are rich with fossils.
According to the Natural Kansas Organization these chalk bluffs were carved by the Smokey Hills River which once flowed mightily through this area.
Rain and wind are slowly eroding these awesome structures. There is evidence of this at the base of the rocks where chalk has built up on the ground.
You can ride right up to and around there structures. However most of this area is private land so treading lightly is a must to ensure that this area stays open to public viewing.
The “Key Hole” is an interesting part of Monument Rocks and is a great place to take creative photos from.
Other interesting photo opportunities…
We had a great time in western Kansas. There was a lot more to see but we needed to get back home. Bad weather was expected in the Kansas City, MO area that night so we started our 400 mile trek back towards KC.
