Crossing the Great Plains

GREAT PLAINS - Amid Eastern Colorado's immense flatness a lone abandoned building caught our eyes. A small herd of curious Herefords returned our gaze as we peered through a gaping hole in the wall.

Past uses were obvious. Built of adobe, it looked like it had been a home later converted to a roadhouse. A once elegant bar poked out of a pile of tumbleweeds that had blown in. It didn't take much imagination to picture a happy family living there or a group of merry makers clustered around the bar.

A few other abandoned structures littered the landscape in what once had been a small town. No doubt its residents were filled with hope for the future and enjoyed several prosperous years brought by rain and high grain prices. But the people who packed mud and straw together to create the adobe bricks had no way of knowing that the Great Plains relentless wind and periodic drought would one day blow their dreams away.

Today's Great Plains reveal bust times blended within a modern booming energy and meat economy. The gusts that once blew topsoil to the Atlantic Ocean are now harvested by thousands of giant windmills pumping kilowatts to more densely settled regions. Oil wells bob up and down and farmers have learned how to eke decent wheat, millet, milo, onion, melon, and sunflower crops out of the arid soil. Some Plains towns are booming while others wither. The more prosperous ones feature excellent eateries, coffee shops and museums. And all offer warm hospitality.

North America's vast steppe stretches from Canada to Mexico. Over the centuries it's seen vast herds of bison come and go, Native American cultures rise and fall and farms and business thrive and fail, only to start again. Entire towns were established and vanished while others swelled with modern amenities. Human and natural history abound, making the Great Plains a fascinating place to visit.

To most Americans the Great Plains is an expansive carpet of grass and sagebrush bisected by boring Interstate highways that must be endured before reaching the mountains. A close look reveals that the Plains are far from boring. It has verdant valleys, fascinating geology, rich history and great food and drink. There is so much of interest that a curious traveler might not make it to the mountains.

Most geographers consider the Great Plains the area between the Rocky Mountain Front Range and the 100th Meridian. That's roughly a line stretching from Bismarck, North Dakota, south through Texas. Most motorists consider the Plains the flat land from the Eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma westward to the Mountains. However, large hunks of the 'mountain states” of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana are part of the Great Plains.

The Plains may be mostly flat but they aren't level. Think of a giant pool table sloping uphill toward the Rockies. Drivers constantly climb as they drive west. Kansas City's elevation is 1026 feet above sea level, yet Denver hovers 5883 feet over the ocean. That's a rise of 4857 feet in 603 miles for an average elevation rise of eight feet a mile. That may not seem significant, or even noticeable, to humans but it has enormous impact on plants, animals and the economy. As elevation rises precipitation drops. From east to west trees and crops transition to open grassland and finally sagebrush. Around the 100th Meridian the climate is too dry for most non-irrigated crops and the horizon is studded with cattle converting a sea of grass to beef. Great Plains weather is notoriously fickle but generally features blistering hot summers and cold windy winters. Thunderstorms punctuate summers and occasionally spawn winds that give the region its other name - Tornado Alley.

Unlike many fellow travelers we love the Plains, and even when the mountains are our eventual destination, we plan several extra travel days to explore the wonders of this land of broad horizons and rich history. We prefer visiting in early spring or late fall when the air is gloriously clear and the temperatures mild.

On a recent trip to the mountains we zigzagged across Kansas, Eastern Colorado and New Mexico and enjoyed towering rock formations, a full moon over the most northern Pueblo in North America, a climb to the top of the Kansas Capitol dome, a tarantula migration, antelope, Irish food, succulent steaks and tangy local craft beer.

The long stretch of Interstate 70 across Kansas offers plenty of reasons to tarry. Hurrying is an error. We took the Interstate three quarters of the way across the Sunflower State and found so many tempting sites to visit that our trek took longer than anticipated.

Our best climb didn't happen in the mountains. It was in Topeka. Only a block from the Interstate is the Kansas Capitol building, the only one in the nation that lets visitors climb to an observation deck above the dome. The building is newly renovated and its lower floors feature murals by regionalist artist and Jayhawk (Kansas native) John Steuart Curry, including one of his best known - Tragic Prelude - the magnificent painting of John Brown. We climbed a few stories and found a guide who led us on a free tour that ascended 297 steps up a corkscrew stairway between the inner and outer domes. The Kansas scenery spanned 360 degrees from up top.

The climb deserved dinner and we enjoyed Irish food in the Celtic Fox, a pub within sight of the dome. Topeka is a town to linger in before venturing westward. It has almost exactly the same population as Cedar Rapids and features a wide array of hotels, restaurants, shops and points of interest. Best known is the Brown vs. The Board of Education National Historical Site which interprets the 1954 Supreme Court Decision that ended school segregation.

Westward from Topeka the Interstate passes near great places to visit at least once every 50 or 60 miles. There's the US Cavalry Museum at Fort Riley near Junction City. A few miles west are the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood home in Abilene. The Land Institute, a private agricultural research station, is in Salina. We detoured slightly to view the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria and then scooted into Hays for a delicious meal at Getta's Diner and Brew Pub. Because we planned to camp that night we bought a sample of their dark beer and tucked it into the cooler to enjoy after the day's drive ended. That evening we sipped it at our campsite as a full prairie moon rose over the distant hills.

Tired of interstate driving, we exited I-70 at Oakley, KS, and continued south to a gravel road that led us six miles through a high flat prairie to towering Monument Rocks, a rarely visited but incredible chalk formation. Nearby is Scott State Park, which preserves the ruins of the El Cuartelejo Pueblo. Occupied over 400 years ago, it is the most northern Pueblo ever discovered. Its name means 'far outpost” and it's no secret why people once lived here. Clear spring water gurgles out of a bluff in this otherwise arid land. Today the spring feeds a pleasant lake where visitors enjoy swimming and fishing near the campground.

From the Park we took Kansas Route 96 through the towns of Tribune and Horace in Greeley County, KS, possibly the least populated county in the country. Named for famed editor Horace Greeley, it is just north of The Dust Bowl's epicenter. Modern agriculture enables farmers to successfully grow crops in the dry soil but like many Great Plains counties the human population continues to age and shrink as young people seek opportunities elsewhere.

Just inside Colorado a small sign that read 'Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site” caught our eyes. We pointed our Prius up a six mile gravel road and experienced a spacious and historic, but sad, prairie. In 1864 American soldiers attacked encamped Native Americans who had agreed to peace terms and were flying white flags. When the shooting stopped 165 to 200 Cheyenne and Arapaho people were dead. Two thirds were women, children and the elderly. Another 200 were wounded. Soldiers looted, scalped and mutilated the dead. A ranger told us the National Park Service declared the site a monument in its attempt to accurately portray history, even if it is troubling.

After a few days in the Colorado and New Mexico mountains we looped south and returned to Iowa following the route of the Old Santa Fe Trail, made famous by Kit Carson. We traversed the grasslands of New Mexico, Colorado and Southwest Kansas.

Along a lonely stretch of US 350 we found the abandoned home and roadhouse mentioned earlier in what had once been the town of Tyrone. As we drove north we were amazed to discover occasional giant spiders marching across the road. A ranger later said, 'For most of the year you never see them. They spend their lives mainly in burrows and under rocks, but October is tarantula migration time.”

East of La Junta we walked a short trail to Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site. Restored by the National Park Service it was once a private commercial venture rather than a military fort. Although enclosed in high walls it was the largest trading hub west of Saint Louis - the supermall of its day. Mountain men, Native Americans, adventure seekers, buffalo hunters, and others stopped in to trade, eat a square meal, party and catch up on news.

At the Fort we stepped back into the 1830s and 1840s and watched craftsmen repair wooden wagon wheels and cut firewood. Later we wandered through living, storage, dining and trade areas of the once vibrant fort.

Some of the Plain's appeal tends toward Kitsch. Towns promote the gunmen, thieves, buffalo hunters, mountain men and rogues of yore and transform them into modern tourist attractions. Dodge City is a shining example. Visitors can see Boot Hill, experience simulated shootouts, and basically enjoy an old West fantasy. How much the truth has been embellished is unknown, but it's fun, especially for youngsters.

Unlike many small Plains towns Dodge and nearby Garden City are booming as windmills, oil wells, and cattle feedlots sprout on the prairie sending energy and some of the world's best steaks to market.

Although our trip crossed Kansas on Interstate 70 Iowa drivers crossing the Plains on Interstates 40, 80, 90, and 94 experience the same changes in elevation and vegetation. Each road is studded with places of fascinating cultural and natural history. Before leaving on a trip, we study state road maps, which often show places of interest to stop. But, we've found that the best way to discover kitsch is to watch for billboards.

As we drove eastward from Dodge City toward Cedar Rapids the elevation dropped, trees increased and soon we enjoyed the familiar scenery of the well watered Midwest, rather than the dusty plains. Although we enjoyed time in the mountains our round trip trek across the Great Plains was a trip highlight, and we were glad we enjoyed its beauty, history and delicious food.

Many Great Plains, mountain, and desert attractions are owned by Federal Agencies, normally the US Forest Service, National Park Service, or Bureau of Land Management. Most have entry and camping fees but any American aged 62 or over can buy a Senior Pass for $10. It allows free entry into fee areas and half price on campground rentals. Buy it once and it's good for life. Our pass saved us over $100 on the recent trip.

For more information:

' Topeka Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.VisitTopeka.com, 1-(800) 235-1030

' Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.visitdodgecity.org

' U.S. Cavalry Museum, (785) 239-2737

' Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, Eisenhower.library@nara.gov

' Scott State Park, (620) 872-2061

' Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, www.nps.gov/sand, (719) 729-3003

' Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, (719) 383-5010, www.nps.gov/beol

' Colorado: www.colorado.com

' Kansas: www.TravelKS.com

' Nebraska: www.visitnebraska.org

' New Mexico: www.newmexico.org

' South Dakota: www.travelsd.com