Sunset over Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park in Logan County, Kansas.
In part one of our road trip series, we explore a place that combines beautiful landscapes, folk art and a whole lot of personality: central Kansas.
While it may not be first in mind when you think of a road trip destination, the key to a good Kansas adventure is to get off the beaten track and by track, we mean I-70. The straight shot west makes the whole state seem like an endless track of asphalt and billboards, but that’s hardly the case.
Travel by state routes and back roads to get closer to the scenery. By moving at a slightly slower pace, you can better appreciate the changing environment on your journey.
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Willie Mays celebrates his 90th birthday on Thursday. He is the oldest living Hall of Famer now. But he is so much more than that.
Willie Mays is the greatest all-around player who ever lived, whose legendary career started at the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants in 1951. It means that for so many lifelong fans, he is the greatest player they never really saw. Even for the ones who did see him at his best, in the 1950s and ’60s, in New York and San Francisco, they go mostly on memories now, ones that No. 24 burned into their imagination forever.
April 9, 2021
The mystery pitcher began appearing in my morning box scores during the second half of September 1980. Sometimes he was Valenzuela, others Valenzla, but every time I looked, he had zeroes next to his name. I couldn’t find him in my baseball card set, my
Street & Smith’s Official Yearbook 1980, or my
Complete Handbook of Baseball 1980. All I knew was that suddenly he was one of the Dodgers’ most reliable relievers, a rookie thrown into the fire of a three-way NL West race between the Dodgers, Astros, and Reds.
What I didn’t know was that just over six months later, everybody who was anybody would know the name Fernando Valenzuela and the trail of zeroes he left in his wake. Fernandomania was coming.
A chalky rock face juts 50 feet up from the plains like a rebel sprout. What formed as ocean floor millions of years ago evolved into a prairie anomaly for drive-by Instagrams and road-trip picnics. Just respect the roaming cattle sharing the private property with Monument Rocks (and photobombing your shots).
When it comes to public land, Kansas claims less than any other state. There s barbed wire at every turn, and the land is 98 percent privately owned, says George Frazier, author of
The Last Wild Places of Kansas. But, he adds, rugged pockets are scattered across the state like Easter eggs. Wonder infuses these rare rocky marvels as they contrast with open flatland. Many land trusts and ranchers recognize the value of the formations and welcome the public to sites such as Monument Rocks. See for yourself by venturing slightly off Interstate-70 on your next drive across Kansas.