U.S. Route 36 is my favorite road in Kansas. This section in the central part of the state typifies the view from behind the handlebars. Photos by the author.
Kansas is sometimes thought of as part of the ?fly-over zone,? a place that doesn?t matter much in the bigger scheme of things. I knew this perception to be inaccurate, at least on the east side of the state where I?d ridden extensively. But did it apply in the west" To find out, I saddled up my trusty Suzuki V-Strom and headed southwest out of Kansas City on Interstate 35.
Energy production is a major activity across Kansas. Oil rigs, such as this one outside of Hutchinson, dot fields and pastures.
The freeway becomes a toll road at Emporia, as good a reason as any to exit. There, U.S. Route 50 separates and rolls into the heart of the Flint Hills, a 50-mile-wide swath of flint, limestone and shale topped by fertile soil that runs from northern Kansas to Oklahoma. The 10,894-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve represents a tiny fraction of the 256 million acres of grassland that once covered North America. One hundred and fifty years ago, Native Americans roamed the prairies and bison were the dominant herbivore. Today, most is in the hands of cattle ranchers managing a herd more than six million strong. Cows outnumber Kansans two to one. At some point in the distant past, a submarine would have been necessary to visit Monument Rocks. Nowadays, a motorcycle works just fine.
Riding south on Kansas State High...