It's sunflower season in the Flint Hills

[Neecy]

I live in SE Kansas, just north of the KS/OK border. Since I don't know how many of you had the chance to visit the southern Flint Hills over the summer, I'll share some photos now that the sunflowers have finally started to bloom.









It's really a beautiful part of the state, if a bit remote.

[hfojvt]

1. it's not that remote

not from Wichita or Pittsburg. One day in 2006 after attending a rally for Boyda in Topeka I drove all the way down to Independence and then back home. It wasn't as long a trip as my trip to Hays. On the map it looks almost equally distant from here to Independence as it does from here to Salina. Liberal and Ulysses, now those places are remote.

I wasn't sure if Liberal was in the Flint Hills, but it seems to be more Coffeyville and Independence. This site even includes my town! http://kansasflinthills.travel/

[Neecy]

2. I'm in Chautauqua County

The population of the entire county is under 3,000 people. We're probably outnumbered by the cows. It's remote as far as population more than anything else.

I drove to Wichita last week and saw (I think) our stimulus dollars at work - every rural highway in every direction out of Arkansas City was under road construction and it made the trip insufferably long. I took 400 back and made it in a little over 90 minutes.

[hfojvt]

4. We have a Chautauqua County?

That is so cool, and I did not know that. I am thinking it is just outside the 2nd district, otherwise I should have remembered it. We had a chautauqua in my home town one year and my mom was all excited about it. I wondered 'what the heck is a chautauqua?' and thought that was a funny name. Probably not to my mom though, who is from upstate New York.

I was gonna say that Hamilton County is more isolated, but they are not that far from Garden City and that is a decent sized city in my view.

[Neecy]

5. I'm in the 4th CD

Lucky me, I have the knuckle-dragging Tiahrt as my Congresscritter. The only good thing I can say about him is that his staff is very responsive, even if you disagree with him on everything (as I do). I received a phone call from his DC office the last time I wrote him, which is more than I ever got from Dennis Moore.

It's a cool little county. There isn't much flat land here so most of the economy revolves around ranching.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I was down there about a month ago

The sunflowers were gorgeous then. I'm sure they are fabulous now.

[mwdem]

6. Head out the Old Santa Fe Trail (56 highway)

towards the Flint Hills. Before you get there, there's a whole field of huge sunflowers (I hope it's still there). It's off of S. Stanley Rd., and there's a whole covered wagon train sculpture on the hill overlooking the field. I remember the name of the road, because it's my first name initial, and my maiden name.

On edit...I do miss Kansas, even though I'm an Eastern girl!