The Flint Hills

Last weekend we drove up to the community of Olpe (in Kansas) to meet a niece and her family at the local restaurant there. Our son and daughter in law, along with granddaughter drove down from Emporia to meet us there, too, and we went on to their home after lunch for a few hours to visit.
We drove through the Flint Hills to get there. No, we didn’t take the Kansas Turnpike through the Flint Hills. We went to El Dorado and caught Highway 177 east of there and took it up through Cassiday and on to Matfield Green.
At Matfield Green, we turned off and headed out of town on a dirt road that went into the heart of the hills. The road winds, turns, and has few side roads off of it. One really can’t get very lost, because if one encounters an intersection (an oddity there), just take the most well-traveled road and it will be the right one.
The road goes through some of the most breath-taking scenery in Kansas and is truly a delight. For almost 10 miles, the road travels through open range, meaning there are no fences to keep cattle off the road. Several cattle guards keep herds in certain sections of the pastures, but one always needs to be on the lookout for cattle on the road.
We forded several streams that were spring-fed and had fish in them (no bridges out there) and even saw a bobcat mama and two kittens along the side of the road. They scampered into the brush quickly, but not before we got a pretty good look at them. Of course, the cattle were everywhere.
One place a few miles east of Matfield Green has a little path that goes to the top of a rise. Take that little path and a whole world of hills, grass, and beauty wait at the top. Don’t linger too long, though, because you’re not on the public road any more.
One family had stopped and was playing in a stream. We saw one or two other vehicles, but that was about it for people. We saw a few ranches and several signs that talked of private roads or drives. Of course, one must respect those signs or be faced with someone who might not ask questions until after the shooting is over!
Honestly, though, most of those folks are good and decent folks who just want the peace and quiet of the hills. They don’t want (or need) tourists sallying in on them at all hours.
If you go, look first at a map. Google Maps offers a rather accurate map of that area. Know where you’re going, plan to take some time, and enjoy a little of what Kansas has to offer in that area. You’ll never regret it.