Home Sweet Home
After having a good hardy breakfast and saying our goodbyes to Warren and Bev, we started our journey back home. Driving through the mountains in Colorado, flattening out onto the plains of Kansas and ending with the rolling hills of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. As we drove through the very flat plains of Kansas we decided to stop at Monument Rocks Landmark just for a short break from driving. Now Kansas is flat, very flat and there really isn’t much to see, so when we were traveling towards the rock formations we were hoping they weren’t just a hoax. To get to Monument Rocks we had to drive through a small town called Oakley, which consisted of many small buildings, streets, houses and a motel called Annie Oakley Motel that had color TV’s, Direct telephones and a vending machine. Sounds like highlights of the past. Certainly a very up-to-date place if you ask me! Anyhow, after meandering our way out of town we drove for about 15 miles down the road with flat fields on either side of us and then came to a sign pointing down a dirt road that said Monument Rocks Landmark. After two more dirt roads, several turns and some random cows along the way we finally arrived at Monument Rocks.
The rocks were quite amazing, but I think what was even more amazing was that they were literally in the middle of nowhere! That is what makes them extremely unique, as well as the fact that we were the only ones there(We definitely didn’t have to worry about finding a parking spot…). I would like to go back there someday and spend some more time capturing their natural beauty. They truly were unique in a lot of ways and indeed worth seeing if you’re driving through Kansas.
After peaking around each rock and exploring the area, we turned on our heels and(as a good friend of ours says) ran like scared girls(or rather traveled back towards civilization). After being on the highway for about two hours it started to rain and non-stop rain until 6am as we travelled into the next morning. We had high winds that were trying to blow us off the road through the entire state of Kansas and in the evening came the torrential rains with 2 inches of water on the roads. It was quite the adventurous ride! Nothing like going 35 mph on the highway with rain coming down so hard your windshield wipers can’t keep up. After a long night(early morning) of slow driving, a few gas stops and traveling through Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois, we finally made it to the outskirts of Chicago where the rain let up. From there it was pretty smooth traveling with spurts of on/off rain but nothing too serious.
Traveling 4,700 miles, being away for almost three weeks and experiencing a journey of a lifetime, we finally arrived home. It never felt so good to be home with the rest of the family and to finally relax after a long drive. There truly is no place like home!(Dorothy and Toto would agree)
