The Great (American) Plains

Most people dread driving across the Great Plains states because they seem boring. Monotonous scenery, a lulling, drab, sameness of flat plains. Since I choose to drive instead of fly to my ultimate destinations, I decided to find enjoyable aspects of the Great Plains. Here are some pictures from Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, and part of Colorado. (click on photos to see larger image.)

This is sorghum, a common feed crop seen throughout the plains

Ahh, more sorghum

Yeah, there are miles and miles of not much

But the high plains on the Wyoming - Nebraska border offer a glimpse of the mountains to come
Wyoming has some high plains suitable for cattle grazing.
The thistles in the foreground provide a little color break in this plains photo.

And every so often you are rewarded with some delicate wildflowers in a harsh environment. These are primroses that were flourishing at temperatures that bordered on freezing.

This blazing star only opens up in the evening

Fenced in prairie land in the panhandle of Nebraska used for cattle grazing.
No shot of Nebraska (and northeastern Colorado) would be complete without a photo of corn fields (with wildflowers in the foreground.)
This massive field (1000's of acres) of sunflowers is in Kansas, though I saw similar fields in South Dakota.
Here are some South Dakota sunflowers

Russell Kansas is truly a dreary small town in the middle of nowhere. It has two grain elevators and a water tower in the picture which makes it bigger than many of it's counterparts in the western region of Kansas. The motel room was one of the worst I've stayed in during my travels, yet this little town produced two native sons who became long-tenured US Senators, one of whom ran for president (Bob Dole and Arlen Spector)
An abandoned homestead in Kansas. A somber sight, and ironic since the home is of well-hewn stone. Please click on the photo so you can see the modern wind turbine on the horizon midway in the photo (to the right of the traditional wind mill) that is trying to use the most basic and predominant resource of the plains, wind.