Sunday, October 30, 2011

Monument Rock, Kansas

Just south of Oakley, Kansas is a very unusual piece of sandstone called Monument Rock.

From Wikipedia

Monument Rocks (also Chalk Pyramids) are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas, rich in fossils. It is a National Natural Landmark. It was the first landmark chosen by the US Department of the Interior as a national natural landmark. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft. and include formations such a buttes and arches. They were formed 80 million years ago.

On January 29, 2008, Monument Rocks and Castle Rock were jointly named as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.

 

This may be one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas, but the signage was terrible and the road was just like a Saskatchewan gravel side road.

Some photos:

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PA300120PA300124PA300139PA300145PA300195PA301877

On the way we saw a new crop that we have never seen before. They seem to plant this crop where the irrigation does NOT reach.

PA300180

This is sorghum, or as the locals call it Milo.

One species, Sorghum bicolor,[1] is an important world crop, used for food (as grain and in sorghum syrup or "sorghum molasses"), fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, as well as biofuels. Most varieties are drought and heat tolerant, and are especially important in arid regions, where the grain is staple or one of the staples for poor and rural people. They form an important component of pastures in many tropical regions. Sorghum is an important food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia and is the "fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world"

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