Home on the Range

The beginning of our Flint Hills Journey

As my blog posts states, I have a passion for those things simple and genuine, which is why I love that I'm a Midwestern girl through and through - you don't find the kinds of people and experiences you find in the Midwest anywhere else in the world. I have long been a huge fan of the Flint Hills - the largest remaining tract of tallgrass prairie and one of America's truly unique places. Flat? No. These rolling hills are unique in the way they smoothly transition from one ridge to the other and seem to meet the sky like heaven meets earth. And so, it was on this day that I took off on an adventure I've been wanting to try for years - to listen to the Kansas City Symphony playing on a Flint Hills' rancher's land. Down a long track of dusty road, but opening to a vista that was incomparable.

On our way, we decided to stop and have lunch in Council Grove at the Hayes House - the oldest operating restaurant west of the Mississippi. We knew it was going to be a long day, so I decided to start it off with a little Kansas beef in my belly.

The end of the road

At the end of the long dusty road, we come to a parking lot, where from there, it's a 40 minute walk among wildflowers to the spot where the symphony has been set up to play. A stark contrast to see white tents dotting this green (thanks to all of our recent rains) landscape.

Our crew

Four of us piled into my convertible (which we weren't able to use on the way due to Mother Nature getting the rain out of her system on our way down). You come comfortable and pretend like you're camping....big hats, sunblock and bug spray.

The special guest

An extra special treat this year was Lyle Lovett joining the Symphony for a few songs and to talk about his passion for this area. His favorite quote of mine (from a poem I believe): "Nowhere can we find a closer correlation of landscape and character than in the Plains states." The sky is so big in the Flint Hills with no mountains or trees to block the view that is becomes a huge part of the landscape. There is nothing more special than listening to the symphony as dusk falls, watching cowboys move large herds of cattle behind the stage and across the gently rolling hills. It was a pure feeling of peace and contentment for me. Derek was lucky enough to introduce himself to Mr. Lovett who posed for the picture (no labels needed I'm sure - talk about a unique look!).

One angle of the stage and audience

Overall, 5000 people attended the event, and with the exception of long lines for drinks (it was a warm and muggy day) and an impatient wait to exit the parking lot, we were very lucky with the weather, food and company (and no bugs or chiggers was a huge bonus!)

Cottonwood Falls

On our way back to Emporia where we were bunking for the night, we stopped at a friend of Brenda's - the Revare's - and were able to continue our sightseeing. This is an ambient shot of their home - a converted church at night. Their renovation was breathtaking.

Inside the old Cottonwood Falls church

The inside was spectacular, with a large living space shot from an upstairs loft area that contained additional bedrooms. And after drinking boxed wine during the day, it was nice to have a chilled and refined glass of vino.

The back deck by lightning light

Instead of enjoying the back deck by moonlight, we instead watched the lightning in the distance as Mother Nature decided to continue with her fireworks. It was a long day of good friends, beautiful vistas and a really good night's sleep. I'll be back.