Beautiful Kansas: Wilson Lake, conclusion

Another reason I will have a special place in my heart for Wilson Lake is because it was here I took what became my first published photo (above) which appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of Kansas Magazine.

Here are some other photos from visits I've made to Wilson Lake which have been candidates for publication in the official travel magazine for my home state.

It's a shame the magazine underwent an unfortunate makeover which has resulted in less room for photography, because of its smaller format on cheaper paper.

Most unforgiveable of all, the magazine is no longer made by Kansans in Kansas. Instead, it is now a sister publication to Better Homes & Gardens and part of the Midwest Living stable in Des Moines, Iowa.

In 2005, the last full year the magazine was produced in house by the Kansas Department of Commerce, the budget was $288,000. This money went to journalists, editors, designers and publishers in Kansas.

When the decision was made to sell the franchise to Midwest Living, it came to light that Kansas taxpayers would have to pay $62,000 more each year so a faceless team 250 miles in Iowa could churn out a cheap knockoff. Instead of being a lovely keepsake which subscribers took pride in collecting, the magazine looks more like an inflight magazine for cattle class passengers.

All this was announced while the editor for the magazine was still recuperating from a cycling accident which had put her in a coma for days.

UPDATE I'm pleased to report the production of Kansas Magazine has returned to the state and is now printed by Sunflower Publishing of Lawrence. It has also returned to its former glory in terms of its size and the quality of paper used; I highly recommend you take out a subscription! Find out more here.

Beautiful Kansas: Wilson Lake, continued

South Shore Drive along Wilson Lake is without doubt the most dramatic road in Kansas. It swoops along the hilltops, dives into wooded draws and offers eye-straining vistas.

Along most of the route you will see only one or two inhabited houses and maybe pass one other driver.

However, there are old stone farmsteads, creaking windmills and limestone fence posts keeping you company all the way.

South Shore Drive takes you through a landscape that might remind you of the foothills of Colorado or the mesas of New Mexico.

Just check out the towering spikes on this yucca...

...or this sun-bleached skull abandoned on the sand dunes.


The road is not paved all the way but it's well worth slowing down a spell and enjoying the scenery. If you're passing through on I-70 you should take at least an hour to make the detour.

Take the Bunker Hill exit, number 193 and head north for two miles. At the junction with Balta Road, take a right and head straight east for a mile to the T in the road. Bear left here and continue northeast awhile, then bear right at the Y in the road. On Google Maps this road is called 15th Street Road, but everyone knows it as South Shore Drive.

A high level bridge takes the road over the lake itself. Depending on the time of day and season, you will hear the joyful chattering from the hundreds of swallows which have turned the underside of the bridge into a bird colony.

When the road reaches State Highway 232, going right takes you straight to exit 206 of I-70. If this small taste of the great Kansas outdoors has made an impression on you, turn left instead and make your way to the Rock Town trailhead. Or carry on to the lovely little village of Lucas with its bizarre Garden of Eden and Grassroots Arts Center.

State Highway 232 has been designated the state's Post Rock Scenic Byway and on your way through don't miss this stone man.

Look for him on the east side of the highway.

At the junction of 232 with I-70, you must call into the Kansas Originals Market. Simply put, this is the best shop in Kansas for local arts, crafts and homegrown food specialities. Some of the prices may be a little on the steep side, but the items are what you'd call heirloom quality.

Everything from fine art and photography to ironwork and woodwork are available as well as a range of toys, books and sports memoribilia. Traditional crafts like wheat weaving, stone carving and quilting demonstrate the ethnic heritage of the state's residents. Their online catalogue gives you some idea of the sheer variety of items they stock. Grab a free coffee while you browse. The staff are very friendly and helpful.

Can't decide? How about letting them assemble a special gift basket? My favourite bit to browse is the food section for popcorn on the cob, BBQ sauces, jams, candy and cookbooks.

Across the lot from the Originals Market is an outlet for the Smoky Hills Winery. And only a couple miles further along is the town of Wilson, billed as 'the Czech Capital of Kansas'. You might recognise its Midland Hotel from the movie Paper Moon? Elsewhere in town are many handsome limestone buildings, churches, the 'opera house' and a friendly museum.

And from there you're only a few miles from the wicked little cowtown of Ellsworth...the ghost town of Carneiro...the abandoned fort at Kanopolis...lovely Lindsborg with its art galleries, bakeries and Swedish craft shops...the Eisenhower Presidential centre in Abilene....

Before you know it, that hour-long detour has turned into a week's holiday!

Beautiful Kansas: Wilson Lake

When the first Europeans settled the treeless Kansas prairie, they had to be ingenious in order to overcome the lack of wood. They built cabins out of the soil by digging up bricks of dirt bound together by plant roots. They collected dried bison manure (buffalo chips) to make fires. But what about when it came time to fence in their livestock?

The settlers discovered that the local limestone was fairly soft to cut, but became much harder when exposed to the air. They set about cutting logs of stone to use as fenceposts, giving this area its nickname, Post Rock Country.

Post Rock Country is now home to a massive reservoir with the clearest waters in the state, Wilson Lake.

The lakeshore hills are thick with cedar trees, crowned with windmills and filled to bursting with deer, antelope, hawks, songbirds, waterfowl and sunflowers.

Wilson Lake and its surroundings look like a bit of Utah transplanted to the plains.

For instance, these stone columns (the remnants of a stone arch) can only be reached on foot or by boat.

It feels remote and primitive, a feeling made more profound because on all of my visits so far I have been alone on the 3-mile trail the entire time.

Mother Nature works very hard to create a masterpiece out of nearly every Kansas sunset...

...and this one was no exception!