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06/17/2003 Archived Entry: "SLOW GOING TO BROOKVILLE"

SLOW GOING TO BROOKVILLE

It looked like the Beltway today between Salina and Brookville only the traffic was "two way" and going at a snail's pace. As I pulled onto highway 40 off Crawford Street, I looked west and all I could see was this long string of cars unlike anything I've ever seen in these parts before, snaking its way westward. Not to be deterred, I contributed to the line and found my eyes hadn't deceived me...25 miles and hour, max. Opps, down to 15 mph. Since there were semis and all manner of vehicles, it was hard to see ahead as to what was going on.

After I got past the Bavaria curve I could see cars pulled off on the south side of the highway and I thought I caught a glimpse of flashing lights about a half light year ahead of me. A wreck? Didn't seem so as the traffic was moving, but ever so slightly. After I met the first of the on-coming cars as they pulled back on the highway, it dawned on me. It was the longest funeral procession in the history of mankind and I hoped it wasn't going all the way to Ellsworth. It didn't. They turned off the highway at the east edge of Brookville and headed north to the cemetery.

After that, the traffic couldn't seem to reestablish itself. West of Brookville I noticed that what had been the lush fields of tritacale with the cattle grazing on them only a few weeks ago, are no longer. The cattle devoured most of the plants and the rest appeared to have been cut. Apparently, there wasn't enough left to bale. As we entered the hills, only a couple foolish drivers tried to pass, while the rest of us just bided our time and enjoyed the scenery. I gazed at the flag pole atop the hill on the north by the old Chicken House Restaurant (and hot poker place back in my parents' days). Chandra Miley's dad built that when he was a boy. We always thought it was some kind of geodetic marker or historical monument when, in fact, it's a flag pole! It was a wonderful opportunity to look at how much the rain and sun had caused the prairie grasses to grow lush and tall. I had a good opportunity to see the hole in the rocks south of the highway on the Vanier ranch near the turnoff to Kanopolis Lake. You don't have long to catch a glimpse of it. The yuccas have stopped blooming but in their place a wide variety of colorful prairie flowers have emerged. The early summer rains have made every thing grow in profusion and take on a new hardy look. The herd of longhorns was grazing peacefully by the road putting on a show for those just passing through. Sometimes we get in too much of a hurry to slow down and enjoy the beauty of our countryside. And it is truly beautiful right now.

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