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Monday, September 7, 2009

Beautiful, Spacious Skys

On our trip this weekend, we passed through an area in Kansas known as the Flint Hills. I'd been through this area before and it's always struck me as perfectly beautiful. It's such an understated beauty - not dangerous and imposing like the mountains, not powerful and changing like the oceans, but quiet and calm. Peaceful and humble.

Photo Courtesy of msgeo1965 on flickr

In this part of the country, the word 'prairie' and 'plains' describe something altogether more stunning than you would imagine. The expanse of earth is breathtaking, and I found myself feeling like my eyes were literally soaking up the view. There was so much time to enjoy the surrounding earth when driving through, because there was absolutely nothing else blocking our line of sight from one edge of the horizon to the other. Grassy hills, as far as the eye could see.

Photo Courtesy of Retraq on flickr

We'd be traveling a long, straight stretch of road, and come suddenly upon the crest of a hill that was so broad and vast, we didn't even know it was a hill until we'd reached the top.



Photo courtesy of easier.com


From there we could see to ends of the earth, it seemed. Each horizon was seen after miles upon miles of slowly undulating hills, grasses bending in the breeze, and patches of sunlight breaking through the clouds to highlight the beautiful landscape. I could imagine how vast and perfect this land must have seemed when traversed by covered wagons and cattle drives. It seemed untouched by time, except for the long, narrow highway snaking across the plain.

Isn't God's creation amazing? The diversity and beauty surrounding us is a perfect gift, and we have only to open our eyes to it. To soak it up. To express our thanks and praise to Him who created it. After driving across the Flint Hills this weekend, I feel like my eyes have been opened up to the wealth of earthly beauty around me. How lovely that I can step outside my door and admire the most amazing artwork.

What type of landscape is the most beautiful in your eyes? If you had to choose one place to enjoy the scenery, where would you go?

I'm leaning heavily towards a tall-grass prairie, myself.

7 comments:

  1. Excellent post! I am not sure what landscape I would pick. At first I would say mountains, but then I think that I love the desert but then there is the ocean....Oh I just can't decide.

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  2. Oh wow, that is definitely gorgeous! Maybe it's because I'm a California girl, but I'll probably always lean towards an ocean view; there's just something about the immensity and grandeur of the sea :)

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  3. Being a New Englander I would have a really hard time picking between ocean and mountains, if really pushed I would ocean.

    Have not spent much time in the mid-west, hopefully someday I will get to experience some of what you were writting about. Hope so, looks amazing!!

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  4. Being a native Kansan, I'm kinda partial to the tall grass prairies myself :)

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  5. Wow, that's beautiful. I feel inspired to drive there. You should be a writer for a travel magazine! ;)

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  6. Beautiful! You're making me homesick again! I'd be hard pressed to put any landscape above the grassy plains and the big sky, but (since that one's already taken) I also really enjoy the sound of palm fronds in the wind, the scent of jasmine, crumbling sandstone castles set atop a not-too-distant hill, sapphire-colored water crashing against a rocky beach...you know, that sort of thing.

    Glad your weekend was fun!

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  7. Your writing is poetic, I have always enjoyed the landscape as we travel anywhere, but now I will look at other places with a "sing-song" attitude. I love you!

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Hmm...And how did that make you FEEL?