Located in eastern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, the Flint Hills is an ecological region that is home to one of the last significant preserves of tallgrass prairie in the nation.

Passing through the Flint Hills region of Kansas.

Passing through the Flint Hills region of Kansas.

Limestone and shale make up much of the Flint Hills, which made the region nearly impossible for early settlers to plow.

Since it couldn't be converted to farmland, it was used for ranching which left the tallgrass prairies intact.

Everything I read about the Flint Hills says that, except for areas next to streams, trees are rare here. I can confirm this !

Hardly a tree in sight !

There were, however, lots of rolling hills.

Passing through the Flint Hills region of Kansas.

The numerous cuts through the hills for the interstate show what the ground looks like beneath the surface of those hills.

Since they couldn't plow the land for farming, early settlers used it instead for cattle ranching.

The result is one of the last places in the country where an undisturbed tallgrass prairie exists.

The rolling hills continued as I approached Salina, Kansas. Even though it may look similar to the Flint Hills, this area is part of different ecological region known as the Smoky Hills.

I know nothing about the geological characteristics of either set of hills. But the difference between the two regions appears to relate to the composition of the soil and how it came to be, (I.e. stuff that's way over my head !).

I began to see wind turbines off in the distance just past Salina.

The Smoky Hills Wind Farm sits 20 miles west of the city.

Smoky Hills is the largest wind farm in Kansas covering 20,000 acres, and involving more than 100 property owners.

The 155 wind turbines contained therein can produce around 250 megawatts of energy, enough to supply electricity to around 75,000 homes.

I was passing through Phase II of the project which went online in December 2008.

Wind turbines are enormous.

The camera doesn't give the proper perspective regarding the size of the Vestas V80 turbines used here.

Each tower is around 200 feet tall, and the rotor diameter reaches 260 feet across.

I didn't know anything about this place at the time other than I was seeing a lot of turbines.

So when the turbines started to decrease in intensity after a short distance, I figured that was the end.

But no. There were more around the corner.

More wind turbines around the corner.

A LOT more !

Wind turbines along I-70 west of Salina, Kansas.

Wind turbines along I-70 west of Salina, Kansas.

Wind turbines along I-70 west of Salina, Kansas.

I was now passing through Phase I of the project which went online in February 2008.

Wind turbines along I-70 west of Salina, Kansas.

Unlike Phase II where the turbines are all located north of I-70, Phase I of the project features turbines on both sides of the road.

Wind turbines on both sides of I-70.

I eventually reached the end of Smoky Hills Wind Farm. In doing so, I apparently disturbed an ornithology convention taking place in the field next to me.

I don't know what they were doing that close to the road.

But there were enough of them to make me nervous.

I've seen Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," and was glad they flew the other way.

Near mile marker 71, I realized that the rolling hills that had been with me for the last few hundred miles had gradually begun to disappear. This is because I had transitioned from the Smoky Hills region to the High Plains. Part of the broader Great Plains, the High Plains is a reference to the region's elevation.

I never thought about it at the time. But my elevation had been steadily increasing for a while. Kansas City sits around 870 feet. I had reached 950 feet in Topeka, and around 1,230 feet in Salina. By the time I reached Oakley, Kansas where the photo above was taken, I had reached 3,060 feet !

I enjoyed this part of the drive, and not just because I spotted a salvage yard off to my right.

"Salvage yard" may not be the right term. This looks like it could be a collection of vehicles and equipment that someone has amassed over the years.

Either way, I love seeing stuff like this, and would love to take a walk through the place.

Snow began to appear along the side of the road near mile marker 31 outside of Brewster, Kansas.

And I'm still climbing, (around 3,430 feet in the photos above and below).

Snow along I-70 outside of Brewster, Kansas.

Around 20 miles later, I crossed into Colorado for the first time in my life.

I couldn't tell by looking at the scenery, though, which had looked the same for the last few hours.