I always love to take the road that is less traveled.

This low water crossing opened up to bottom land that is now cultivated farm ground.

As I traveled up from the crossing thru the field I went up to an abandoned homestead.  I can only imagine what life would have been like for this family.  This place is so isolated even to this day.   I always think I would have loved to have lived in Kansas during this time.  The beauty of the land, so unspoiled, no noise pollution, just the sounds and sights of nature.  So dark at night.

I read a book titled Homesman, which is also a movie starring Tommy Lee Jones.  It’s about a woman and Tommy Lee who take three women from the Nebraska territory, who unfortunately have been driven mad by life on the prairie, back east to their families.  As I stood at this homestead I thought about some of the hardship these pioneer women went thru.  My grandmother was out in Western Kansas during the 1930’s dust storms and she didn’t want to talk about it.  Now I feel bad when I complain about the dust on windy days!

I find so many of these old sites that I wished I could buy them and restore them.  Such a loss.