Photo Challenge: Happy Place

About five miles from my house is a little road that goes to the north. Locals call it the “Dexter Shortcut,” because it’s the faster way to get to a tiny little town (if you’ve heard of Dexter, KS at all, it’s because that’s where helium was discovered!).

But it’s not Dexter I care about . . . no, as a dyed-in-the-wool gearhead, I love that bloody road.

It starts out slow, a few turns, some gentle downward trends. And then you top this hill . . . and it’s literally a roller coaster. Twists, sharp turns, hills. Trees. Usually, on one side of you, there’s nothing but straight up – and on the other side, nothing but straight down. It is the most fun you can have in a car in Kansas.

But it’s also beautiful. You don’t need to drive it like I do. Sometimes, especially in the fall when the colors are turning, it’s a wonderful road to just meander down. And at every point, there are reminders of its history; there was an old railroad that ran from Dexter to another tiny, dying town called Silverdale (I live about a mile north of Silverdale), and every now and then, you can catch sight of the old trestles. The tracks have long since been torn out, but the bases remain.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/happy-place/