Much has changed since Roadside Kansas: A Traveler’s Guide to Its Geology and Landmarks was first published over 20 years ago. Author Rex Buchanan describes how roads have been redirected, erosion has altered the landscape, new industries have emerged, and geologists have learned more about the Kansas subsurface. Fortunately, for those of us who valued the first edition, Buchanan and James McCauley recently completed their revised and updated edition of Roadside Kansas, published earlier this year.
The mileposts in Kansas are numbered along highways from south to north and from west to east. This guide starts at milepost 0.0 at the Kansas/Colorado state line on highway 160 and covers nine major highways. How many times have you driven near the Coolidge sinkhole or the Hugoton gas field and didn’t know it? If you’re curious and desire to learn more about geologic history and formations, regional waterways, and brief histories of Kansas places, take this book with you when you head out on your next road trip across the state. Or stay home and read about a region that interests you for an educational armchair travel experience.