Around Kansas - The Red Hills, One of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography - August 17, 2016

(Frank) And we're back, in case you couldn't tell. So we're talking about the hills of Kansas. Of course the most famous hills, I think, are the Flint Hills. (Deb) Well, they've got the sign. They’ve got the big sign to say Flint Hills, and it's gorgeous. You can't argue, it's gorgeous. And I said something to the lady the other day about living in Oakley, and of course this lady lives in Topeka, and she said, "I love the Flint Hills." Well, Oakley is not the Flint Hills. (Frank) No, it's the High Plains. (Deb) In fact, there's a lot of Kansas that's not the Flint Hills that still have hills. We've got the Smoky Hills, which is actually what Oakley would be included in, the Smoky Hills. You've got the Chautauqua Hills, and you got the Red Hills. And the Red Hills may be-- I don't know, it's all unique. When you start looking at it, we've got so many unique landscapes; we've talked about this before. You just get off the road, as you know, on your bike; you get off the road just a little ways and wow. Just wow. So have you ever biked down in the Red Hills, the Gyp Hills? (Frank) No. (Deb) Okay. That's one you got to put on your list. And check-- (Frank) I've went around it, but I haven't gone through it. (Deb) Well, you got to go through, and we'll talk about that in a segment, but just one more plug, go to Travel Kansas, the new byways. So lots of folks, just not Flint Hills, have signs but with the byways, you've got the scenic byways designated so that you can experience the different geographic areas of Kansas. So take advantage of that and check out online the Byways and look for the Gyp Hills byways, and we'll take you there right now. The Natives called them the Medicine Hills, and the river that ran through them, the Medicine River. The Natives believed they possessed healing powers. According to the Kansas Geological Survey, the Natives were right. The waters contain magnesium sulfates and other natural salts dissolved from the large deposits of dolomite and gypsum. Most of us are familiar with Epsom salts, or magnesium sulfate. The solution draws infection from wounds. The landscape they form in Comanche, Barber, and Clark Counties is an anomaly to the southern Kansas landscape. We call them the Gyp Hills, or the Red Hills. The rocks were deposited during the Permian Period of geologic history, about 250 million years ago. During that time a large, shallow bay covered much of this area. When that bay was cut off from the ocean and the water evaporated, the rocks left behind included salt and gypsum. Most evaporites are easily dissolved in water, and thus erosion sculpted these hills into the shapes you see today. Many of the soil and rocks are stained red by iron oxide, thus giving the name Red Hills to the area. Sandstone and shale, in particular, are bright red. Gypsum, a white rock, is found in layers within those red beds. One type of gypsum, selenite, forms large diamond-shaped crystals that are common in the area and litter road cuts and ditches like broken glass, says the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway and Gyp Hills Scenic Drive highlight this unique scenery, and is among the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography. The byway is about 42 miles long, stretching from the western city limits of Medicine Lodge to the junction of U.S. 160 and U.S. 183 at Coldwater. It bisects the Gyp Hills revealing the flat mesas, deep canyons, sharp high hills, and caprock formations. According to Travel Kansas, there is an abundance of wildflowers, and with the red soil as a background, even common cedar trees take on a different, more dramatic appearance. Visit their website for more information.