Little Windy on the Kansas Plains
 

Cal Humberg forwarded to me a photo of a little windstorm shot last Friday by the Lacrosse KS livestock sales barn.

I'll be bicycling across Kansas again from June 7-16 and sometimes we have had to wait out one of these. I'll give a pheasant report after. Last time I pulled off the road to take a call from JD and a rooster pheasant a few yards away in the wheatfield starting cackling. The second photo is of another little windstorm starting to come down while we were biking. We pulled over for a while.....kind of hard to outrun these things at 15mph. A little jiggle on the camera there.

But for you easterners, Kansas continues to lose population, a nice house in a small town can be had for under $100,000 , some far less than that, there are almost no anti gun laws, and we have good populations of pheasant, quail, whitetail and mule deer, lots of ducks and geese ( shoot some more geese please) and lots of hunting opportunities.

A great place to open an amusement park, Six Flags over Flat :-)

Now Pete, we have Mt Sunflower with a whole 100 ft elevation gain and rolling hills in northern Kansas, the Flint Hills, Blue Hills, etc. We have fish---catfish, and oysters---Rocky Mountain oysters. We have it all.

Ahh but I have lived Wichita many years ago. Along with tornados and virtually treeless flatland you have constant high winds, very cold winters, wicked ice storms, plenty of snow, dust storms and something I learned while there, Snirt storms, a combo dirt and snow storm.

Why is the population declining, is it the economy or taxes or both?

Turkey hunted in west of Wichita a few weeks ago. Birds didn't cooperate (well, one did), but saw more pheasants and quail then I'd ever seen in that area. Hopefully the quite mild winter and lack of serious hard rain will result in a good hatch of both species. The same thing happening in Kansas also is happening in those little towns in SW Nebraska. Young folks don't want to remain in the area and as such populations are declining. Accordingly the demographics are essentially an aging population and that doesn't bode well in the long run. I think Wichita provides most of what any person would want. Decent healthcare, good shopping/eating places, nice airport, some culture and last by not least some pretty decent hunting. I could see me living out there, but could never talk the wife into it. She likes more pavement under her feet and is deathly afraid of funnel clouds.

I'd rather be in a snirt storm than sit on a smog choked freeway with 35 million other people, few hunting opportunities and an 11-percent state income tax.

He's got you there Pete...:rotf:

Yup he got me alright.

All we got is lots of trees, beaches on the ocean, lots of fresh water lakes, mountains, no perceptible smog, about 1.3M people, unemployment under 5%, what we don't got is a state income tax or state sales tax. All private land is open to hunting and fishing unless posted. We does get snow and cold though, can't have everything I guess :)

Truth is, ain't no place in this country as good as it used to be.

I agree with you Pete you don't have it so bad but you look at other areas of the country and it is smog, overcrowding etc. Best you don't advertise all the good points of your state or you may get the overcrowding etc..:shock:

Eric in my lifetime we have experienced a huge shift in NH demographics. We used to be a bold red state. However as people got tired of high taxes and overcrowding south of here they moved in. They brought their politics and ideas with them. NH natives are now a minority in NH and in 2006 the state legislature went blue for the first time since 1912. NH's landmark old man in mountains did not fall, he committed suicide. :rotf:

:rotf:
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HAHA!!!!!!!!

JD

JD, there is a bungalow in Ingalls just waiting for you. Buy it for $60,000, grow your own vegetables, shoot your own deer for meat, never work again, trade your Porsches in for a pick up truck......you'll have it made. They have internet there and you can run the Parker website for the next 30 years.

You could even bike across Kansas with CH and me.

Calvin (CH) going with you this time?

I could brag on the part of the country where I live, but we don't need any more disgruntled Californians moving here!!!

One of the most beautiful areas of the USA - I have to admit..! And - honestly, it's not only the land out there - it's the folks... For some reason, most of the mid-westerners are some of the nicest and most genuine folks I've ever met...

You've seen me shoot, yes? Then, you know I'd starve.... ;)

OK -that's a little over the edge - even for you!!!! :shock: ;)

Huh? CH is riding what?? It had better have a motor of some sort... ;) AND OH - if he DOES ride a bike - PLEASE - NO PICTURES OF CH IN THOSE FANCY BICYCLE LYCRA SHORTS!!!

Best to you!

John

Here is how I imagine that would look.... You up front and CH in the back...

John D.

John - STOP!! You're killin' me... :biglaugh:

Sorry for the delayed reply - but was looking for something? Found it! As you remember, I got all CH's "family pictures" for his, ummm - "tribute" where his Aunt dropped by..??

Anyway - found the picture I was looking for....

Charlie's first bike....

From Charlie' fist bike above to.....

The last bike he ever owned (scroll down... ;) ). Sold it a couple of years ago, or so I hear?

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John

John, I guess you have some free time on your hands.....:rotf:.....:rotf:......:rotf:

Yea, Tuesday afternoons are my day off... TG it's Wed so I have something to do, huh???

;)

JD

I think I can see it. Bruce Day's idea of John Dunkle in paradise.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j.../deer-bike.jpg

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:bowdown:

JD

So true, so true. And to illustrate the point, here is a fresh faced young country lad right off the farm. He doesn't have any guns of his own, so he borrowed Pete's in back of him. That's the problem out here, we have a hard time finding any good Parkers because the fellows in the east snap them all up and sometimes when we go hunting we have to share a gun.

Welll - I'd blame that young lad - as apparently - he snaps them up even before the "rest of us Easterners" can even get a good look...!!!

So my feeling is...

GOOD FOR HIM!!! :D

BTW - he actually told you he didn't own any Parkers? AND - you believed him??? (NICELY DONE, JOSH!!!!!! :cheers:)

Bruce, you and I need to talk.. I have a wonderful investment for you in a Bridge.. Leads from Brooklyn NY into the "big city"... You'll love it....

John

Don't tell me Pete still places those stuffed and mount pheasants in his shooting jacket (as in your pic) each morning - to make it look like he shot his limit that day?? Heck - he's not even carrying a shotgun and he's weighted down with those roosters?? Prolly the same ones he carried a couple of years ago..??

Well - at least Pete has great dogs - so he's not all that bad a guy, I guess...

;)

JD

Tough folks in KS and they ain't lettin' a little bitty twister mess up the wedding
http://video.foxnews.com/v/165309924...ntcmp=features

Ad Astra Per Aspera!

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/20611291

That is AMAZING!!!!

:shock:

Thanks Drew!

John

Looks like they just cowboyed up and got on with it. And why shouldn't they....the twister looks to be a few miles away.

"Cowboyed up"?? What the heck is THAT?? I think I remember you saying THAT just before you told me to "walk a square" with fifty pounds of ammo you had strapped to my back. And the ambulance arrived soon after I was thrashing on the ground..??

;)

You guys are killing me.....

Literally...

:shock:
:rotf:
:p

JD