Sooner or Later.

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not...Oh, wait, yes we are."

Tulsa, Oklahoma – Rugged Kansas hills form the strong jawline of the farming community. Leaning barns with crooked slats, meanwhile, appear to grin with mouths of jagged teeth.

The journey was far greener, and hilly, than I had expected.

It was a peaceful day cruising along a single-lane road into an endless sky flecked with fluffy white clouds that tapered into infinity. Flipped-up reflectors lined the centre of the dark asphalt like Post-it Notes. Knocked loose, many lay scattered across the road as though a gambler had flipped a giant table full of shiny cards.

Juiced-up pickup trucks spat gravel at a middle-of-nowhere gas station, pulling out of the parking lot with a shudder. I couldn’t compete with a young lad’s belt buckle, which was large enough to serve a Thanksgiving turkey.

Heading toward Oklahoma, tall iron gates marked the entrance to vast farms spotted with cows. Scattered between, small oil derricks nodded rhythmically like rusted hobby horses, pulling liquid gold from the earth.

Typical ranch dressing.

Vitals:

• Distance: 611.3 kms
• Time: 6.5 hours
• Weather: Sunny and warm
• States: Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma
• Wildlife: None