The photo on the right is Castle Rock in 1980 (photo by Dougal McGuire). I include it so you have a reference of the famous landmark’s former glory. In 2001, a thunderstorm broke off the tallest spire of this chalk formation so it no longer stands 70 feet tall – maybe just 55 feet now.
Even at 70 feet, it’s kind of sad that this is one of Kansas’ Eight Wonders. It is out in the middle of nowhere in Gove County and I fell for the billboards praising its marvels and left I-70 to check it out.
We arrived right after the sunset dropped below the horizon. It took a while to find it as it isn’t very well marked and is literally in the middle of a cow pasture.
I was a bit annoyed that I traveled so far only to find out the landmark had been extremely over-hyped. However, being a chalk formation, its days are numbered. Tourists not as respectful as us climb on it and have sped up the natural erosion its mineral is prone to. So it may not be there in another decade or so.
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