We left St. Joseph, Missouri this morning and followed highway 36 westward about half way across northern Kansas. This stretch of highway is mostly two lane but in good repair and a much more pleasant drive than the interstate. This stretch of highway is referred to as the pony express highway because it follows the same general path that the pony express followed in their famous relay style mail carrying service between St. Joseph Missouri and Sacramento California in 1860 and the first half of 1861. Transcontinental telegraph service became available in the summer of 1861 and the pony express service just wasn't quick enough to be competitive anymore.
At several points along the route we saw these silhouettes of pony express riders running along the hilltops.
At one point along the route we saw this unusual 3-D brick mural pointing the way to a pony express way station.
This stretch of road is also part of what was known as the Oregon Trail and the California Trail, use by settlers moving west.
We saw lots of these Kansas sunflowers along the roadside.
