We
pulled out of Denver around 9:00 am on 9/24 and traffic was light until I-70
turned into a parking lot on the east side of town – took 30 minutes to go
about a mile – I just love big city driving.
After that, traffic was light all the way to Russell, KS, where we spent
the night at the Triple J RV Park, which was adequate for a one night
stop-over. We were on a mission to get
home so drove I-70 all day and found it to be a good road.
I
assumed we would have a big elevation drop or two from the Colorado Plateau to lower
elevations but other than one 300’ hill, it was a gradual downhill all the way
to the Mississippi River – should get better MPG. There was a combination of ranching and
farming in this area but mostly farming until southwestern Kansas.
We
also saw this thing go by and wondered what it was until we noticed the wind
farm under construction and then a turbine blade went by.
So we knew the first piece was part of the
tower and later the piece that tops the tower and holds the blades went by –
all of these things were huge.
The
next day we went east toward Salina on I-70, then south on I-135 and around the
north side of Wichita to take US-54 to Nevada, MO.
West
of Salina, we passed the Smoky Hills Wind Farm, consisting of 155 turbines, generating
250 mega-watts. “Smoky Hills is the largest and newest wind farm in Kansas and
more than 100 landowners are participating in the project. Including the land
used for roads, turbine foundations and maintenance buildings, less than two
percent of the 20,000 acres covered by the wind farm will be removed from
agricultural service.” It was a real surprize that there were only about a half dozen of them operating.
The wind farm went 24 miles along I-70, but the shocker for me – “The project owner is
Italian-based utility Enel, Europe's second biggest utility.” Then the news recently had a story about
Obama blocking a Chinese owned wind farm because it was too near something of
special interest. Why are we giving
foreigners control of our most vital utility?
WOW.
I'm
now responding to your comments and hoping you will stop back by - photos best
if enlarged by clicking on them.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
One
Year Ago: End Of The Garden Supper Two
Two
years Ago: Muffuletta Flavored Omelet
Larry
9/24 & 9/25/12
event dates
We also have been watching the weather out West and realize we left at the right moment also. I do remember 6 inches of snow on September 1 one year at 6000 ft elevation. You never know out there. Glad you had a good and safe trip. Susan
ReplyDeleteI had to smile at your comment about "parking lot." That's what they call the Long Island Expressway. I would have never thought you would encounter that out west.
ReplyDeleteI am outraged at learning about the Italian wind farm. Why don't we just give the the keys to the store and tell them to turn the lights off when they leave.
Glad you had a safe trip home.
Sam
Sam - I can't understand why the American companies aren't building them and why weren't they operating rather than burning fuel somewhere - why were 150 of them sitting idle, there was plenty of wind?
DeleteI had no idea of the ownership. Seems crazy. We've driven by that wind farm many times. One time all of them but one were running full speed and most of the time a lot of them are running. Was there just no wind at all the day you drove by? I think that farm is quite an awesome site. And love passing those blades in transit on the highway. And what a hassle about Denver traffic. I would have thought you to be safe at that time of day. I'm so glad I don't have to mess with it.
ReplyDeleteI actually waited to leave so traffic could clear out- I believe we were at the I-70/I-270 intersection
DeleteAnd by the way, when you were on the North side of Wichita, you were only about 40 miles from my family farm.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good question, Larry... why ARE we giving foreigners such control? It boggles the mind sometimes, but I'm sure it has to do with greed :)
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures of the Kansas landscape... it looks exactly like Nebraska :)
We totally missed Neb on our trip going out above it and back below it. Glad you liked the shots.
DeleteLarry, Given the fact that we have a free economy, there is nothing to prevent folks from another country from building a utility in the USA. The good news is that I'm sure that mostly US citizens operate and maintain the facility. (Jobs!) What control do they really have. Someone has to buy the power generated by these windfarms...and it isn't Italy. If there were a national emergency and the Italians (or the Chinese) declared war, we'd just seize the facility under the War Powers Act. As for the 'windmills' not operating it could have been due to low demand resulting in local power providers not buying any power at that time. Nothing is simple in today's world economy. FYI...those wind farms kill thousands of birds each year. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteWe traveled I-70 from Denver last year -- the trip into Kansas (we drove to Abilene) seemed to take forever. We, too, were impressed with the wind farms we passed on our journey.
ReplyDeleteWe saw several huge wind farms during our trip
DeleteWith such flat land I'm not surprised it's the perfect place for wind farms, but foreign owned ???? It takes forever to drive across Nebraska!
ReplyDeleteAs best I could tell from driving my RV sail, the wind is pretty constant and usually strong.
DeleteIt would be good if some American companies would invest in these wind tunnels. It is our Country after all. I remember the days when we had tax credits to spur investments in alternative energy. Just saying. Love your trip highlights.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the trip penny, I've been considering a wind turbine for our place - probably won't need one quite this big though :-).
DeleteHey, I too love big city traffic, especially love Atlanta at 5PM ... 1 1/2 hrs for what should be a 5 minute trip
ReplyDelete- yup, that is one heck of a blade... and thanks for the 'shocker' it truly is amazing what goes on...
and yes, love a good cheesy spinach casserole and that spinach maria sounds darn good too, the fried jalapenos would be perfect
When we go south I always plan to be sure I miss the rush hour in Atlanta - been there done that.
DeleteWe have those turbines all over Oregon... it's amazing how HUGE they are!
ReplyDeleteSeeing that blade going down the road really put their size in perspective for me.
DeleteI wonder who owns the ones on top of the ridge by Oak Ridge, I always assumed DOE. Now I will have to look into it.
ReplyDeleteI guess the bigger question is why WE don't take advantage of that resource. I don't mind leasing it out but don't we have the capability and need for it ourselves?
My question exactly.
DeleteHi Larry, We passed one of those big wind turbines also on the road somewhere. Can't remember where we were but I think we were going west through Kansas when we passed it... I also took pictures... Those things are HUGE.
ReplyDeleteWe were lucky not to get into city traffic much on our trip... I hate getting stuck in traffic... It's hard enough to get through Nashville or Knoxville at rush hour!!!!
Glad you made it home safe and sound.
Betsy