We stopped by the Keystone Gallery after visiting Monument Rocks, south of Oakley, Kansas. Unfortunately the Gallery was not yet open for the season. Still, our stop turned out to interesting.<\/p>\n

Immediately adjoining the Gallery was a large pasture wherein we spotted this bison. He was surprisingly near and, as we had a barb-wire fence between us, we hopped out of our car to try to snap some close-up photos — the closest I’ve ever been to a bison (a.k.a. buffalo).<\/p>\n

At first we thought this bison was alone, but soon it became apparent that he was part of a small herd as others started drifting over a rise in the pasture.  A small reminder of a time when thousands of bison covered these hills and plains.<\/p>\n

This building houses the Keystone Gallery.  It’s over a hundred years old and was built as a church, though abandoned some time before the Gallery acquired it.  The Gallery displays local aquatic fossils as well as art.  It also has a gift shop. <\/p>\n

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \t