The cliché is that Kansas is flat and you can see for miles. The truth is that the cliché is correct.

A long, considerably straight drive eventually delivered us to the Pleasant Hill Cemetery to offer our respects to relatives.

Before leaving, I spent several minutes standing in the middle of the intersection, photographing the scene in every direction—two intersecting roads, one small seemingly abandoned building, and about 50 headstones. It felt strangely unnatural. From childhood, we’re taught that the middle of an intersection is precisely where we should never linger. Cross quickly, stay alert, and don’t become part of the traffic report. But in Green, Kansas, where the Pleasant Hill Cemetery is located, the rules seem a little different. You can see approaching traffic from so far away that you have ample time to finish your photograph, check your camera settings, reconsider your composition, and perhaps even contemplate a few of life’s bigger questions before a vehicle arrives. The intersection may not have been designed as a scenic overlook, but on that day, it served the purpose remarkably well.

And for the 90 (or so) minutes we were there, there was no traffic.