SUNDAY,
JUNE 22:
Rained
all night! Feels so cozy and elemental
to wake up and hear rain splattering on the RV roof. Another cool morning. I used the campground shower for a luxurious
long one. Then we breakfasted at their
buffet again.
Drove northwest on the Sandhill Scenic Highway today. Named such because of the small hills of
mixed prairie grasses growing on top of stabilized sand dunes. The entire area is a major flyway for many bird species, most notably the Sandhill Cranes,
which migrate here in April by the thousands.
The further west we drove, the more pronounced the hills. Definitely not flat prairie farmland any more
– too much uneven terrain, and poor topsoil.
Is Great Plains ranch terrain.
Was prime buffalo country for the Natives. Quite picturesque, especially with the cloud formations seeming to touch the earth. Big Sky Country indeed!
We paralleled the railroad for most of the way. Saw dozens of freight trains hauling mostly
coal – some trains as long as a mile! We
deduced that the coal must come from Wyoming, and carried to a myriad of power
plants east.
Pleasant temperatures today made for a very enjoyable day – drove about 300 miles. Stopped for the evening at a tiny town of 500+ about 60 miles from the Wyoming border - Hay Springs. Chose this destination because I’d read that it had a quiet little RV campground run by the city – full hook-ups, even internet – for $15! It was a perfectly lovely little park – next to the city swimming pool (a few kids were having a lot of fun there when we arrived), and across from a very nice large city park, where we took Pappy after dinner. When we go to City Hall tomorrow to pay, we’ll ask them what their tax base is – how such a small town can support such a nice pool, neatly groomed park, etc. It reminded us of Wrangell, Alaska – another small town that had such nice amenities for such a small community. It too operated a wonderful small RV park which we loved – and it, too, had an honor pay system, with no one on duty at the park itself. If you find yourself becoming disheartened & discouraged with urban/suburban angst of not trusting people, always being cautious about being cheated, etc., you need to visit some of America’s smallest, most rural towns. It’ll restore your sense of wholesome community!
Was lovely& cool when we stopped here – in fact, I had to change from shorts into jeans, and grabbed a light jacket when we walked Pappy! What a difference a day and a few degrees north in latitude make!
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