Yesterday had been spent hiking the South Dakota highpoint, Harney Peak, and a pleasant drive through the "heartland" of Nebraska. The weather was really rotten up in South Dakota, and barely improved as I drove south through Nebraska and the eastern edge of Colorado. But I did enjoy the Sand Hills of Nebraska. For those who think that Nebraska is totally flat, you can thank the people who built the interstates for bypassing all the interesting areas of the state. The Sand Hills are literally the largest and most extensive set of sand dunes in the United States. Not even the desert states in the southwest can lay claim to this fact. The Sand Hills stretch for thousands of square miles and lie atop the Ogallala Aquifer, which is the largest source of freshwater west of the Mississippi River, and is the main reason it's possible to farm, raise stock and even exist on these plains. This site has some good background on the Ogallala. The Sand Hills are covered in a thin layer of grass and have a very abrupt, jagged topography. Getting around herein must really require some effort. As a result, not many people live in the "heart" of the Sand Hills, and most of the counties here have populations in the hundreds. But still, very pretty, if you appreciate this sort of thing. I eventually worked my way south and spent the night in Burlington, Colorado, and watched some Stanley Cup hockey on the tee-vee.

The next morning, I awoke very early to thunder, lightning and heavy rain, and hit the road by 7 am. The Kansas state highpoint was on my agenda first. States don't get much flatter than Kansas, that's for sure. Eastern Colorado is just as flat. I drove the 80 miles or so along small highways and farm routes to the Kansas highpoint, which, like Nebraska, is pastureland and sits on a private farm. The owners have quite a site built up: 7 foot tall sunflowers made from welded railroad spikes and other oddities mark the "summit". It was very pretty, but again, the fog and drizzle was disappointing. I saw some deer in the distance. This is a short trip report because there really isn't much to report on. However, the obvious care that the landowners give toward their bit of highpoint land definitely made for a nice visit. Also, the roads were in excellent shape. I spent maybe 15 minutes here, just long enough to snap some poor photos and sign the register. Still only 9 a.m., I was now on my way to the Oklahoma highpoint, Black Mesa, and in for some more terrible weather. A hilarious website exists detailing a heroic climb of this peak, with full details and photographs of their harrowing experience. Click Here.