Sandhills Journey
Probably my favorite spot on Earth, ever since childhood, is the Sandhills of Nebraska. I love the openness - so free and forever feeling. We rode the length of the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway from Grand Island to Alliance. http://www.sandhillsjourney.com/ It was definitely not congested! At one point, GT set the bike on the centerline and we rode for mile after mile. Only the sun, the clouds, the grass, and the wildflowers beside the road watched us go by. Plus a few cows and an occasional train. The cars were few and far between.
We rode through remote little towns like Hazard (pop. 66), Merna (pop. 391), Anselmo (pop. 189), and Halsey (pop. 110) which is base for the Nebraska National Forest. (Side note here - the Nebraska National Forest was hand-planted in the prairie. Forests don’t happen there naturally.)
The hills are grass covered sand dunes that once were the home of the American Bison. Now it is cattle country. While the roadway is bordered by barbed wire fences it is considered open range. Cows have the right-of-way.
