Day 96 -- Tuesday, August 4

Major thunderstorms here in the Cornhusker State the last couple of days. Today the air seemed freshly scrubbed, the sky was a mix of sun and clouds and the temperature hit a surprisingly cool mid-70s, just perfect for a drive. Making my way towards southwestern South Dakota, I traveled through the plains of northwestern Nebraska and found it delightful. Many people have trouble appreciating the plains; certainly their beauty is a subtle one. In this part of Nebraska, there is nary a tree to be seen, just miles and miles of rolling grass-covered hills interrupted only occasionally by a small town. This land seems ancient to me and I can't help fantasizing about how this country looked to those who first settled the west. It's not so difficult to imagine; things haven't changed so very much. Take away the telephone wires, cover the highway with a layer of soil and we're back to homesteading. I even came across a small herd of buffalo, just half a mile away from highway 2. I made my way to them and got some shots with my camcorder. From now on, I'd like to be known as Buffalo Brett, if you don't mind.

I stopped for the night in Hot Springs, South Dakota. There's a pool there, Evans Plunge, that's fed by a warm natural spring. It's been a popular tourist spot since 1890 and remains so today, with a couple of modern additions. Water parks have been popular for years now, but this was my first shot at one of those giant slides. My first trip down was a rough one (I chose the biggest, baddest one for my debut) but it wasn't long before I was hooked. I spent a few hours in the pool, the sauna, and the whirlpool, got wrinkled as a prune and called it a night.


Continue on the American Odyssey.
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