Day two of my epic road trip from Edmond, Oklahoma, to Alaska was a journey through the heart of the Great Plains, filled with unexpected beauty and quiet surprises. Starting in Atwood, Kansas, and ending in Hot Springs, South Dakota, I covered about 400 miles, bringing my two-day total to roughly 800 miles. As I shared in my latest video below, today was all about embracing the wide-open spaces of Nebraska, from its lush agricultural fields to the hauntingly beautiful Sandhills. Here’s a glimpse into the day’s adventures and why I believe every place, no matter how ordinary it seems, holds its own kind of magic.
A Slow Start and a Nebraska Welcome
I woke up early in Atwood, Kansas, at the “It’ll Do” Motel, where I’d stayed to escape the previous day’s 93-degree heat. With work calling, I squeezed in a morning run and tackled some emails for Twotrees Technologies, which meant I didn’t hit the road until around 9:30 a.m. My route took me just 23 miles north to the Nebraska border, where I soon rolled into Ogallala—a town whose name I stumbled over, despite being an Oklahoman used to Native American place names! Ogallala surprised me with a gem: a vibrant soapbox derby track. I couldn’t resist pulling over to snap a few photos with my camera, imagining the excitement of local kids racing down the hill. It was one of those small-town finds that makes sticking to backroads so rewarding.
Nebraska’s Agricultural Heart and the Stunning Sandhills
As I continued northwest through Nebraska, the landscape unfolded into a patchwork of agricultural abundance. The state is a powerhouse of farming, with vast fields of corn, soybeans, and wheat stretching to the horizon, their vibrant greens and golds shimmering under the July sun. These fields are a testament to Nebraska’s role as America’s breadbasket, where farmers coax life from the rich soil, creating a mosaic of crops that seem to go on forever. Driving through, I marveled at the sheer scale of it all—rows of corn swaying in the breeze, punctuated by the occasional silo or barn, standing like sentinels over the land.
But then, the scenery shifted dramatically as I entered the Nebraska Sandhills, a region that feels like a secret the rest of the world hasn’t quite discovered. Covering over 20,000 square miles, the Sandhills are a sea of grass-stabilized dunes, their rolling hills cloaked in a mix of native grasses that glow green in summer but hide a sandy core. Unlike the fertile fields I’d passed earlier, the Sandhills aren’t suited for dense agriculture or large cattle herds. The forage here is sparse, better suited to the buffalo that once roamed these plains than to modern livestock. I saw a few scattered cattle, but the emptiness was striking—endless waves of grass, dotted with wildflowers, under a sky so big it felt like it could swallow you whole. The Sandhills are hauntingly beautiful, a place where the wind whispers stories of the past, and the lack of people only adds to the sense of timelessness. I pulled over often, my camera in hand, to capture the subtle curves of the dunes and the way the light danced across the grass.
The Joy of Backroads and Unusual Places
One of my favorite parts of this trip is sticking to two-lane state highways and county roads, avoiding the monotony of interstates. Of the 800 miles I’ve driven so far, only about 10 miles have been on four-lane highways, and that’s by design. Backroads let me discover the unusual places that make travel so special—like that soapbox derby track in Ogallala or a lone windmill spinning lazily in the Sandhills. I love exploring wide-open spaces and finding beauty in the everyday, whether it’s a weathered barn, a quiet town square, or a stretch of grassland that seems to stretch into forever. Nebraska, with its mix of bustling farms and desolate dunes, proved that just about any place can be wonderful if you take the time to look.
Photography is my way of sharing this beauty with others. With every stop, I aimed my lens at the landscapes and small-town details, hoping to capture the essence of these places so others can explore them, even from the comfort of home. Whether it’s the golden glow of a cornfield or the stark elegance of the Sandhills, these images are my invitation to see the world through a traveler’s eyes. I hope they inspire you to hit the road and find your own hidden gems, because the beauty of travel isn’t just in exotic destinations—it’s in the everyday places that surprise you with their charm.
A Cozy End in Hot Springs
As the day wound down, I crossed into South Dakota and arrived in Hot Springs, where I stumbled upon a delightful group of log cabins for the night. The owners, a friendly couple, shared that the wife went to Edmond High School—small world! I interviewed them for my video, charmed by their story and the cozy setup of their cabins. It was the perfect place to rest after a day of driving and photographing, surrounded by the quiet beauty of South Dakota’s Black Hills.
Day two was a reminder that adventure doesn’t always mean chasing famous landmarks. It’s about finding joy in the open road, the unexpected discoveries, and the stories written in the land. Nebraska’s fields and Sandhills stole the show today, and I’m already excited for what tomorrow holds as I continue north toward Calgary. Want to explore the beauty of everyday places? Grab your keys, pick a backroad, and see where it takes you! Share your favorite off-the-beaten-path spots in the comments—I’d love to hear about them!
