Heading into the “breadbasket” of the USA, Nebraska, the leading grain-producing state with bumper crops of sorghum, corn and wheat, plus an ample supply of cattle. Not many trees here, just never ending prairie land.

Listening to the radio belt out “ I Fell in Love with the Farmer’s Daughter” interspersed with the local AG market report and livestock update I capture a sense of authentic “cornhusker” culture.

Highway 20 across the northern tier of the state keeps me off the expressway and allows a glimpse into the life in towns like Chadron, Gordon, Sandhill, Cody and Valentine. Each with a gas station, convenience store, Dollar General, tavern, café, small local park and plenty of abandoned store fronts.

Silos and grain elevators dot the countryside like age spots on my skin becoming larger and more prevalent with the miles traveled.

Big Ag’s subtle presence is pervasive and barreling down the highway.

I land at a small state park on the Missouri River on the Nebraska/South Dakota border for the night. The only camp area not water logged and underwater along the teeming and muddy Missouri.