July 28, 2022
Volume 52 - No. 29
By Jim Winnerman
An expansive, semi-arid landscape of water, sand dunes and grass are not always found along the coasts of America. In fact, those elements of geology can be discovered smack in middle America. If you can answer these questions, you may already know exactly where to look.
-What American state ranking 15th in size has 1/3 of its area covered by prairie grasses growing atop white sand, stabilized by a thin layer of The Paper - 760.747.7119
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fragile soil so unsuitable for crops the land has never been plowed or cultivated? (Hint: The area was named a National Natural Landmark in 1987.) -In what state is a 272-mile, twolane National Scenic Byway described by the late intrepid traveler and American journalist Charles Kuralt as “One of America’s 10 most beautiful highways (that will) take you to one of the last unexplored frontiers where vast treasures can be discovered." -Where is one of the largest dark spots of land in America unmarred
by artificial light allowing for spectacular views of the night sky? -Where can fun-loving tourists float sandy bottom rivers in circular galvanized steel cattle troughs fitted with benches?
Still not sure? Perhaps this clue will help. -What large bird weighing about nine pounds enjoys the same name as the land beneath its wings, and migrates along the byway each spring, landing and resting in numbers exceeding 500,000?
The Sand Hills Continued on Page 2
The answer? The Sandhills area in the state of….wait for it… ..Nebraska. What? Yep, The Sandhills area of Nebraska, which lays diagonally across almost the entire state from east to west. The dunes rise as high as 300 feet, and feature slopes as steep as 25 percent. One dune is five miles long.
All were formed from blowing sand during a drought as recently as 2800 years ago, according to radiocarbon testing, while some of the