From South Dakota to Kansas

From The Badlands, we headed south from South Dakota through Nebraska to North Platte, where we stayed for two days at Holiday RV Park, then to Grand Island where we spent a night at George H. Clayton Hall County Park, one of our favorite 1-2 night destinations.

The trip across the southern part of South Dakota and Nebraska was uneventful. We saw a few fields being harvested, but most had already been completed. As we came across the Nebraska Sandhills, we were disappointed to find them dry and dusty, not at all like our previous visit. There were a few of the lovely blue ponds nestled between the dunes. However, most were noticably smaller then two years ago. The drought has been here as well.  We did, however, see where a lot of the harvested corn is going.  The photo below is of a plant that makes ethanol from corn. 

 

We pulled into Hutchison on Thursday, at the same time that a cold front was arriving from the north. You can see the demarkation line in these clouds that welcomed us into town.

The 2012 Heavy Duty Truck (HDT) Rally, held for the fifth year at the Kansas State Fair RV Park, was a great success! This is a gathering of a group of indivduals affiliated with the Escapees RV organization. They come together several times each year to exchange ideas and enjoy the camraderie of folks who pull their RVs with heavy-duty trucks. Most of the RVs are fairly large and heavy, and the safety-conscious individuals who own them are aware that a large truck can pull, and stop, their rigs more safely than a pickup can.
 
This year, we counted 37 RVs pulled by HDTs, 7 RVs whose owners are considering switching to HDTs, and a several others with an interest in the options a heavy hauler offers.

Here is the annual "truck picture" with rally participants.

 
　
And some more pics of all of us attending seminars and having fun.