The 257 miles from South Dakota to Kansas encompass two distinct regions: typical Midwestern wheat and cattle ranches, and the fascinating grass-coated sand dunes of central Nebraska’s Sand Hills region. Contrary to popular belief, Nebraska isn’t mostly corn, but beef, lots and lots of it. US-83 passes by more cattle than it does people, with scant few communities along the way.
The powers that be don’t neglect to mention your entrance into Nebraska, and for those coming from the north the differences may well be very welcome: Suddenly there are trees, trees, and more trees, as you drop down from the scorched South Dakota plains into the evergreen-studded Niobrara River Valley. (Along with these changes in topography, the roadbed also improves.) Your first stop south of the border is Valentine, then you cross the rolling Sand Hills region toward the railroad town of North Platte, former home of “Buffalo” Bill Cody. From North Platte, it’s a straight shot south across acres of corn to Kansas.
