The South Riding RV Travels

440

18th May 2008 - Omaha NB to Lincoln NB Nebraska

The Airstream is an American icon, but most of them are fairly old. However they are still made and this is a fairly new one.
We see a lot of trucks with oversize loads and even guard cars. Often you are not really sure why. Here there was no doubt. This was the third of a convoy of three heading east on the interstate.
Nebraska is like Iowa and Kansas, only more so. The fields are absolutely huge and the land is truly FLAT.
These mounds were a noticeable aberration. However they are man made and there are hundreds, evenly spaced. We had no indication what they are. There is a guard road around them which made us wonder if they were once military ammunition or missile bunkers.
Next door are as many sheds, again evenly spread. We didn't see any animals about but they could be for pigs or cattle.
The blue tank really stood out for miles. These are next to a huge plant which is making ethanol from corn.
Gas in Nebraska (and many other states) usually has 10% ethanol added as a feature to make it greener. It attracts a tax advantage which makes 'super' 87 octane gas cheaper than 'regular' 85 octane. Nebraska is apparently the state with the highest rate of use of ethanol as a fuel.
Grain is still the prime product in this area. This is only slightly larger than the other grain storage facilities here. There are grain silos and loading sidings every few miles along the railroad tracks which run parallel to the road straight across the state.
Just occasionally you find something unusual. This is the edge of a huge area used by a plant to 'recycle' concrete. They could start with the current road surfaces....