Secrets of the Sandhills
A Nebraska Sandhills Novel
NOW AVAILABLE: The Definitive Nebraska Sandhills Novel
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What Secrets of the Sandhills?
Jack Harris, a 19-year-old Chicago native, is struggling with the universal question asked by all teenage boys- what will he do with his life? Jack never met his father, which further complicated his dilemma. His mom, Shelly, raised him the best she knew but remained mysteriously silent about his father. On his thirteenth birthday, Shelly presented Jack with an old leather-bound journal filled with hand-written entries on the timeworn pages. She didn't say where she got the book, only that it belonged to a man named Farley Hayes. This journal kept by a mysterious Nebraskan became Jack's most treasured possession, providing him with fatherly advice and manly stories.
One year after Jack graduated from high school, he resolved to quit his bicycle courier job and travel to Nebraska to find the author of his beloved journal. With his mother's blessing, he loaded his bicycle on a Greyhound bus and rode to Norfolk, Nebraska, where he dismounted and began the adventure of his life.
Discover the Nebraska Sandhills with Jack, much like the first explorers with nothing but his bicycle and enough "beads" in his pocket to trade to the natives for daily necessities. During his journey, he discovers a myriad of geographical wonders, historical tales, and mannerisms unique to this western culture. But most of all, he learns some essential lessons. He even discovers the ever-illusive meaning of life. Secrets of the Sandhills is not only a novel; it's the way of life in this captivating land.
John Hunt
Secrets of the Sandhills Author
Fourth Generation Central Nebraskan
Song of the Sandhills Music Video
'Till the late 1870’s, fear kept white man out of the Nebraska Sandhills.
Rumors of Indians, mosquitos, and fierce weather created a 20,000 sq. mile deserted island in the sea of new settlers. “People who go in there never come back out.”
Then cattle discovered the place.
Today, the Sandhills looks much as it did before white man arrived, save for the occasional barbed wire fence and ranch sign, which bear many of the same names as the guys who followed their cows in here 140 years ago. Within, lie the top three cattle producing counties in the US.
Geologically, the Nebraska Sandhills leave much to speculate. Ask five experts how this sand got here and you’ll more than likely get 5 different answers (with the smartest experts skirting the question). Then there's the water. Not only do twenty-plus rivers and streams flow out of the area, but the Sandhills supply much of the water in the Ogallala aquifer, providing ground water to farms and families spanning Nebraska and beyond. And all this from a land that averages less than 20 inches annual rainfall.
In summary, the Sandhills of Nebraska is a fascinating destination. Be careful though, explore it too closely and you may get sucked into its inexplainable vortex... Speaking from experience.
