Before we left Nebraska, Mel and I made our first test run with Elsie to the Nebraska National Forest, specifically the Bessey Ranger District nearly Halsey, Nebraska. It seemed like a good way to kill two birds with one stone: make sure the trailer was road-ready and running on all cylinders, and finally give the Western Hemisphere's largest man-made forest its due.

I've been yearning to write about this forest in the desert for a few years now, and the fine folks at Roads & Kingdoms gave me that opportunity last month. If you haven't already, please check out my latest piece of longform journalism:

http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/a-forest-built-by-hand/