We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. The best thing about Holiday Inn Express? They ALL have the most amazing cinnamon rolls on the breakfast buffet. Yum!
We had a mixed night, there was rain and odd noises in the room and some noisy people leaving their rooms early so we wer up pretty early and arrived back at the Scotts Bluff Monument just after it opened at 8.00 am. It was a lovely morning, cool but not windy and we drove up to the top of the Bluff, which we had to ourselves at that time. We walked around the trail at the top and had some lovely views north over the town and west towards Chimney Rock..which was our next stop!
Chimney Rock is another one of those distinctive bluffs that rear out of the plains. We really only stopped long enough to take a few photos..and to keep an eye out for the rattlesnakes that are apparently rife in the area!
It was close to two hours drive to North Platte where we were planning to see a couple of things. Along the way we lost an hour as we reverted to Central Time and we’d hoped to stop at Lake McConaughy for our picnic but the entire perimeter of the lake seems to be in the hands of Nebraska State Parks who are happy to let you visit but charge for the privilege. We werent keen to pay for a ten minute stop so decided to head onwards to North Platte. We drove along US Highway 30 that back in it’s hey day was the Lincoln Highway, colloquially known as “America’s Main Street” . It was the county’s first trans-continental Highway. In 1912, Carl Fisher, the entrepreneur who had founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, thought America needed a coast-to-coast highway. When the project appeared stalled, Henry Joy, the president of Packard Motor Car Co., suggested naming the road after Abraham Lincoln, a move that reignited support for the project. The 1913 dedication of the highway made it the first national memorial to Abraham Lincoln. The advertising of the road encouraged people to “See America!” and it was celebrated with as much enthusiasm as the later Route 66. Eventually it was bypassed by the interstae system and many little towns and business on its route fell into disuse.
At North Platte we stopped on the river at Cody Park to enjoy our coffee…and another cinnamon roll for me!. The river is not large and looks like you could wade across it.
After lunch we drove back down the river a little way to the world’s largest rail yard and the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. Golden Spike Tower is a fitting name for the observation tower since just up the roadin Omaha, officials drove a golden spike into the ground to commemorate the east and west portions of the Union Pacific rail lines meeting. Although the “gold spike” was placed in Omaha, it’s actually here outside North Platte where the east/west lines meet as part of Bailey Yard, the largest rail yard in the world. The visitor centr was excelent – we watched a short film outlining the work thats done here to keep so many locomotives and rail cars running smoothly all over the USA. Then we rode the elevator to the tower for a great view out over the yard.
Before leaving North Platte we stopped at the Fort Cody Trading Post, a bit of a “Wall Drug Wannabe” that raws bored drivers in off the interstate for some Nebrska kitch. As you may have guess Buffalo Bill Cody is a big thing in North Platte because he lived here for a time. We resisted the temptaion to but a set of long horns, or a replica Colt revolver, or even a pair of “American Gothic” socks!
A little further down the I80 interstate we stopped off to see the Pony Express Station Museum – an actual log cabin used by the Pnoy Express and preserved in the town park here. The Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, and mail using relays of horse-mounted riders that operated from April 3, 1860, to October 1861 between Missouri and California. I’d been surprised at how shortlined the service was before it was made redundant by the telegraph.
Around 4pm we finally arrived at Kearney, the sizeable town where we ae staying tonight but before going to the hotel we stopped at The Archway. The arch spans the interstate and is huge! Inside its two story high interior is a fantastic, Disney style walkthough eperience which commemorates the history of the area from the original pioneers of the Oregon Trail era right through to the peak of the lincoln higway era and so on. I loved it!
Finally we checked in to the Country Inn and Suites. Tonight they’re hosting a “Managers Reception” where they offer free drinks and appetizers, we enjoyed a dring and some nibles before heading down the road to have dinner at “Old Chicago Taphouse” .
