Dec 16, 2019 - Just A Little Detour

Before we get into Monday the 16th very far, I should clarify a couple of items. First, unlike our four previous driving years since we sold the motor home, we were not taking the more direct route, crossing the border at Laredo, TX, this year. We had come to really appreciate the Texas route since it saved us 1 1/2 days of driving and probably 700 miles, it had those great outlet malls at San Marcos that at least one of us really loved, it had that great Czech bakery with those excellent kraut rolls, not to speak of a very easy border...

Oct 9, 2019 - Doniphan, NE

We traveled US 36 to I-29 to Hwy 2 to I-80 into Doniphan, NE just outside Grand Island where we stayed at Grand Island KOA. Getting here was interesting as Hwy 2 has been partially wiped out by all the flooding this area has sustained in the last few months. They have begun reconstruction, but will be sometime before that highway is back to normal. The field flooding along the way was incredibly bad and crop after crop probably lost. We stayed here for three nights as the first major snow storm was predicted to hit west of here. Rain, wind...

Sep 21, 2019 - Short drive to Ogallala

Thursday morning we hooked the trailer back up and pulled out of the Riverside RV park and headed to Ogallala. As we left Scottsbluff we drove passed the sugar beet plant on the edge of town. The sugar beet harvest only last for a couple of weeks and by looking at the piles of sugar beets waiting to be processed into sugar. The harvest is ending. We have been by here at other times and there were piles of sugar beets all over the yard. This time there were only a few piles of them. We were still meeting trucks on the road that were headed...

Sep 19, 2019 - Sheridan to Scottsbluff

After getting up Wednesday morning and back on the road at 9:00 we headed to Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Our usual next stop has been Fort Laramie but this time we are going a little farther to Scottsbluff to the Riverside RV park. On our route back and forth between Texas and Montana we always go thru Scottsbluff but we have never stopped. It has always been between stops. I had been watching the travels of a you tuber and they had talked about the Scottsbluff National Monument just outside of Scottsbluff. It looked like a very interesting...

Sep 18, 2019 - Day 2

We made it to Mormon Island State Park outside of Grand Island, NE today. We got here later than we wanted because we took a detour in Iowa to the Neal Smith National Refuge. It was incredible! We went because I wanted to see buffalo in their natural habitat. It was so much more than that. This place has 5600 acres that they are trying to reconstruct to the original ecosystem of the prairies. It's a huge undertaking. So far they've only completed 300 acres. Definitely a work in progress. Plus, they have the largest butterfly garden that...

Sep 14, 2019 - Scottsbluff Nebraska

Scottsbluff Nebraska was an interesting stop. It is an historic location with importance to the Oregon, California, and Pony Express Trails. We learned a lot about the travels of the pioneers at museums in the area. It is also a beautiful geologic stop with the bluffs popping up everywhere most notably Castle Rock, Scotts Bluff, and Mitchell Pass along the North Platte River. Finally there was a large reservoir there called Lake Minatare with the only Lighthouse in Nebraska. Of course, we needed to check out a local winery named Papa...

Sep 9, 2019 - Nebraska and CDT

Monday, September 9: Laramie KOA (Wyoming) to West Omaha KOA (Nebraska) Weather: A sunny morning in the low 50sF, warming to the low 80sF by afternoon with partially cloudy skies and winds building Route: Laramie KOA → US-80E → West Omaha KOA Today's Plan: Continue eastward from Laramie, Wyoming and arrive at West Omaha, Nebraska before dark. Highlights: - I got to see a beautiful Wyoming sunrise at 6:30 this morning without feeling chilly. We only had to pack up the bedding (which I did while my Muesli and Kefir breakfast was soaking) and...

Sep 8, 2019 - Lake McConaughey

Nebraska has a lot of real nice and real big lakes with a lot of camping along the shores. This is Lake McConaughey west of the city of North Platte and near Ogallala. This was a nice spot and we took advantage of the warm weather and warm water. We just had to walk down the embankment from our campsite to the beach. Billy loved it and did a lot of his newly founf swimming ability. The sunsets were awesome.

Sep 7, 2019 - Maloney Reservoir State Recreation Area (Kansas Point Campground)

We camped at here at Lake Maloney from Monday, September 3 through Saturday, September 7. This turned out to be one of the best campsites that we have had so far this year. The campground is situated on a small peninsula and out site was the farthest out to the tip of land. We had a huge area of mowed lawn with a great view of one of the lakes coves. No one was camped near us and the campground host was very friendly chatting with us several times. We had an opportunity to do some kayaking. One time around the cove looking at all the...

Sep 6, 2019 - Buffalo Bill

Buffalo Bill Cody chose North Platte Nebraska to build his home and ranch. Here he entertained dignitaries from around the world. We toured his home and the barn. The photos posted sort of explain themselves. After our visit here we drove to a park in North Platte named after him called Cody Park. That posting is listed as well.

Sep 5, 2019 - Cody Park & the UP Challenger Train

Cody Park is located in North Platte Nebraska named after Buffalo Bill Cody whose home and ranch is nearby. The park has a free exhibit by the Union Pacific Railroad who is a major employer in North Platte. The exhibit displays the "Challenger Locomotive and some additional rail cars, A diesel locomotive, and a train station museum. The neat thing is that you could climb aboard and walk all over the engines and cars. Additionally, the park has a campground (we didn't stay here} and some live animal exhibits, picnic and sport fields....

Sep 4, 2019 - Union Pacific Bailey Yard

Bailey Yard is the world's largest railroad classification yard, a complex series of tracks for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading railroad cars and locomotives. this location has repair shops for the engines and rail cars as well. It is operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. The tourist feature of this yard is the Golden Spike Tower with an open-air and another enclosed observation area for viewing the sprawling rail yard below. \The tower has several exhibits about train history but the one that caught our attention was the one...