Cornhuskers

Golden Spike Tower
New trains being made up. In the background is "the Hump" where the cars are released for sorting.
Engines waiting for trains.
Yes, they even grow corn by the rail yard.
Great Platte River Road Archway
No, this is not me with Nanc.
This is what often happened to wagons going west. When people would give up and go back it was said, "They had seen the elephant."
Coffee pot from along the Lincoln Highway. There was one of these on Route 30 in Chester, West Virginia.

For the last nine days, as planned, we have slowly been moving our way across Nebraska. After leaving Scotts Bluff we stayed in North Platte at the Buffalo Bill State Park, then we spent one night in Kearney and are now at the Riverview Marina in Nebraska City on the banks of the Missouri River looking across at our next state, Iowa. In North Platte we visited the Union Pacific Railroad's Golden Spike Tower. This is a must stop for anyone who loves trains. The tower overlooks the Bailey Yard, the world's largest railroad classification yard. In this yard 3000 rail cars travelling cross country are resorted each day for their new destination. The cars are pushed to a hump and then released one or two at a time to roll slowly into one of the bowls which have a total of 50 tracks to become part of a new train. There is one area for east bound trains and another for west bound. Over 150 trains a day pass through the yard which is eight miles long. There is also a engine and car repair facility, as well as, a train that is always prepared to respond to a derailment. It was great watching the constant activity going on in the yard. In Kearney we toured the Great Platte River Road Archway, a huge structure over I-80 that was constructed on site and then moved into place over the road in one piece and in one day. Exhibits trace the history of people moving west along the Platte River and include stories of mountain men, wagon trains, stagecoaches, the Pony Express, railroads, Route 30 (Lincoln Highway) and finally the interstate. The history is presented over headsets through a series of multi-media displays that tell the stories of individuals involved in each type of transportation. It is a very worthwhile stop to get a better understanding of the role Nebraska and the river valley had on western expansion. That night in Kearney we dry camped in the parking lot of the Archway which was a first for us. Being free was the plus side, being 20 yards from I-80 was the down side. The campground we are in now on the banks of the Missouri River was under water for three weeks at the end of May and work is still being done to return it to normal. We travelled only on two lane roads and enjoyed our drive across Nebraska. We now understand why they are known as the Cornhuskers because for mile after mile we drove through acres and acres of corn. It is great being back in a part of the country with green grass and trees after spending so much time in arid areas.