After yesterday’s long day, we got a late start. Still, I
made time for a swim in the Calamus Reservoir, a very scenic man-made lake with a
concrete shore line.
We chose Route 2 for our drive West through the state, and
along the way the sights were interesting but there was little to stop for. We
passed through the Nebraska Sand Hills (and into a new time zone, Mountain
Time), an enormous area of sand dunes covered by grass. These dunes stretch on
for as far as the eye can see in every direction for hours. The land is dry and the farms are gone now –
instead, cattle graze on the dunes and we saw several herds.
The size and frequency of the freight trains continue to
impress – this seems to be Burlington North Santa Fe Railroad territory, and
most of the cars were loaded with coal.
Today’s wacky
roadside visit was Car Henge. It’s exactly what it sounds like and it’s in the
middle of nowhere, Nebraska.
In the late afternoon we finally arrived in Scotts Bluff,
Nebraska. The scenery here marks the end of the flat expanses of corn and the
beginning of the dramatic landscapes of the West. We first stopped at Chimney
Rock, a rock tower along the Oregon Trail famous for serving as a landmark for
early settlers of the West. In fact, we drove on a road that used to be the
Oregon Trail.
The most dramatic sight of the day, however, was easily
Scotts Bluff National Monument. Located about 20 minutes down the road from
Chimney Rock, this is a large and famous “bluff” which we decided to hike to the top of.
After Scotts Bluff, we stopped at Walmart to pick up a new
spare tire for the trailer (I have a feeling the others don’t have much left in
them) and a resupply of groceries.
A few miles North we finally settled at Minatare State Recreation
Area, another beautiful lake. This time our campsite was right on the water,
and so we took a night swim.
Random Fact of the Day: The largest railroad yard in the
world is in Grand Island, Nebraska. We missed it because we took a different route
West, but there’s a 7 story tower you
can climb up where you get a great view of the facility. Here is a section of it from above:
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