After five nights in Kearney, it was time to depart and head west. My first stop was to be the Golden Spike Tower just outside North Platte, Nebraska. Now let’s hear from the “Wouldn’t ya just know it?” department:
Earlier this week, I spent an entire day wandering slowly to the east of Kearney, looking for cranes but never getting closer than about 100 yards. Today I drove west from Kearney for 90 minutes, to the Golden Spike Tower. When I arrived, with no thought of cranes in my noggin, I was greeted by a group of cranes who were practically invading the parking lot. I was able to hang out within 30 yards of this flock for quite some time. I did some rapid-fire camera clickin’ for the landing sequence below. I guess the “high speed” memory card I bought a decade ago was worth the extra couple bucks. Observe the results:
Having spent enough time with the cranes at one end of the parking lot, it was time to turn my attention to the other side of the parking lot: The Golden Spike Tower. This building was constructed for railfans by the Union Pacific. Why here? Because this is the site of the world’s largest (and probably busiest) railyard. It’s called Bailey Yard and approximately TEN THOUSAND railroad cars come through here every day! The yard is eight miles long and covers 2,850 acres. I had figured this would be neat to see, just for the size of it, but that I’d only stay for a few minutes. Instead, I found myself wishing that I’d stayed longer, as I could see myself really getting into the operations of this massively complex facility. I got a few quick pics for your enjoyment:
I call this website a “Parkinson’s Travel Blog”, yet I am ten days into this trip and haven’t said a thing about Parkinson’s Disease. Part of that is because I have been very proactive about urinary urgency – I have been making a conscious effort to visit the toilet before leaving any place, regardless of whether I feel like I actually need to. But after a lunch stop at Ogallala, I departed from the Interstate and began following the less-traveled state and US highways, where towns are few and far between and public toilets are nearly non-existent. Bushes or clumps of trees are also quite hard to find. But there are things we haven’t seen along the Interstate: Hills. Rocks, even. No, really! Look…
It was right about when I spotted Chimney Rock that the Mountain Dew I had been sucking down finally checked into my bladder. I began looking for any suitable place to stop and take a squeege but, as I explained above, ain’t nothin’ out here. As the need to “go” rapidly became more urgent, I finally settled on a clump of cottonwood trees in a dry ditch. As I ran from the car through the tall dead grass, it occurred to me that there is another reason (besides The Great Crane Migration) why this is the best time of year is the best time to visit Nebraska: the snakes are still hibernating. Yes, folks, this is most definitely rattlesnake territory! But cold-blooded critters like snakes keep themselves safely underground when it’s this cold outside.
Having drained my bladder, I was back on the road. I got a few more pics of hills-n-rocks before reaching my next destination…
My next destination was Scotts Bluff National Monument, a gigantic rock sticking up out of the plains. The nearby town of Scottsbluff is named for it. Note that the town’s name is one word, and the rock’s name is two words. I’m not sure who decided it should be that way. Probably the same people who were behind the whole Kearny / Kearney deal I mentioned a couple days ago. I arrived too late in the day to go up the Bluff (there’s a road you can drive to the top), but I wasn’t upset – it was cold and super-windy down in town. I did NOT want to see what the wind was like 800 feet up in the air. Instead, I just drove around the south end of the bluff and got a few pics…
I had heard about a place in the town of Scottsbluff. This place was called the Midwest Theater, and it was supposed to be the best (and maybe only) art deco in town. With the waning sunlight, I headed downtown to find it. Imagine my shock and horror when I discovered that it, like the amphitheater in Harmon Park, is in the midst of being remodeled and/or restored. So, the following is the only photo I took of the Midwest Theater:
For the second time on this trip, I have been let down by an unexpected remodel. So, with tears in my eyes and a tapeworm in my gut, I went to check in at the hotel Arcadia in the very nearby town of Gering. On my first attempt, I missed the turn, and ended up looping through the neighborhood behind the hotel. This is not a good-looking neighborhood. When I got into the hotel parking lot, I quickly realized that they had erected a cinder block wall around the lot, such that there was only one way in or out. I started thinking that I may be in a bad neighborhood, but then I remembered where I was. Outside of Omaha (and maybe Lincoln), there are no bad neighborhoods in Nebraska, just monetarily disadvantaged ones. And I was pleasantly surprised by my hotel room. Despite the no-frills look on the outside, this is a very up-to-date and clean facility, with very helpful staff.
There was a Chinese buffet a couple buildings down the street, so I had dinner there. Nothing out of the ordinary. Good, but not spectacular. After dinner, it was time for sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. Good night, gentle reader!
Voyages with Parkinson's 