Nebraska Is Kinda Charming

After bypassing the flooding on Interstate 29, I spent about a day and a half driving across Nebraska.  There's not a whole lot to see or do in Nebraska, but it's not the most desolate place I've been (that honor belongs to North Dakota, which I drove through in May, 2010).  One could spend a handful of days in Nebraska, stopping at random towns along the way to see things.  And if one was willing to wander off the Interstates, they could see even more.

My first stop was at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, to see its International Quilt Study Center and Museum.  I didn't see any of the University other than the Center.  And honestly, I went more so that my mom could get a taste of the place than for any true interest on my part, but it was pretty cool anyway.  The place is both a museum and reseach facility for quiting.  The exhibit I toured was quilts of the Revolutionary era.  Some were extremely pretty and intricate, and I can't believe how well-preserved they are!

Nebraska made a good first impression when I arrived at the Center just as it was closing, but the clerk let me go explore anyway.  And she didn't even charge me admission because she knew I wouldn't be there very long!  Then on my way out, she gave me a lot of tips about places to stop along my drive.  Nebraska seems to be the quilting capital of America, so mom, if you're looking for a place to visit and learn about quilts, consider a few days in Nebraska.

After camping for a night, I continued west along Interstate 80, making a few stops along the way.  And skipping a few that sounded interesting in the guidebooks because they looked really cheesy when I got there.  (**cough** Great Platte River Road Archway **cough**)

One charming little stop was at a Pony Express Depot -- a real one, not a replica.  For those of you who, like me, were taught that the Pony Express was a big freaking deal across the entire history of the wild west, well...  About a year ago, Nicky and I went to the Postal Museum (a very good museum in DC!  I urge you to check it out!) and learned that the Pony Express only operated for 18 months.  Can you believe that?  After all the bru-ha-ha they make over it in school!  18 months!  Then at the depot I learned it only ran along one road, with a few offshoots along the way!  Well, some of the romance of the wild west has definitely disappeared from my life, that's for sure.  :(  But the depot and the small town it's in were charming and worth the stop.

Another stop was at the Museum of Nebraska Art.  It was small, but in an old restored post office that is now on the National Register of Historic Places.  Its exhibits are limited to artists from Nebraska or to art of Nebraska.  It was quite manageable for a short little stop.  And it's located in a really neat small town in the middle of Nebraska, Kearney.  double check.  While my first impression of Kearney was that it was nothing but gas stations, motels, and fast food restaurants, once I was off the main road, it was pretty nice.  Other than the museum, I spent the rest of my time in town walking up and down an old historic street, doing a bit of shopping and dining and just watching people and things go by.  I was surprised to see so much character in such a small place -- especially in the middle of Nebraksa.  But maybe that's unfarir; maybe I just don't know enough about Nebraska to know that it has character if you know where to look.

The Union Pacific Railroad operates the largest rail yard in the world in North Platte.  I'm not a big rail fan, but last summer while driving across the northern U.S. with my parents, we followed a railway line all the way from Chicago to Idaho.  The Great Northern, I think.  And it piqued my interest in railroads, so when I saw the Bailey Railway Yard on a list of things to see in Nebraska, I decided to stop.

Union Pacific built an 8-story tower for visitors to climb (or ride the elevator, more likely) to see the yard from above.  My photos don't do it justice; I'd need to talk a helicopter ride or something to really get a good shot.  But at its busiest part, the yard is 64 train tracks wide.  It was pretty neat watching the trains go back and forth, and single cars being fed into a line to join a train.  The yard is worth a stop if you ever drive across Nebraska, just beware of GPSs that direct you to cross all 64 tracks from the north, instead of coming at the tower from the south.

My last stop in Nebraska was in Ogalalla, which I aimed for because my favorite character in Lonesome Dove lived there.  (Yeah, some of my stops are kind of random.)  Its one draw was the Boot Hill Cemetery, so named because of the number of people who died and were buried with their boots on.  Although I think all of the bodies have been re-interred elsewhere, the graveyard still stands, right in the middle of a neighborhood of single family homes.  Ogallala appeared to be less commercialized than some of the other small towns I passed through, and had I not crashed quite so early, I might have gone out to one of the local bars to eat BBQ and meet some cowboys.  Ah well, next time!

Presumably was not buried in his boots, as he was too poor to own a pair.

My drive the next morning took me to Denver, Colorado, which I stayed in for five nights and will talk about in my next post.