And I would drive 500 miles, and I would drive 500 more!

Like the old camp song goes, second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse.  

Seriously though, day 2 of the tour was another day on the road, and another beautiful 500 miles of the USA, starting in Cheyenne, WY, and ending at Council Bluffs, IA, on the banks of the Missouri River. 

To some people, states like Nebraska, Iowa, etc., are just fly-over-states, but they are truly beautiful.  Over the years, I've lived in America's Deep South, Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, California (which is it's own thing), Hawaii, Midwest and Mountain West, and I visited the rest.  America is unbelievably large, and unimaginably beautiful.  Its deserts, mountains, plains, forests and coastlines each have their own beauty.  And on day two of the tour, I left the Mountain West and entered the Great Plains - Nebraska!

Western Nebraska shifts from the short-grass prairies of eastern Wyoming into the gently rolling plains and farmland of the midwest.  I traveled west to east across the entire state along I-80, much of which parallels the Platte River - about which, I am told, explorers and pioneers used to say, "It's too shallow to navigate, and too wet to plow."  That's about right.

Just to whet your appetite for this great state, here is a shot of what western Nebraska is will treat you to:

As the day went on, I passed some interesting icons.

This is the Great Platte River Road Gateway Monument. And this is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

"The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is a monument on Interstate 80 located three miles east of Kearney, Nebraska, United States. Originally proposed in 1997 and opened in July 2000, it houses a historical experience that tells the story of Nebraska and the Platte River Valley in the development of America."

If you are driving along I-80, you might be tempted to think that Nebraska is covered entirely by trees, but in the Great Plains, trees are found where there is water, and its riverbanks are almost entirely lined by them.  The rest of the state is gently rolling hills and agricultural fields.

Nebraska's primary crops are corn, soybeans and wheat.  And this is what a typical rural Nebraska skyline looks like.

The eastern end of Nebraska is defined by the Missouri River, which has its headwaters hundreds of miles away in the mountains of Montana, and joins the Mississippi just north of St. Louis, MO.

I was surprised and delighted to discover the vistas above when I opened the curtains in my hotel room.  The place I stayed in Council Bluffs, IA, was right on the bank of the Missouri River.

The plan for day 3?  The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, NE.  

Stay tuned!

Day 3 - Oct 8 - A change of directions from West to East to North to South - Wall SD to York NE

Over the past couple of days, the rest of the Mud Dragons could see that this trip has been bittersweet for me.  They could see that I was enjoying the stops, the fans (yeah, like there are any!?), and being on the road.  At the same time, we were all starting to question whether I had the heart to complete the eastern leg of the tour - Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, DC, Tennessee, and Louisiana.  So after some discussion, we canceled the eastern dates of the tour, and after spending the morning in Badlands National Park, headed south toward Texas where my mother lives with my sister and her family.  This was kind of a surprising development, but we all feel good about it, and we had a peaceful, smooth day of driving.

So, here's a recap of the day.

On Day 2, I was able to catch sunset in Badlands, and today (Day 3) I was able to catch the morning sun hitting the orange and white and yellow formations in the park.  

The park continues to be stunning, and once I'm there, it's hard to tear myself away.  

This is the approach portion of a like to Notch.  It's probably the most well-known hike in the entire park.  As I walking into the ever tightening canyon, the thought came to me, "This feels like being in an Indiana Jones movie."  It was extremely cool.

The photo below shows a wooden rung trail/ladder up to the cliff edge portion of the trail, that you can see in the following photo.

After a couple of hours in the park, I had to pull myself away, pile back into the tour bus, and get on the road with the new plan...heading south.  Ah, "I always like going south, it feels like going downhill."  OK, who knows the movie quote?  OK, Grant and Emily, I know you do...who else?  :-D

Just across the freeway from the east entrance road to Badlands NP, is the Minuteman National Historical Site.  

I decided that I should stop in, since I was already right there and everything.  So I did.  

This is a small site, and no, it's not a decommissioned silo, which is what I was hoping for.  What it is though, is a place where you can learn more about the nuclear arms race, mainly between the USA and USSR, starting back in the 1940s, and fully hit its stride in the 1960s.  At this site, they show short documentaries about the 1960s when things were really heating up, and that's what hit me right between the eyes.  As I was watching one video, they had footage of elementary school children doing duck and cover drills.  I was one of those kids.  I started elementary school in 1965, and at the time we lived just outside of New Orleans, Louisiana.  I remember doing duck and cover drills, and I now know how futile doing that would be if you were anywhere near a nuclear blast.  But, that was the message and the drill about how to stay safe...back in the day.  I then wandered around the other exhibits for a little while, but within about 10-15 minutes, I started feeling stressed and decided to get out of there.  

I wish we could all trust each other enough to just get rid of those damn things (nuclear weapons)!  But, sadly, given the world we live in, that's just not going to happen.

All right, back to the drive...

I've driven east-west through the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas, multiple times, but I'd never been on a north-south route.  And you know what?  There's no interstate that runs north-south through the western or central regions of those states, so it was a day of two-lane state highways.  That's OK.  

And so, I made it to Nebraska (add another state to the list).  And who knew that Nebraska of all places was the home of the great American Holiday, Arbor Day!!??  If you stop and think for a second, it makes sense.  How else would anyone in Nebraska have any trees around?  :-D

This also reminds me of a saying I once heard said regarding Iowa.  When someone asks what Iowa is like, one response says, "Iowa...it's more fun than Nebraska, but not as cold as Minnesota!"

Did you know that the central region of Nebraska is called the Sandhills Region?  These sand hills are a seemingly endless series of small mounds that go on and on and on.  Here's a photo that I didn't take (photo credit: https://www.sandhillsjourney.com/about/sandhills-journey).  The low hills are sand dunes that are now covered in grass.  Where did the come from?  At the end of the last ice age, massive glaciers in the Rocky Mountains melted and carried eroded sand far out on the plains to the east.  Wind then formed the sand into dunes, and grasses grew and now hold the dunes in place.  Now THAT'S cool!

In case you are curious, here's how big the Sandhill region is.  And I drove right through the center of it, and believe me, it goes on and on!

 Along the way I made new friends...

And saw old ones (we lived in Indiana for 10 years, and they grow LOTS of corn there too..

And after a day on the road, I called it quits in York, Nebraska, on I-80, about three hours north of Wichita, Kansas, my hometown.  Well, at least where we lived when I graduated from HS.  

And that, as they say, is that!

Thanks for checking in, everyone.