One Day, One State

Wow, what can you say about driving all day, from the eastern edge of Nebraska to the western edge of Nebraska? It was like... driving all day. We took turns driving and napping. We admired how flat this state is. We listened to part of "The Horse and His Boy" (Chronicles of Narnia) on CD. We stopped for lunch at a Runza. We saw a few interesting bluffs. We saw lots of cows. We stopped at a couple of historical markers. We stopped at a little store and gas station for snacks. (No, really, these ARE the highlights!) The wind was blowing pretty hard the whole time, but it was at our back, which may have helped gas mileage. It occurred to me, going 65 miles per hour down a paved highway, that we were going farther in 1/2 an hour than the pioneers did on a good day!

For most of the trip, we traveled alongside the Platte river, just like the pioneers. At one point, we left I-80 and followed highway 26 northwest, to keep following the pioneer trail. Actually, we saw one sign that said we were following the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Pony Express Route all at once. We took this detour off the Interstate to more closely follow these pioneer trails, and to put us on track to go to the Mormon Handcart Visitors' Center in Wyoming tomorrow. One geographical highlight that we enjoyed following this route was Chimney Rock, famous landmark for all pioneers making this trek. So, yes, I had to get a photo.

For dinner, we went to a local steakhouse here in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Somehow, it just seemed appropriate.