Tourists, Pioneers & Adventurers

Guernsey State Park, WY

Continuing our drive up the Sand Hill Scenic Highway in the early morning light was beautiful. The subtle breeze swayed the tall prairie grasses and flowers and we were rewarded with greens and yellows of every hue. Our only company was the coal trains that relentlessly rolled on.

We eventually made it into the far western side of Nebraska and pulled into the town of Alliance. (Which we now appreciate all the more since we know it's the birthplace of Janet Lamb - of Lamb's Victorian Inn in Grass Valley!). What makes Alliance so special, beside the just mentioned fact, is wonderful kitschy tourist attractions. First stop was Carhenge. It is a replica of England's Stonehenge and was dedicated on the summer solstice in 1987. As far as roadside attractions go, it really doesn't get better than this. Several vintage cars ('46 Willy's Jeep Truck, '57 Plymouth, '71 Vega - just like Ned's dad owned, '62 Valiant, '70 Gremlin - just for you Cary, and a '59 Cadillac to name a few) all gloriously stacked one on top of the other. It was truly a hoot. Of course we had to pick up a shot glass and t-shirt to commemorate the occasion.

Also in Alliance is Dobby's Frontier Town. This little gem is located in the backyard of "Dobby" Lee. His hobby was collecting buildings and artifacts that would have been destroyed or discarded. It isn't particularly neat and tidy (ahem), but what it lacks in charm it makes up in complete weirdness. It's totally free, you can go into each building and pick-up and touch whatever you want. Dobby says he trusts you to leave things in tact. How can you not love that? As we were wandering through this little "Frontier Land", looking at the Saloon, Post Office, Bank, Old Soda Shop, Hamburger Stand, Gas Station and various stuff strewn all about, we wandered into the General Store. The owner's daughter (I think) was meeting with a gentlemen attired in a bee-keepers hat. I overheard the following conversation, "So, we know there are bees in this wall from the window to the corner of the building. Forty years ago when we got this building from Colorado, it had the bees in it. We didn't want to destroy the bees so as we drove the building here, we kept stopping every few miles to allow the bees to catch up." What?! We had so many questions! And why do you want the bees to be moved now? We asked the gentlemen if he planned on taking the bees. His response, "I guess, at least half of them. Don't know if I need that many." While in the General Store I decided to finish that checker game that I started yesterday. For the record, dad, all that thinking paid off. I won:)

After that little tourist excursion, we were onto Wyoming to learn all about the Overland Trails and see the mighty Scott's Bluff. (Hat tip to my big bro who suggested we stop off here.) The irony did not go unnoticed by us that we were using google map to find it when the pioneers used this mighty bluff to actually GUIDE them on their journeys. Many years ago Ned and I drove the original Route 66. For the record, driving highway 2 in this part of the country is MUCH better for authentic businesses of that era. We were loving the ice cream stand, gas station and bakery we spotted, to just name a few.

Scott's Bluff National Monument is impressive for it's geology, a massive bluff towering 800 feet over the valley floor, and for it's role in the Western Expansion. Many of the overland trails passed through this route - the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express. After taking in a film at the Visitor's Center we decided to take a bike ride, suggested by the park ranger, thru the tall prairie grasses. It was unbelievable and really gave you a feeling of what the pioneers experienced. It was blazing hot, close to 100, and I have to admit that our hour bike ride was a bit much for me.

Continuing our education of the Western expansion, we decided to check out Fort Laramie as well. By the time we arrived there, the weather had changed dramatically from brutal heat beating down on us to a huge storm beginning to brew. Fort Laramie is amazing! The history, the huge expanse, the buildings old and new, truly an interesting place. Again, our first stop was the visitor's center and taking in a movie. During the movie they referenced an iron bridge that we had spotted on our drive in. We had assumed it was part of a bike trail. What we learned was that it was built in 1875 as part of the Calvary's plan to attack the Indians. Pretty impressive to see this bridge still standing today. Our initial plan was to ride our bikes through-out the grounds and check-out all the buildings and the bridge. However, the foreboding skies caused us to hesitate. We spent some time just taking in the black, grey, green and blue skies. We had an amazing viewpoint over a huge vista and watched rain, lightening and streaks of sun pierce the landscape. No sooner had we made it into the car then the heavens opened up and boy did the rain fall. Good thing we held off on that bike ride!

Our campsite tonight is one of the more unique places we have ever camped. It's on a damed part of the Platte River. Driving over the dam and seeing the river rage through a very small gorge gave us goosebumps. We are camped high on a bluff overlooking the river. It's very primitive (no flush toilets, no really designated areas) and we had the place to ourselves for quite awhile. After all the reading about the pioneers, Indians, Calvary, etc. we felt like one of the early settlers making our way on the Pioneer Trail. Just us - the dramatic bluffs, river and ominous skies. That is, until a few minutes ago, when several families, complete with 6 kids and 2 boats decided to share our spot. Oh well, I'll keep living the fantasy. We still have 3 more days of our vacation.