Fond greetings,
For the third day in a row I woke up to a heavy thunderstorm going on outside. I had a long drive ahead of me so as soon as it let up I hit the road. The first part of my drive was actually pretty nice. The sun didn't peak through the clouds very often, but there was very little rain. My first stop was 130 miles west of Lincoln in Kearney, Nebraska. Here I visited the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument.
The Archway spans more than 300 feet over Interstate 80.
I spent about an hour here walking through the exhibits. It is a museum of and monument to Nebraska's and the Platte River valley's role in westward expansion.
The Archway takes visitors along the trails, rails, highways and superhighways in a self-guided audio tour that includes stories of the travelers along the way.
My inside photos didn't come out too good. Kind of dark. They were blurry without the flash but it was too big an area for the flash to do much good. Below is a picture of Interstate 80 from inside the Archway.
After leaving the Archway it was a hundred mile drive to North Platte. I stayed dry on that drive until the last few miles before arriving in town. I arrived a few minutes past noon, central time. My first order of business was lunch. I skipped my free breakfast at the hotel this morning because I was not at all hungry. But now I was. I ate at the place I tried to eat at last night, but they were closed for Memorial Day, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.
The main reason for stopping in North Platte was to visit the Golden Spike Railroad Tower.
You get a bird's eye view of the world's largest rail yard from the seventh and eighth floors of the tower.
Next it was a 52 mile drive to Ogallala, Nebraska to get gas. There was a light rain falling the whole way.
That wasn't where I got my gas but it was a neat vintage service station now serving as the town's visitor center. Now came the miserable part of the day. It was a 170 mile drive to my hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and it rained HARD until I hit the Wyoming state line about 140 miles into the drive. It's still raining, just not as hard. Thank god for the radar cruise control. At least the car would slow itself down when I approached another car. I could only see about ten feet ahead.
I have switched to the Mountain Time Zone. It has also switched from summer back to winter. It is freezing here. I just got back from picking up my dinner at Texas Roadhouse and there was a small patch of snow outside the restaurant. The bank thermometer said 35 degrees. Tonight I am staying at Staybridge Suites. I don't remember ever staying at one before. It is very nice.
That brings you up to date. I know you were probably anxiously awaiting my email.
Tim
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