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Published: September 29th 2023
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Old Depot Winery
Great time with owner Sharon and staff Bill, friend Kate and I resumed our journey across the USA on the original transcontinental highway in the heat of August. I was excited to return to Omaha where I spent most of my high school years. We planned a full day to finish up the last section of the Lincoln Highway in Iowa, then revisiting my old haunts and Omaha home. It was a nice icebreaker to remind us of the challenges of the road ahead as we traversed farm roads along the Loess Hills of Iowa. Omaha has emerged as a vibrant city – lots of development. I used to take quiet hikes in Fontenelle Forest with my parents – it’s now an admission-based attraction and even offers ziplining, ropes and bridges high above the forest floor. My personal highlight, after stopping by Mercy High School (still a Catholic girls’ school), was enjoying a cheese Frenchee at Don & Millie’s. Back in my day, I enjoyed these special eastern Nebraska deep fried sandwiches at the old King’s but Don & Millie’s have done a great job keeping this treat alive!
Day 2 – Omaha to Grand Island. So far, we were very impressed with Nebraska! And in line
Original Brick Paving
4 mile stretch in Elkhorn, NE with our goal to have the state sandwich in each state, we enjoyed a Runza at – guess where? – Runzas which is a chain specializing in these tasty pocket sandwiches. We were surprised at the number of beautifully preserved original brick pavement from 1913, including 4 full miles in Elkhorn. Here we encountered a Youtube channel team shooting a 10-part series on the Lincoln Highway. After we enjoyed watching their drone chase a rare Lincoln pickup truck, we were interviewed for the upcoming series.
As usual, we encountered amazing surprises. Who knew that Andrew Higgins, the World War II hero who developed the famous landing craft for D-Day, was born in Columbus, Nebraska. There is a lovingly preserved monument there with a replica of the Higgins boat we clambered onto. Or while still in Omaha, we encountered a rare pedestrian tunnel, circa 1930, that goes under the Lincoln Highway. Far from a lonely sight, the Dodge Street Subway is restored and actively used by the upscale residents of West Omaha.
Day 3: After a night in Grand Rapids we plunged ahead to North Platte. So many new sights! We drove a fair number of the “stair step”
Cozad, NE
Made it Halfway across the USA routes common in the farm and ranch country. We also joined up with Pony Express route and toured the Pony Express Station Museum in Gothenburg, where Bill posted our postcards in a saddle bag a la Pony Express. Today also marked the midway point of the Lincoln Highway and the “100
th Meridian” in Cozad designated by the transcontinental railroad to mark the beginning of the western section of the railroad. We had a fun stop at the Old Depot along the Gothenburg stair steps – a local winery featuring grapes from their vineyard. They also feature a unique rhubarb wine which grows abundantly in Nebraska. Old Depot is a lovingly restored train station moved deep into farm country from a neighboring town. We enjoyed an amazing array of appetizers as well and had a great chat with owner Sharon Axthelm. (Just in case you’re concerned, Bill is our designated driver so Kate and I could indulge!) Not far from the Old Depot, we got into North Platte. We arrived a bit early so we took a lot of time at an awesome World War II Memorial dedicated to the people who served and were served at the North Platte Canteen.
Iowa Lincoln Highway Overlook
3389 miles across America! That's our goal! North Platte was a railroad stop for soldiers and sailors and a community based labor of love to feed and entertain the troops. And had our best dinner along the way at the Cedar Room. I’m still dreaming of the General Tso brussels sprouts appetizer!
Day 4: This is where the rubber meets the road – literally! Today we left North Platte early and traveled as far as Big Springs Nebraska to the contentious junction of two 1913 Lincoln Highway routes – the Denver loop to the south and the continuation into Wyoming to the north. The Denver loop lost out in 1915 but because it was an original alignment option we took this route (vowing to come back to Big Springs on our next trip). Towns along this way have been forgotten and many look forlorn and almost abandoned. We had two big adventures that day: finding a rest room and finding the road. While the Lincoln Highway map maintained by the Lincoln Highway Association is excellent https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/map/, the Colorado segment is not as well documented so we stumbled into at least one farmer’s field and had a failed attempt at maintaining the route
Inspecting the Road Ahead
Lonely Eastern Colorado road - no go! on a deeply rutted farm road. We did get to Lucy’s Place near Sedgwick off the route to enjoy a bison burger (Colorado state sandwich) and visit the rest room. We made it to Sterling for a relaxing evening at the Best Western Sundowner. The rental van was covered with several inches of caked dirt at this point.
Day 5: Today we pushed through to Denver – really not a bad drive and we quite enjoyed Fort Morgan, which in addition to some great Lincoln Highway sights like the historic Valley Drive In had a nice small town vibe. We learned that Fort Morgan had been featured on Hometown Takeover and we enjoyed seeing how they helped give downtown a fresh, integrated look. We drove through Aurora as far as the state Capitol in Denver along Colfax Avenue. Due to some hotel accommodation rearrangement we stayed the night in Centennial south of Denver but great to enjoy the complimentary cocktails at Embassy Suites and a great morning omelette.
Day 6: Denver to Fort Collins was a little trickier than we anticipated but we negotiated our way north through several attractive towns including Lafayette and Longmont. In Fort Collins we enjoyed a late lunch at 415. Given our exhaustion factor, it was a good idea to pick a place that matched its address (415 S. Mason). We sat outside, a hot day but very pleasant and sipped wine and nibbled on appetizers.
Here we said goodbye to the Denver loop, with our next scheduled adventure where we’ll rejoin the last bit of Colorado from Cheyenne back to Fort Collins. Heads up: roads are going to be rougher and more challenging, but we’re ready! Stay tuned!
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