Railroads galore

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Geo: 41.1334, -104.814

It was a long day of driving through more farmland today. We left Lincoln at 8:00 and 64 degrees. As soon as we got on the road, it was easy to see that we would be back in the corn fields for another day. It appears that this part of the state has been suffering from drought. The medians and the areas by the roadside were yellow from a lack of water, and some fields were straining for life, where the corn stalks were small and yellowish and some plants had clearly died. Farms with irrigation systems were actively watering their fields with portable sprinklers that are as long as the fields are wide, some rusty with age and others shiny and new. The water created rainbows when penetrated by the rays of the sun. And their plants were tall and a healthy green.

We saw fields where wheat had grown but had been harvested and all that remained were the short stubs of plants that used to be. But the color was still very distinctively gold…a deep rich gold, and side by side with fields of mellow green corn and fields of dark green soy beans, the landscape was a beautiful palate and pleasing to the eye.

Along the road we saw a biker with long gray hair flowing in the breeze and his sleeping bag tied securely to the back of his bike, protected by a clear plastic cover, and I mused, it appears that this guy travels cheap. When he is tired, he pulls off the road, pulls out his sleeping bag, tosses it on a soft spot on the ground and he has a makeshift hotel room for the night.

Further west we began to see ranches mixed in with the farms. At one place we saw a herd of black cows huddled together by a windmill, drinking from the vat of well water, and one sole brown bull that seemed to have love on his mind, but was not finding any co-operation from the cow he was attempting to engage with.

Then suddenly the topography changed, and as green and lush as the fields seemed to be on the right side of the road, on the left side were rocky knolls…small hills with jagged limestone peeking out of the sides and small mesas projecting out like fingers from the earth. Just about this time we found the railroads. For those who have read my other blogs, you know that we often follow the trains as their tracks parallel the highway, sometimes crossing over us, sometimes below. But constantly there, and they soon become a friend in our travels. And just about the same time, rather predictably, the number of semi's on the road dropped dramatically. Where there were often more trucks than cars, now the trucks were few, and oh how much better the view became without these constant obstructions beside us.

It was clear that the agricultural industry is alive and well in Nebraska, and so is the cattle industry. And with the ranches come hay fields, some with full growth, some being cut and baled, and some harvested and waiting for another full growth to complete another cycle. Many fields contained large round bales drying in the sun and a few even had the rectangular bales, more easily maneuvered by hand.

Then we saw something we had not yet seen on this trip, something I was not expecting. We saw oil wells with their hammers bobbing up and down in a rhythmic dance, bringing the oil to the surface and storing it in holding tanks nearby. There were not many of these wells, but a few farmers were lucky enough to have them.

As we got to Cheyenne, we saw what appeared to be a large natural gas plant, with a complex menagerie of tall spires of steel, and one chimney with a large flame burning at the top. We turned into the city and set out to find the capitol building. It was not difficult, as we could see the gold dome from quite a distance away. Since we had another time change today, we arrived in town early, so we decided to drive around and see what Cheyenne is all about. The immediate area around the capitol is office buildings housing the Supreme court and legislative offices. But as we moved just a few streets away, the neighborhood got rather rough. The medians and aprons along the sidewalks were overgrown with dead grass, not mowed for way too long. The homes were a mixture of old brick structures and small wooden bungalows, all tightly packed together. Some of the houses could not have been more than 500 sq. ft. And in the center of this unkempt neighborhood was a park, pristine, with well manicured lawns and mature shade trees and…no one there. No one. Moving on, we saw old businesses with signs right out of the 50's, never updated. Cheyenne is a tired, old town. We did eventually see some newly constructed homes, but they were apartments…four units packed into a structure the size of a 2-story single family home.

At one point we drove on a modern road that crossed over a huge railway yard, with many tracks and trains parked on some of the tracks. Little did I know that our hotel would be located right along this railway yard. No one on tripadvisor.com thought to mention this obvious fact. And the first time Steve took Beamer for a walk, a train came by and hooted its whistle, and Beamer almost jumped out of his skin. Poor guy. Oh, well. It is just for one night. Tomorrow we head for Cody, Wyoming, up near Yellowstone National Park.

BTW, I was not on the job today. I failed to take photos along the way. But I have some of the city and they are posted here. I will do better tomorrow, I promise.

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Photos

We saw this plate and...
as the guy got out of his car I was tempted to ask if he drove all the way from Hawaii, but I controlled myself.