US Hwy 30: Grains, Trains and Automobiles

I haven't given you a road picture in a few days, so here you go: Grains, trains and automobiles!



Suffice it to say that US Hwy 30 is remaining consistent in condition and ambiance. It's an amazing road, and despite its challenges I am thoroughly enjoying and benefitting from my travel on it.

Seriously, don't you have to just love driving through a town whose big claim to fame is that it's on the 100th meridian?

Between my lengthy visit to Pioneer Village this morning and my stop at the Archway Monument this afternoon, I didn't have much time left for driving. So, I've made it a short day and stopped in Gothenburg, Nebraska... Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Archway Monument

If you've ever driven I-80 past Kearney, NE, you've probably driven right under the "Great Platte River Road Archway Monument" and continued on your way. Good call on your part. I made a short detour from my route on US Hwy 30 to check it out, and wish I'd skipped it.

The first gimmick about the place -- besides being built across the interstate, of course -- is that you get to meet an authentic frontiersman with whom I just had to have my picture taken. Then you go up the escalator -- armed with a self-guided audio tour headset -- and it's all downhill from there.



The self-guided tour is a superficial journey through the history of the area, briefly mentioning all the usual suspects and events. It's heavy on the sound and light special effects, and the audio track is a somewhat confusing mix of narration, diary readings, historical speeches and news flashes. It took me less than 30 minutes, and I could probably have done it in less.

If you're looking for an air conditioned break from the road, you can get lunch at McDonalds for less than the admission here. If you just love really gimmicky glitz without a lot of substance, then the Archway Monument might just be for you!

US Hwy 30: A National Treasure In Minden, NE

A few miles south of US Hwy 30 (and I-80) in Minden, NE, is a place called Pioneer Village. I'd seen a number of advertisements for it, but I was a little concerned that it would turn out to be a tourist trap. Here's the opening blurb from the website, see what you think:

"You have to see it to believe it! The largest private collection of Americana anywhere. The Pioneer Village complex comprises 28 buildings on 20 acres housing over 50,000 irreplaceable items of historical value, restored to operating order, arranged in groups and also in the chronological order of their development."

Sounds a little hinky, right? Well, as an ardent explorer I was undeterred and made the detour. When I got there and first saw the outside of the main building, however, it did occur to me that I might have made a mistake.



The moment I stepped inside, though, I knew I'd made the right move. Pioneer Village is for real, and it is truly a national treasure. Without doubt, it is the most awesome, astonishing collection of Americana I've ever seen. The first building alone is amazing, with row after row of vintage cars arranged in chronological order of development. Corresponding eras of old planes hang overhead.

As you leave the first room, you see this sign. In any other place you'd have to think they're kidding, but here there really are hundreds and hundreds of cars!

The next room continues your odyssey through time, with carriages, carts, wagons and wheelchairs. Every item has a descriptive placard, most including an original bill of sale, title, source, etc.



And the beat goes on, through all 28 buildings. There are buildings for farm equipment, tractors and trucks. There are trains and steam engines. Horse livery, a pony express station, a fully equipped school house and even a church. Room after room of period furniture and furnishings. Toys, tools and weapons. The telephone display alone is priceless, and in many buildings there are decade-by-decade displays like this collection of 50's dresses! (How many of these did you have, Mom?)



Being able to browse each extensive collection in chronological order provides a context that is unique and truly extraordinary. The place is so awesome that I had to take a few breaks during my visit. Sitting on a bench in the lovely green, you're still surrounded by incredible Americana.



If you are ever driving US Hwy 30 or I-80 through Nebraska, you absolutely must make a visit to Pioneer Village. If you're as astonished by it as I am and want to spend longer than a day there, don't worry… There's a little motel and RV Park right next to the facility!

You know that I've been to many, many museums all over the world. Without question, Pioneer Village is the most incredible collection I have ever seen anywhere!

Click here to see exactly where Pioneer Village is on Google Maps.

US Hwy 30: On The Nebraska Prairie

After staying up really late on Sunday night to witness the spellbinding coverage of Curiosity's delivery to the surface of Mars, I got a later start than usual yesterday morning. The drive on US Hwy 30 was pretty much the same as it's been for a while, with a so-so roadway rolling through endless fields of semi-parched corn, punctuated by the occasional passing train and quick glimpses of farm towns that have seen better days. I was happy to make it a relatively short day of driving, and stopped near the small city of Grand Island.

After setting up WHQOMFTM -- my new acronym for "world headquarters of me for the moment" -- I went into town to have a quick look around and get supplies. Grand Island is a fairly bustling little city just north of the Platte River, with a wide open layout under expansive skies, and hardly a tree to be seen. It's not actually on an island, because it moved from its original location on a nearby island that was formed by the Platte and the Wood rivers.

Now here's one of those little factoids you learn by traveling with Macgellan: That island is alleged to have once been the largest inland island in the world, but it no longer exists because the Wood river no longer has a western connection to the Platte. Isn't that just the way life goes? One day you're the biggest in the world, and the next day you don't even exist! A cautionary tale, indeed!

Anyway, I was delighted to find that Grand Island has a modern multiplex cinema, so I took the opportunity to catch up on some popular culture last night by seeing the new Batman movie. It was pretty good, but I have to admit it kinda confused me about who's who and what's what now in that film franchise… Anybody else?

I got a proper start this morning and explored the area in earnest. There's a ton of history around here, based on the region's prominence in the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express, the Mormon Trail and all the other facets of westward expansion and development on the prairie.

One of the city's most prominent features is the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie which bills itself as "More than a museum… A living history experience!" That claim is backed up by an "authentic railroad town" whose precise time in history is apparently either uncertain or variable, as evidenced by the bolted-on date on it's welcome sign.



The mock town itself is quite expansive, covering several square blocks and including all sorts of establishments. These range from the eponymous railroad depot to shops for blacksmiths, milliners, hardware, dry goods and the like. There are also a school, a town hall, a marshall's office and a newspaper. Each building is staffed by a person in costume. I did my best to get in character by having a sarsaparilla at the Silver Dollar Saloon, though it was difficult to really feel the experience because I was the only visitor in the town. Once again, I had that kinda creepy feeling I was in a Twilight Zone episode!




Elsewhere on the Stuhr Museum campus is an exhibit building that houses a collection of prairie-life artifacts and displays. It's not a very extensive collection -- nor particularly well documented -- but it does offer a good overview of the area's history. All in all, the complex is worth the hour I was there.

A better museum offering is located a few miles south in the town of Hastings, aptly named the Hastings Museum. Housed in a surprisingly large facility for a small town, this well organized and very well documented collection provides a much fuller understanding of prairie life. In particular, I was impressed with descriptions of adaptations that settlers had to make when moving from life in the east. Mostly, though, the simple factors of thematic layout and organization combined with ample descriptive texts made for a very worthwhile few hours.



Among the various other sights in my exploration today, I saw a short, "actual, undisturbed" section of the Oregon Trail. It's hard to photograph a couple of ruts in the dirt, so you'll have to use your imagination. The local feed lot isn't very photogenic either.

It's been a good day on the Nebraska prairie. I'm headed farther west tomorrow… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Missouri River Bridge

Just a couple of miles west of Onawa, Iowa, lies the small town of Decatur, Nebraska. To get there, you have to cross this old bridge over the Missouri River. It's not a very reassuring sight as you approach it, and the loose steel grate decking isn't the most stable as you drive across. The toll is $1 each way. Such a deal!

US Hwy 30: Onawa, IA

You might not be impressed when you first drive into Onawa, IA, despite what is claimed to be "The widest main street in the United States." I'll admit it's pretty wide, but the widest? Not for sure.



The town's second claim -- that "Onowa, Iowa" has the highest ratio of vowels to consonants of any city/state name -- is similarly both intriguing and suspect to me. Surely there's some place in Hawaii that's at least in the running, no?

What is undisputed, however, is that Onawa is the birthplace of the Eskimo Pie!

In 1920, a young customer of ice cream shop owner Chris Nelson could not decide between an ice cream sandwich and a chocolate bar. So, Nelson created a chocolate covered ice cream bar which he originally called the "I-Scream-Bar". In 1921 Nelson entered into an agreement with Russell Stover to market and produce the product, and the creation was put on a stick in 1934. The handwritten agreement is part of a display at the Monona County Historical Museum in Onawa.



The rest of the Historical Museum is an amusing collection of "oldish stuff" from the area. There are a few items of note, but it's mostly a hodgepodge with limited documentation and organization. The same is true for the modest Railway Museum, next door at the town's "museum complex."

The Veteran's Memorial Museum, on the other hand, is a real gem. An excellent and substantial collection -- spanning every US war from the Civil War up to the present -- is very well organized, documented and maintained. Veterans of several wars and service branches were on hand, and I found them to be well-informed and engaging. This small but excellent museum is worth a visit if you're anywhere near the area.




I can't say much about another of the town's main attractions -- the Lewis & Clark state park -- because the only thing I was able to see during my visit was a replica of the expedition's keel boat. A large new building is under construction which looks like it is planned to be a historical facility.

So, despite first impressions, there's actually quite a bit of merit to the Onawa area, including a few good places to eat and drink, a nice lake for recreation and some pretty scenery. I've enjoyed my couple of days here and am well prepared to continue west tomorrow… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Corn Report

It's not obvious in the photos I've posted recently, but there really is a serious drought in effect around here. I've heard that corn is involved in about 80% of the overall food supply, so a severely damaged corn crop is sure to have profound implications going forward. I'm certainly no expert on corn, but I'm sure this doesn't look good.



Speaking of corn -- which everyone around here is doing a lot of these days -- I learned a few things in conversation during a nice dinner I had last night at a surprisingly good local joint called the Green Lantern. Sitting at the bar, I struck up my usual lively conversation with several delightful local folks, including one man who is a farmer. In addition to gaining a little insight about the effects of drought at different stages of the plants' growth, I was able to ask about a couple of things I'd seen that were a bit of a mystery to me.

The first explains why I saw some corn that had received what I referred to as a "haircut." It's actually called "detasseling" which removes the pollen-producing flowers -- the tassels -- from the tops of corn. It is a part of pollination control, used especially to cross-breed or hybridize two varieties of corn.



The second has to do with what I called "missing rows" at a far greater frequency than I could attribute to mechanical failure in the planting process. If I understand correctly, there are distinct male and female corn plants, with every fifth row being the males. By leaving out that row, the females can be cross-pollenated in a controlled manner for the specific hybridizing that is desired.



Besides reminding me that botany is so obviously my weakest science, these factoids also served to explain why I'd seen so many placards with different numbers positioned at the ends of various corn rows. Hybridizing is a big part of the corn agri-business, and the "scientists" are always trying different combinations. As the farmer described it from his perspective, "They mix and match our crops, stick numbers on them, get lucky with a cross-breed, then sell us back the seeds at higher prices." I still don't know much about corn, but that's certainly a way of doing business that I understand completely!

So, there's your corn report from the ongoing Voyages of Macgellan!

I'm about to head into the town of Onawa, IA, to do some exploring… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Iowa Express

While planning my day over coffee this morning, I had the idea to make it a short-drive day and stop somewhere in the middle of Iowa to see what I might find. The road west of Cedar Rapids is really quite good -- for a change! -- and I made good time. The miles flew under me through one vast farmland and the next and the next and the next and the next and the next and the next...



Besides passing through the occasional, tiny agricultural town, the drive was punctuated by charming little roadside cemeteries carved out of corn fields, mile-long trains that make their way nearby, and slow-moving farm vehicles that require some timing and horsepower to pass.





Before I knew it, I was well beyond my intended mid-state stopping point and barreling down the road toward Iowa's western border with Nebraska on the Missouri River. I stopped for lunch in my usual kind of place, then decided to just keep cruising on down the road. I'm glad I did, because I've found a nice campground, on a lake, with an available spot in the shade for my road rig.



I've been told that there are some fine sights and noteworthy history here in Onawa, IA, so I plan to check it out over the weekend… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Urbana, IA

Despite it being almost a hundred degrees outside, I rode my bike into the town of Urbana, IA, just to see what's what. I covered the entire town in only a few minutes and found there's absolutely nothing doing there. In fact, it was so quiet that I got kind of an eerie "Twilight Zone" feeling.

I did find one place that was open, offering food and drink in an enticing atmosphere, complete with the mid-day news weatherman offering an extremely detailed drought update on two big screen TVs!
(That's one TV for every three people in the joint!)



Who says Macgellan isn't living large!... Stay tuned!

US Hwy 30: Back On Track

Yesterday morning I drove the short distance south from my overnight camp to rejoin US Hwy 30. I know this picture doesn't look like much, but it was good to see the familiar route signs again and to know that I was getting back on track.



You may recall that I left US Hwy 30 a bit east of Chicago and have rejoined somewhat west of the city. So, technically speaking, I have omitted about 100 miles of my coast-to-coast coverage of the highway. All things considered about driving my rig through the dense -- and reportedly very difficult -- urban roadways, I'm cutting myself some slack on conformance to initial plan.

The drive through western Illinois was generally scenic, mostly offering views of substantial farms and their roadside facilities.



The roadway itself was decent is some places, and pretty miserable in many others. US Hwy 30 is a very old route, and many of the road beds show signs of not being improved for many decades. The basic construction is concrete slabs, heavily patched and seam-sealed, which results in a pretty rough, undulating surface. Between the solid suspension of my long-bed truck and the extended length of my camper sled, it felt like we pretty much bounced our way across the state.

Every now and then, the route passes through small towns in widely varying condition. A few are fairly tidy, showing some signs of prosperity and even a bit of technological modernity.



Other towns give the impression of having lost their battle with aging, and bespeak the effects of being quite literally "passed by" over time.



In this area, Interstate 80 runs parallel to US Hwy 30 only about 20 miles to the south. No matter how much of a main thoroughfare this old highway once was, it is impossible to compete with the efficiency of a modern interstate. The roadway itself and the towns along it have clearly suffered from long term economic deprivation, even neglect.

In due course, I crossed the Mississippi River and entered the state of Iowa. Despite the fancy sign, warm welcome and modern bridge, the roadway and towns continued in the same fashion throughout my approach to the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids.



In contrast to all of my previous US Highway expeditions -- where RV parks have been numerous all along the routes -- US Hwy 30 has offered very few places in close proximity to the road to stop for the night. In this area there have been none available, a condition which I suspect is due to the same economic effects of the nearby interstate now carrying the bulk of the traffic.

Whatever the reason, I diverted about 20 miles north of Cedar Rapids to find a tidy RV park just across the interstate from the small town of Urbana. After two solid days on the road, I'm taking today to catch up with myself and check out the surroundings… Stay tuned!

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