Nebraska History
Nebraska History Events, Places, and Rides
Why does it always rain when we ride east for a camping trip?????
Chapter W was scheduled to head out for GWTA Nebraska's State Friendship Campout on Friday afternoon. At 2 pm the day's foggy, gray skies and sprinkles turned into steady rains. We rain-suited up as soon as Hammy stepped off the bus and headed to town to meet up with the other Frenchman Valley Riders. (Note: If you want to really evaluate the condition of your paved roads, ride a trike while pulling a camper in the middle of a rainstorm.) Hammy squealed in delight the whole way to town as plumes of water sprayed out of the wheel ruts and high alongside our floorboards. Hmmmm, haven't we done this before on the way to Region C's Rally? Luckily this day's trip didn't include any tornados, lightning, or even the usual Nebraska wind.
By Holdrege, the rain had stopped, and we paused to visit with FVR members Don & DeEtte. We sipped raspberry tea (fast becoming a FVR staple) and coffee while watching news reports of Hurricane Ike's arrival on the Texas coast. The final leg of our trip ended with some fairly nice late afternoon riding. We pulled into Fort Kearny State Recreation Area and set up camp just after dark. After a late supper and visits with other campers, we called it a night.
Saturday started out the best way possible -- just plain lazy. Give me a cup of coffee, a crispy clear blue sky, a comfy chair around the campfire, and the sounds of fall blowing through the cottonwoods. I love waking up slowly to the sound of leaves dancing in the trees.
Most of the morning's entertainment came from watching Roadrunner's attempts to start a fire. Everything was damp, and we finally resorted to burning junk mail and old road
maps to get the wood started. Chapter W soon had chairs around the
fire ring, coffee brewing, bacon sizzling, and toast and fresh eggs ready for
Chef Bob (a man of many talents, we discovered this trip) to work his magic. The smell of bacon and warmth of the fire soon had members popping out of their tents to enjoy a lazy breakfast among friends. It didn't take Hammy long to scout out a few playmates among the group of geocachers sharing the campground and get a game of HyperDash started.
At noon, campers rode to Fort Kearny Historical Park and toured the grounds. We learned a few things from the Welcome Center's slide show and strolled the grounds. Interesting facts: The stockade design for western forts is something more out of the Hollywood movies than reality... Fort Kearny's original design was actually a group of buildings and a parade ground surrounded by cottonwood trees. Later, earth works were added and a small stockade built. Fort Kearny never suffered a direct attact, even during the years of the Indian wars. It's main purpose was to protect and supply migrants on the Oregon Trail and later workers during the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. Fort Kearny is also meantioned in Jules Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days. COOL!
Next up: the Great Platte River Road Archway and lunch. The archway was built to resemble a covered bridge and spans I-80 near the Kearney exit ramp. The exterior colors of the arch were inspired by our Nebraska sunsets. The interactive displays inside the arch tell the story of our country's migration west via the famous Oregon Trail, the first transcontinental highway (the Lincoln 
Highway), the first interstate (I-80) and the information highway (fiber optic cable system). While we visited with some newcomers in the parking lot, Hammy made a dash for the entrance to talk to the archway's mountainman as he greeted tourists and directed visitors.
Chapter W was still full from the morning's meal, so we decided to skip lunch and head straight for a Dairy Queen dessert. Before heading back to the campgrounds for a little down time, we visited Cabela's and then grabbed some supplies for the Saturday night cookout.
Back at Fort Kearny, it was time for Wood-Chopping 101. Chapter W's fearless leader Jim provided the afternoon's entertainment as he assisted Zach and Dalton with preparing firewood for the evening campfire. Tragically, one axe and most of a hammer were destroyed in the boys' efforts. Based on the events at Gold Rush and the State Campout, I think this year's Fall Follies will require the presentation of some Axeman Awards! (Congratulations, Jereomy, Dalton, and Zach!)
A good meal was had by all at the State Staff Cookout. Gary, Rick, Roadrunner, and others did a good job of preparing the burgers, brats, and sides. Dave tuned in a radio, and we were able to follow the plays of the Huskers' game.
Everyone ate their fill, and the group moved to the fire ring for a lazy evening of Destination Friendship. Even the Dexters got in on the action as they tried to roast themselves around the campfire. It was a great evening to doze, visit with friends, and share stories. At 8:30, Rick called the group to action... A request had come in earlier that day from the Nebraska Geocachers: "We want a light parade!!!" Fort Kearny SRA is a great place to camp (Just remember to bring quarters for the showers!), but the site's paved, one-way loops around the ponds and campsites are perfect for a motorcycle light parade. Campers assembled along the drives and watched from their campsites as riders turned on the "pretty lights", cranked up the music on their external speakers, and rode through the State Recreation Area a couple of times. It was a great way to top off the evening.
About midnight Saturday, the tents really gave us a scare as a front of strong winds gusted through the area. We didn't get any rain or light shows out of it, but the front moved east and unfortunately combined with the remnants of Hurricane Ike as it traveled up the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys from the Gulf. The combined storms caused a lot of flooding and wind damage all the way to Chicago. At the time this post was written, U2's parents in western Kentucky were on their third day without power... the largest power outage in Kentucky's history.
Sunday morning, Gary (our state chaplain) led the campout services. Chapter W broke camp, leathered up, and fought the wind for most of our ride home. Those headed back east enjoyed a nice tailwind! All in all, the State Friendship Campout was a great way to end our camping season. Our numbers this year may have been less than normal, but they allowed campers the ability to visit with everyone around the campfire circle. My only request for next year.... can we please make at least one trip east without having to wear the rain suits!
Click here to see all the pictures from the weekend.
This year, our chapter directors made a slightly insane decision and assigned “Three Wheels West” to Chapter W's Ride Schedule Committee. Members were requesting more scheduled Saturday rides and weekend campouts to accommodate their work weeks. The committee was game to add extra weekend events. Any excuse to get together and ride with the herd was fine with us… then came the Mystery Ride.
Each year, one of our Saturday rides is designated the Mystery Ride. In a Mystery Ride, only the planners know the destination. Everyone else relaxes, enjoys the ride, the sight-seeing, and a meal or two among friends. In mid-May, RR, Hammy, and I planned and tested a mystery ride route. We designated fuel stops according to our member-bikes’ “miles-until-empty” statistics, and tried to select locations along the way for stretches and meals according to our member-stomachs’ “miles-to-cranky” stats. All aspects of the ride easily fell into place during our dry run. The total mileage was perfect – around 325 miles total. Even the weather was beautiful, and the spring rains had made the views from the bike nothing short of a glimpse of paradise. To top things off, nobody was able to pry the secret destination of our ride from Hammy. She never spoiled the surprise for the other members !!!
August 2nd, the day of the Mystery Ride, was forecasted to be a scorcher. All week long, we’d battled the heat. Even so, eight bikes and 11 riders showed up at Mac’s Superfoods in Wallace prepared to ride. After a pre-ride meeting, the group headed North for Hershey and North River Road. This stretch has become a favorite route to North Platte for us, but not all members had ridden it. We enjoyed the scenery along the North Platte River and were entertained by some sharp turns and a collection of old bath tubs sitting alongside the river. This area is an especially beautiful ride when the cranes are on the move and when the leaves are turning in the fall.
Our first stop was at North Platte’s Court Square, where we stopped and admired the restored Sioux Warrior that had been rescued from Sioux Lookout. In November/December 2007, Nebraska Life magazine published an article on the history of Sioux Lookout and the statue. We’d all passed this statue time and time again while shopping in North Platte, but never paused and really admired it or read the historical marker posted there. It’s sad to think that the remarkable and talented sculptor Ervin Goeller died without means to finance his own burial. Much of the money he earned from his works
was said to have been sent home to help his family still in Europe.
(Click here to see all the mystery ride photos.)
Our second stop was at the recently dedicated Twentieth Century Veterans Memorial on the south end of North Platte. This was another one of those “I’ll stop there someday” moments. This time we stopped… and remembered. It was interesting to see the sculptures and tributes paid to the defenders of our country and to the North Platte Canteen workers by the talent of local artists such as the late Ted Long, whose last memorial statue was finished by his son. Their stories had been featured in the North Platte Telegraph during the dedication of the memorial earlier
this year.
After lunch and a root-beer float at the local A&W, we rode south to retrace a portion of the original Lincoln Highway from North Platte to Gothenburg -- via a stretch known as the Gothenburg Stairsteps. This route travels south of the Platte River unlike a lot of the LH due to the existing roads at the time of the highway’s formation. Along this portion of the river, most of the existing roads were trails created by farmers taking their harvest to market. Since the land north of the
river was sandier, there weren’t many farmers or trail roads along this stretch; therefore, the original Lincoln Highway ran south of the river until it reached North Platte. One look at a map tells you how this stretch got its name: the Highway formed a series of right angles as it coursed along existing property lines like a flight of stairs.
Shortly after leaving North Platte, we passed the Sioux warrior's original home – Sioux Lookout. You could still see the eroded path used by locals to climb to the top, the highest point in Lincoln County. Years ago, Indians used this sight to track buffalo herds and wagon trains as they followed the Platte River Valley. Nebraska Life tells of a “businessman” who hired scouts to report on approaching wagon trains. These wagons were attacked and robbed; the stolen goods were re-sold to the pioneers of future wagon trains as they restocked supplies for the next leg of their journey west.
Stop Number 3 was Fort McPherson National Cemetery. Fort McPherson was originally established nearby to assist travelers along the Oregon Trail and ensure peace on the
frontier. The route used by the Pony Express along the Oregon Trail passes through this cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1873 to hold the relocated remains of soldiers as well as those of settlers. Four recipients of the Medal of Honor (our nation’s highest award for valor in military combat) are buried here (3 from the Indian Campaigns and one from the Vietnam War) and a group known as the Buffalo Soldiers. It is a beautiful and peaceful place of rest to remember those who died fighting for our country. An impressive white marble monument marks the group burial of the 28 soldiers who were killed in the Grattan Massacre. We spent time locating names on the headstones while enjoying the cool
shade as the heat really started to climb.
Our mystery ride included one short gravel-road detour to avoid a bridge replacement near the end of the stairsteps. This job was supposed to have been finished by July 1; it wasn’t. Near Gothenburg, our group turned south and then east for a scenic ride to Elwood and then Arapahoe. Here’s where the ride got interesting. We knew the temperature was supposed to reach the 3- digit mark, but when we turned south at Elwood, it was like hitting a solid wall of furnace-blasts. Never have I ridden in temperatures where you actually got hotter as the wind blew stronger. The only way I know to describe it is a blast of heated wind similar to what a storm jumper must feel when the forest fire he’s battling creates its own weather. The blast of heat on the plateau was not something we’ve encountered on the bikes before in this area.
The thermometers on our bikes showed 110 degrees at one point. The Coolies around our neck had long since dried up, and the water bottles were near empty.
When we entered Arapahoe, we bypassed the fuel station and headed straight for the air conditioning of Goodrich Diary. I thought I was fine until I climbed off the
bike and took about 10 steps…. Whoa, just a little dizzy. We took our time eating ice cream, lowering our body temperatures, and rehydrating before riding on.
By the time we reached McCook in the early evening, the mercury was still reading 109. One exception: the Stone Monument Company’s reading was 115 degrees. Those of us able to find humor in the heat, joked that the company's thermometer wasn't wrong, merely a forecast of a few customers' final destination. At this point, we surrendered and headed for Taste of Texas BBQ for the evening meal and plenty of iced tea and water.
During the final leg home (somewhere around 8 – 9 pm) the temperature finally dropped to 90, and we were able to enjoy the beauty of the clouds above the setting sun during the final leg to Imperial and then home.
Chapter W’s 2008 Mystery Ride was one for the record books. Good friends, good food, and good …. Well, we’ll certainly remember what a difference an extra 25 degrees can make while riding a high plains plateau.
RoadRunner has a brand new ride! This past week, he made his debut Supper Run on a 2008 GL1800 with a Hannigan trike conversion. From the wide-eyed look of terror on the mascot's face, I'd say that bird's never travelled at highway speeds before!
When we took off for the Windy Gap Grill in Paxton, Nebraska, it was cloudy but in the 40's. By the time we passed the Sutherland Powerplant heading home, the temps were well below freezing. The I-80 truckers had a blast commenting on our sanity and choice of transportation.
Thank goodness for the heated suits. We were snug and cozy the entire ride. I love being able to adjust the temperature on the pants separately from the jacket and gloves. The gloves will take a little getting used to... my hands are small and tough to fit... but with each ride I get a little more comfortable with my mitts. Still it's a show to watch me get suited up... One thing I have learned is to make ALL my connections and adjust ALL my straps before RR helps me with my gloves. There is nothing worse than getting all suited up and finding that I forgot to plug in my communications! Still, the delays of suiting up are a very small price to pay if it gets us out of the garage and extends our riding season. With more practice, I'll get the hang of it.
One final note for Nebraska history buffs: The Windy Gap Grill (across the street from the famous Ole's) took its name from a historical pass that slices through the craggy hills between the North and South Platte River valleys. It was created by the wagon wheels of the sandhill settlers north of Paxton in the early 1900's. Several times a year, the Kinkaiders made the two-to-three-day trek to town to sell their goods and buy supplies. Their wheels cut deeper and deeper into the sand and the endless wind blew through the gulch. It was an exhausting trip. Eventually, the sandhillers gave it up. In 1935, a WPA project turned the trail into a road. Cool! (Taken from the Windy Gap Grill's menu.)