We Drove Through Nebraska and You Won't Believe What We Found!

At the beginning of June 2021, we embarked on a journey to Black Hills National Forest. We went to pay our last respects to my Uncle Al. We had an informal ceremony that included spreading his ashes on what a few locals have dubbed "Al's Hill". This hill is near US-16A, north of Custer State Park.

We woke up, packed the car, decided to leave our camping chairs behind, hit Starbucks, and got on the road.

Have coffee. Will Travel!

We had options for our trip. We could take up I-29 to I-90 for four lanes and 75mph speed limits all the way to Mt Rushmore. Instead, we headed west on I-80 for four lanes and 75mph speed limits until we got to North Platte.

The drive from Lincoln Nebraska to North Platte is boring. The land is flat and featureless since the Interstate follows the Platte River. You never see any real features in the eastern half of the state because you follow the Platte River Valley. There's a tractor and some cows. You need to keep your mind occupied or you're going to go mad.

There are some dangers that can spice things up. It's Nebraska, and what we lack in hills, we make up for in wind. That wind can grab your car and throw it around. You've got to be on your game. Our drive included another danger: a morning thunderstorm. A midwestern thunderstorm can produce wind and rain that causes hurricane-seasoned gulf shore residents to go "hoo dang". This storm forced us to slow down to 60mph so Kate could see the road.

Hoo Boy!

We had clear skies shortly after we passed York. But it's still I-80 across Nebraska. It will drive you mad with how featureless the drive is. Kate had gone to the dollar tree. She acquired games and candy to build some Pinterest-sourced "snack-tivity bags". These were to keep us occupied while she drove. A small activity bag, some crayons and snacks, were what the kids and I needed. This drove away the boredom.

North Platte

We had a brief lunch stop in North Platte. We had planned to go to Fort Cody and then find food and gas and get on our way. While Kate was navigating the off-ramp to Fort Cody, I spotted Penny's Diner. Perfect!

Fort Cody is named for Buffalo Bill Cody. He had made his fortune operating a travelling western show and even hosted foreign dignitaries on the frontier. Nowadays there's a few props in the back of the store where you can take pictures. The front of the store is full of all manner of touristy souvenirs. This was the first tourist trap on our trip through the Midwest.

Fort Cody Exterior

Stay Classy, Nebraska

Pretty sure we're all up this creek!

Hey now, you're a corn star. Get your cob on, get paid!

Or anyone...

This is about as clever as we get around here.

The dummy is winning. And I'm talking about the guy in jeans.

After a bit of time wandering around Fort Cody, we had gotten hungry enough to eat lunch. We got in the car and drove the short distance to Penny's Diner. This restaurant could best be described as a "Midwestern Waffle House" if there ever was such a thing. Friendly people, fresh ingredients, good food, fair prices in an old-school diner.

Dude.

There are some motels next to both Fort Cody and Penny's that have clearly seen better days. Days when they were actually occupied and working as motels. Some of the grass and parking lot area show vestiges of a time long ago, when there was a pool at this motel. Maybe a diving board? No matter. We all laughed that we could re-create half of the scenes from the Beastie Boys Sabotage video on the second-floor walkways of the motel. I mean, who would stop us? They didn't even bother fencing them off.

We continued west for a few more miles on I-80. We got off I-80 at the Ogallala exit to get on to US-26.

Highway 26 has more scenery than I-80

Let me be frank: leaving I-80 is the best thing you can do when traveling across Nebraska. The land starts to grow hills. The corn gives way to rolling grasslands and lone railroads. There's not much in the way of services, or bathrooms. Most of the other traffic is cattle trucks and motorcycles. 

Oshkosh Nebraska

We came upon Oshkosh, Nebraska. This town is what folks on the coasts picture when they think Nebraska. There's about 1000 people here. It's on a windswept prairie surrounded by grass and corn. There's a feedlot on one end of town. It's a quiet town that consists of the basics. You'll find a small hospital, post office, a bank or two, a couple of churches, a filling station, schools, and some modest homes. In the summer, the air is dry, the sun is hot in Oshkosh. The wind blows. The only eateries appear to be a tavern that serves up bar food and steaks, or the pizza served up at the gas station.

Oh, did I mention the coffee shop that serves Kona-grown, Nebraska-roasted, coffee? Mark Ferrari Coffee is in a building a couple of blocks off of highway 26. The building looks like it was once a mechanics shop for farm equipment. There are old abandoned buildings painted with his coffee logo outside of town, directing you to his coffee shop. I read about Mark Ferrari Coffee on Facebook. I was excited to try it.

We liked what we smelled so much we picked up a couple of his "Friday Specials". The special included a 12oz package of whole bean coffee, 8oz of macadamia nuts and a tee shirt! We also got some coffee for the road. Kate and the kids each chose a latte, but I chose a simple pour-over. I wanted to taste the volcanic soil of Kona.

Alliance Nebraska

Our next stop was Alliance Nebraska.

When we got to Alliance, we had checked in to a Holiday Inn Express. It's got a bed and a pool, two items required when you're on a long trip.

We were famished when we got to Alliance. We looked at the local offerings and settled on Chinese. We planned on eating at the restaurant, but they were carry-out only, because of Covid. We brought our food back to the hotel and ate in the comfort of the lobby area.

Carhenge

With full stomachs and some time in the pool against a setting sun, we set off for Carhenge. Carhenge is a collection of junk cars embedded in the ground and arranged to resemble Stonehenge. The first iteration of Carhenge included some import cars. These had been replaced with similar-sized cars from American marques. We got some great pictures of Carhenge at dusk.

Fountain

Finally, Alliance has a neat fountain outside of downtown called Central Park Fountain. The fountain puts on a show of different heights, sprays and even multiple colors. You can't help but hear the Friends Theme when it sprays. I wish I had an orange couch sitting next to it.

Stay tuned for Day two!