Nebraska 2007

I took another trip to the Nebraska Panhandle a few days ago, this time following I-80 all the way to Sidney. Around York, I went underneath a massive shelf cloud and took these two pics, one to the south and one to the north.





At Sidney, I made the requisite stop at Cabela's and then into town to visit old Fort Sidney. Two buildings are all that's left of it. The Officer's Quarters is now the museum and holds a decent collection of area artifacts.


The Post Commander's Home is next door, with this cannon sitting in the front lawn.

My first night's stop was Gering. After getting settled, I went for a run up Scott's Bluff National Monument. The Saddle Rock Trail is 1.6 miles from the Visitor's Center to the top of the monument, a 435 foot elevation change.



With the Summit Road closed to vehicles after 5 pm, I was able to run down it unimpeded and continue on my run...


part of which was on the Oregon Trail.


While in Chadron, I went for another run. This time finding myself going up "C" Hill at the Chadron State College. Although the bike path is nice, I did not actually run up C Hill. It's pretty steep and even my walking pace ranged from a walk to a stop. At the top is a nice view of the college.

C Hill and the area beyond were ravaged by a wild fire a year ago. See my blog "Nebraska 2006." The grass always comes back first, but the trees still show signs of fire and many are dead.



I departed Alliance via Highway 2 to go through the Sandhills. At the community of Lakeside, near the turnoff to Crescent Lake, I passed the Men's Restaurant. It didn't look like it was still in business. Can't imagine why.



The Sandhills Journey was very enjoyable, with little traffic, on a sunny afternoon.