LET'S TALK ABOUT NEBRASKA

Since I opted to change my travel plans and route, the logical driving pathway home seemed to point towards the state of Nebraska. To the best of my recollection, I have never traveled on interstate 80 through the cornhusker state. By the way, what exactly is a "cornhusker"? To find out, I consulted with Wikipedia and learned that a "cornhusker" is a person or machine that removes the husk from a corncob or in some circles, the nicname given to those athletes who play for the University of Nebraska. I also learned that Kool-Aid was first invented in Nebraska. Who knew??

Everyone knows this guy lives in Omaha (I hope you know who this is) however, did you know that the following folks were all born in Nebraska before they were rich and famous?

Just to name a few. My personal favorite is this guy who you might recognize from those funny Holiday Inn commercials from several years ago.

Mark, the 37ish slacker kid who still resides with his parents. Mark aka Ross Brockley who is a Lincoln native and continues farming and working as an actor.

And who could ever forget watching Marlon Perkins and his sidekick Jim on Wild Kingdom. A favorite kid's television show from LONG LONG ago.

Arriving late in Omaha after a very long day on the road, Lenny and I opted to stay behind the Cracker Barrel for the night before taking to the road once again, in the early morning hours, en route to Wyoming.

Nebraska is home to this place....RUNZA. What is RUNZA you ask? well, it looks like this...........

It's like eating slightly seasoned taco meat with cheese inside a soft, doughy bun. Rather bland to my taste buds and even Lenny sort of turned his nose up when offered a sample. It did NOT pass the Lenny test and he scored it a 3.4 on a scale of 1-10. Think he'd rather have a Micky D's bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. Tends to favor those. That said, RUNZA remains a hometown favorite and is prominent throughout the entire state of Nebraska. Go figure.

While exiting off the interstate for some fuel, I noticed this relic on the side of the road. Someone thought having a business in the form of a prairie wagon was a good idea. Hmmm, doesn't look like it had enough life to go the distance.

when I did stop to refuel at this convenience store, I encountered this conundrum. Does this sign mean.....I am "NO where" or does this sign mean....I am "NOW here"?? I stewed on this question for awhile and still don't know the correct answer. Does anyone have an thought on this??

This roadside attraction caught my attention. An original pony express station located in Gothenburg.

A wonderful stopover and a chance to learn more about the history of the pony express.

With very few overnight camping options available as we approached Wyoming from Colorado, Lenny and I decided to give the Chugwater rest area a go. I was not entirely comfortable with the idea, but I was sleepy, and it had been a long drive from Omaha to Wyoming. You can rest and get a few hours of sleep in Wyoming's rest areas, however, the rule states you cannot stay more than 8 hours. It worked perfectly and we were able to continue our trip back home to Sheridan after several hours of sound sleep.

After Lenny and I dropped off the camper in it's designated storage location, we headed home to Sheridan. Wait a minute, no welcome home banners?? no marching band?? no crowds of people lining the streets of Sheridan to welcome us home with colorful confetti?? AL, no Welcome Home Big Papa signs?? WTF?? Instead, the task of unpacking equipment and personal belongings was the first priority upon our arrival to home base. Oh well, maybe next time. To summarize......I like Nebraska and enjoyed traveling through the state, although I would have preferred a few more days to explore some of the more unusual attractions. We'll be back..........stay tuned for one last set of thoughts about this road trip.