Another day, more silly stuff to post - that's why road trips are such fun! Since I've made such good time the past few days, today I slowed down a little and made a few stops along I-80. Those of you who've known me for any length of time know that I'm a sucker for National Parks, Historic Sites, and "roadside attractions", i.e. tourist traps; how could you not know that with all my references (and visits) to South Of The Border?
So today started with a stop at an historic spot, in Gothenberg NE, one of the few surviving Pony Express stations.

This one was originally a little to the west of where it is now, it was saved, re-located, and restored by the local Chamber of Commerce. It's really quite small, not like the ones portrayed in films, which were shown to have bunk rooms, kitchens, etc. Inside it's really just one room, and there would have been a bed or two inside, along with a stove or fireplace, and the tools and supplies needed to maintain the teams of horses and their equipment. The inside of this one is now a visitor center/gift shop.

That's half of the place in the photo above. The Pony Express had a surprisingly brief existence, lasting about 18 months from it's inception in 1860. Stations were placed every 10 miles along the route from St. Joseph MO to Sacramento CA. Riders were chosen based on weight, with a strict 125 lb. limit, so as to not wear out the horses. A typical work day for a rider would be to do 10 links of 10 miles each, for a total of 100 miles. Horses were changed every 10 miles, and at the end of the 100 mile shift, the rider would sleep in the station, then pick up the mail going back to where he'd started, and do the 100 miles back. This scheme allowed riders to become familiar with 'their' terrain and the various challenges along the way. Initial cost for a letter from St. Joe to Sacramento was $5. The Pony Express was short lived due to the perfection of the telegraph, which offered a lower cost, faster method of communicating over long distances.

Next stop, North Platte NE for two sites. First, the Buffalo Bill Cody Trading Post.

Now, since we were discussing tourist traps.....yeah, this is a glorified gift shop. There is an actual Bill Cody Park a few miles north of this spot, but it was a bit too far off the Interstate. 

I'm pretty sure they didn't have Hampton Inns during Bill Cody's Day! So, on to the next spot, the Union Pacific Railroad "Golden Spike Tower", located at the Bailey train yard, which is the largest rail yard in the world.

North Platte NE has a long history of railroading, and Union Pacific constructed this building as a visitor center and as a museum and observatory for the train yard. Inside are operating model train displays, historical artifacts from the UP's past, informational displays, and, of course, a gift shop.  

Into the elevator, and up you go, to the 7th floor outside observation deck, or/and to the 8th floor enclosed space. From either, you can see the 8 mile long rail yard, which processes an average of 155 trains per day, each one with about 138 cars on it. The yard employs 2,500 people, and is a 24/7 operation that's highly automated and computerized.

After this stop, it was back on the road, through the rest of Nebraska, and into Wyoming. Here, the scenery changes, from the lush green cornfields, to the more tan and brown colors of the mountains, which are peppered with cattle, oil pumping equipment, and windmills at the top of the mountains. These were taken at a rest stop, at around 3 pm local time.

And, finally, dinner. Stopped in Rawlins, WY, again, ahead of where I thought I'd be; must be due to the 75 and 80 mph speed limits I had today!
Tonight's food portion will be brief, as I opted for chain food - although it's a chain that is not in the NY area (that's usually the only chains I'll stop at while on the road), Taco Johns. I've had a craving for tacos for the last couple of days, but refuse to stop at Taco Bell. While Taco Johns isn't what you could call 'better', it is different.
So, here goes!

That's a 'number 2' meal, two crunchy tacos, a medium tater tots, and a medium drink. The 'medium' drink was enough to float a small boat; the medium tots was plenty for two; the tacos were as expected, skimpy on the meat, and in desperate need of sauce. Fortunately, Taco Johns has a really good 'very hot' green sauce, which mixes well with the 'hot' red sauce. This combination saved the tacos!

Check back tomorrow for the latest on the trek west!