Well, the first we heard of DeWitt Nebraska was when the folks in Wilber Nebraska said that the best fireworks around was 7 miles south in the little (population +-600) town of DeWitt. Their celebration was on the Saturday after Independence Day. We had planned to stay through the weekend at the American Legion Park anyway. A really nice 50 amp spot for just $16 a night.
The celebration in DeWitt was pretty good: a car show, community pulled pork or BBQ chicken dinner, parade and of course the small town parade.
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We thought this was so ‘mid-west’, this young man with his girlfriend riding on his tractor in the Independence Day Parade – now that’s love.
Then came the fireworks. While we waited we sat next to a sweet older couple and we talked about how they grew up in this part of Nebraska, no electricity, a snow tunnel to the outhouse, how she grows the biggest and most beautiful Hollyhocks in Wilber.
Then we watched the best fireworks so far this year in Nebraska.
We were told about DeWitt’s most famous product that unfortunately is now produced in China, Vise Grips. We drove over the next day to see the plant. This is a town of 600 that employed 300 in the Vise Grip plant. Tom checked his Vise Grips and they said, Made in DeWitt Nebraska. What do your Vise Grips say?
We left Wilber and drove west, not on I-80, the interstate, but on the Lincoln Highway, Hwy 30. This is an easy driving 2 lane road through the heart of Nebraska. Corn Fields, long Union Pacific trains hauling coal. small towns only a block or so long and lots of grain elevators.
We stayed 3 nights in Kearney at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. We love the staff here and the fairgrounds have 50 amp power, water, and a convenient dump for $15 a night. This was the fairgrounds where we stayed over Memorial Day 4 years ago in the massive Exhibition Center.
Then the unimaginable happened, a tornado completely destroyed the Exhibition Center.
This is the beautiful Center today. The picture below is from the same vantage point as the one above. Quite a change.
From Kearney we again drove along the Lincoln Highway to North Platt. We stayed at the Buffalo Bill Cody State Recreational Area. A really nice park right on a small river, 50 amp, and water for $15 a night.
When we first arrived, the small park was about 1/2 full. Tom noticed this ‘camper’ and just had to take a picture. Later that weekend there was not an empty space.
Yep, no kidding this is how it was used for the whole time we were there. 4 guys were living in this. They would drag a picnic table to the back, step on the bench, step up to the table and go in the back door.
There was a field of flowers behind us and there were tons of fireflies every evening.
We went caching at the Buffalo Bill Scout Ranch on the 13th and got our Geocache Souvenir for that one. We went back the next day, got another cache and toured Buffalo Bill’s house and huge barn.
The heart with the hole in it at the peak of the barn was Annie Oakley’s trademark and notice the gun stock eaves at the roof of the barn. This was a very nicely done museum and very educational.
We later went to the Union Pacific Bailey Yard and watched the trains being made up at this ‘Hump’ facility. There were 2 humps at one end of the yard and a smaller hump at the other end. The statistics are mind boggling. The yard is 8 miles long with 315 miles of tracks. 12,000 railroad cars are handled each and every day and 9,000 locomotives are serviced each month. 125 trains are handled each day. The cars are pushed up to the top of the hump, separated from the previous car, and shoved down the other side of the hump – weighed – braked and joined to a car on one of the 30 tracks on the other side of the hump, making up a train.
Couldn’t resist a picture of DA Toad, that black top rolls back and is our sunroof.
Then we were on to Sidney along the Lincoln again where we stayed two nights at the fairgrounds for $10 a night and $3 to dump. While there we saw the cute movie, Despicable Me 2. This is a town of 6,000 so the Fox Theater’s shows were at either 7 or 9:30. There were 2 shows, Despicable Me and Lone Ranger. I think the other 10 people saw the Lone Ranger. We also visited the Sidney Museum while there. This was once a very important Fort protecting the building of the Transcontinental RR in the 1860’s. The fort was no longer needed in the early 1900’s and all but 3 buildings were sold. Today it is the headquarters for Cabela’s. There is no unemployment and Cabela’s is actually bringing in families from India to work here. Apparently not a lot of young people want to live in the lonely middle of West Nebraska.
Finally, today we moved to Cheyenne, WY, to have the US Gear Brake Assist fixed. We had it installed in Fresno, the brake-away worked, but the brake-assist did not. It was a faulty control module. We have ordered the module and it will arrive tomorrow and will be installed at Jolley Roger RV Service. We are very happy with the troubleshooting and professionalism of this staff. We are staying in their lot at $20, pricey for 30 amp, but handy.
We will continue west through Idaho, Washington then Oregon for the FMCA NW Rally and our Golden Spike train excursion rally. Mom and my sister, Janet, will join us for the train ride as it is almost on my birthday. COOL.
And this is long enough; thanks for sticking with it.
I like the sunroof on Da Toad. Do you ever open it all the way? Interesting blog...you've found some really nice out-of-the-way places with inexpensive RV parking.
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