50th Anniversary Trip - Day 6: Everything North Platte

You may think that this is the moon trying to shine through the clouds but you would be wrong.  This is part of the most awesome lightening show in the sky that I have ever seen.  At times all the clouds were lit up and lightening bolts were flashing through the clouds.  I sat outside and watched for about 15 minutes.  With all this lightening, there was very little rain or thunder.  What this show did bring was cooler temperatures.  Yesterday it was in the 90's and today only got up to 70.  At last, cooler temperatures!

This is Sandy.  She is quietly laying in the chair, calm and relaxed.

As soon as we leave her in the RV, she tries to climb into the dash of the RV and jumps from the driver seat to the passenger seat.  To keep her out of the front of the RV, this is what we do.  We have tried to cover up every entry to that area.  I think the umbrella is a great touch since she is afraid of open umbrellas.

Our first stop this morning was the Golden Spike Tower.  The tower is 8 stories high and at the top you get a panoramic view of the world's largest rail yard, Bailey Yard.

Nearly 3000 rail cars are sorted into 150 trains each day.   The yard runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.

The yard had two "Hump" yards that sorts the individual cars into completed trains.  The cars are pulled to the top of the "hump" and then sent individually down either departure or receiving tracks.  All this is done by computer.  It is hard to explain but interesting to watch.

The Bailey Yard has its own locomotive repair shop.  All these locomotives are waiting to enter the repair building.

Next stop was this museum.  The museum had many displays showing different aspects of the history of No. Platte.  No. Platte has been very important to Nebraska and the country.  It was a town 's history includes the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, Union Pacific Railroad, Pony Express, the Lincoln Road (highway 30 which also passes through Illinois), and I-80.  Orphan Trains also passed through.  During WWII, the No. Platte Canteen provided homemade goodies, drinks to every troop train that passed through.  I wonder if my dad may have been served by these ladies as he rode his train to Washington and Fort Lewis.

This house was part of the village behind the museum. A man  purchased it from Sears and Roebuck in 1899 for $2300 and repaid it in six payments.  This is like the "six months same as cash" plan still being used today.  Seven trains cars carried the lumber and material for the house.  The house was beautiful and nearly 90% of the furnishing was original.

Look at this staircase to the second floor.  At the bottom and first landing, there were beautiful stained glass windows.  There were pocket doors on several of the downstairs rooms.  Remember, this house was a kit ordered from Sears.

Just one of the 8-10 stained glass windows in the house.

In contrast to the Sears house, this home is made of hand-hewn logs.  It had been built in one location but the owner had to move it to another location so he numbered each log, moved the logs and reassembled it.

Union Pacific caboose.

Carol climbed into the conductors seat and waved to me.  The caboose had living arrangements for two conductors.  Each had a bed and storage closet.  There was a small bathroom, refrigerator and cooking appliance.  The view from the top of the caboose must have been great.

William "Buffalo Bill" Cody called No. Platte his home and retired here to this house.
Buffalo Bill was a Pony Express rider, Army scout, buffalo hunter and creator of the Wild West Show.

We were not able to tour the house because it is closed Monday and Tuesdays.

He called his property "Scout's Rest Ranch."

He added this heart with a hole in it for Annie Oakley.  She used the Act of Hearts as a target in her shooting act and this became her symbol.  Annie Oakley was a part of his wild west show for many years,  

Sights on the property.

No trip would be complete without visiting a tourist gift shop.  

This antique shop was unique in that it was actually 20 old grain bins.  The bins had the original flooring and roofs.  Each one contained antiques.  The bins formed a semi-circle around a larger antique-filled barn.  We thought this was a unique idea to present antiques.

The antique town is located out in the country about four miles south of  No. Platte.  

These pictures were taken along the dirt/gravel road to the antique town.

You just never know what you will find in a Walmart parking lot.  This parrot was sitting on the mirror of a truck.  I don't know if he had some sort of tether, if he was lost and just landed there, or if this mirror was his normal perch.  This was a first for us.

We enjoyed the day.  For years we had driven by N. Platte not knowing the interesting history that could be found here.  It was a full day.  Poor Sandy was in the camper nearly 8 hours but my barricade held.  She was not able to get into the front of the RV.  Tomorrow we head to the northwest corner of Nebraska.