September 7th, 2022 Travel to Nebraska

After dumping our tanks, we headed west.

We passed so many wind turbines…they were everywhere.

On of the spokes of the wind turbine was a tourist attraction at a rest area:

So much corn:

And soybeans:

Love the landscaping:

Storage tanks everywhere!

Love the colors:

And into Nebraska:

We couldn’t figure out if this was a house, a barn or a storage unit.  It was interesting!

I apologize for the blurriness but there is a story:

I recently read this article about a farmer in Iowa.  He wanted to increase his yearly output of corn and soybeans so he went to all the seminars he could as well as talked to a number of universities.  Last year he decided to plant a little differently.  On one acre of his property, he planted six rows of corn, then six rows of soybeans, then six rows of corn, then..repeat, repeat.  He modified both his planting and harvesting equipment and said it was easy to do. So what happened? Last fall he found that his corn harvest increased due to the corn getting more sunlight. However his soybeans decreased because the higher the corn got the more it shaded his soybeans.  So this year, he was going to change a few things and see what happens.  He is also increasing the acreage that he is planting. Also with his findings, more farmers are starting to experiment to see what happens.

When I saw the above in the fields, I got so excited that I had to take pictures.  (I love when I read about something and then see it!)  Notice the rows of corn in with the rows of soybeans. We did see two farms with this planting configuration.  Who knows, we may see some interesting fields in the future.

Another one of my favorite pictures:

We saw a church in the distance and it felt like deja vu …  I think we were here before.  And yes we were - in 2016.  I covered it here:

http://thehitzels.blogspot.com/search/label/SAC%20Museum

And that is why I do a blog.

We exited here in Kearney, Nebraska.  That area that you see is the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument – also called the I-80 Archway.  There is a museum there and it is on my bucket list.  We will visit tomorrow.

We made our way to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds.  No frills camping area – electric and reasonable.

It is hot and windy but then again, it is Nebraska.  The weather called for hot, humid and hazy.  The haze is from the western fires.  Can you believe they are over 1000 miles away?  WOW!

We decided to visit the local American Legion for supper – they were having a spaghetti supper.  What a great time!

Tonight’s sunset with the haze:

Kearney is an interesting city and there is a lot to see.  Tomorrow we will be playing tourist so stay tuned and enjoy today!

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 325 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Iowa:  NW 78th Avenue; NW Beaver Drive: Merle Hay Road; I-35; I-80; I-880; I-29; I-680

Nebraska: I-680; I-80; NE-10; East 39th Street

 

September 5–6, 2022–Travel to Saylorville Lake and Hang Out

We headed further west past farms:

And Fields:

And lots of wind turbines:

And even more beautiful farms:

Another roadside attraction:

We have seen so much equipment put up on signs for advertising.  It is cute!

We arrived at Saylorville Lake, Bob Shelter Campground where I took the wrong site – LOL!  Thank God we had not set up very much when we had to move.  Oh well!

This is a very nice Army Corp of Engineer Park for $11.00 per night.  Once we set up, Andy started a campfire.  Supper over a campfire – YUM.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 136 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Iowa: IA-38; I-80; I-35; Oralabor Road; 37th Street

Tuesday, 6th, 2022 was a hang out day, enjoying nature and the campground.  The weather is beautiful with a nice breeze.  I did get all the blogs caught up as well as a few more repairs and reorganizing.  Hopefully everything will stay in place during our next long run – which is tomorrow.

Our site:

 

Our backyard – :

Stay tuned for our next adventures and enjoy today!

September 3 Part 2 (and September 4th) 2022 – Iowa 80 Truck Museum

We spent the rest of our afternoon at the Iowa 80 Truck Museum. I had heard good reviews about this museum and since we were in the area…

A little history:

“Iowa 80 Truckstop began serving truckers out of a small white enamel building in 1964 before Interstate 80 was completely built. Bill Moon, Iowa 80 founder, located the spot, at what is now Exit 284, for Standard Oil. They built and opened the truck stop with Bill taking over management a year later, in 1965. Years passed, Interstate 80 was completed and hundreds, then thousands of truckers and travelers stopped by Iowa 80 to fuel, grab a bite to eat and head on down the road. In 1984, Standard Oil (now Amoco) decided to sell the facility. Bill Moon, who had been managing the place for nearly 20 years, jumped at the chance. He and his wife Carolyn, leveraged everything they had, including borrowing money from friends, to purchase Iowa 80.

Once the Moon Family owned Iowa 80, they could expand the building and add services as needed. “Bill just loved everything about trucks and trucking,” says Carolyn Moon. “He loved to sit at the counter in the restaurant and talk to drivers about what would make their life easier if Iowa 80 had it. He truly enjoyed the truck stop business and all of the people he encountered.”

The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum, a dream of Bill Moon, Iowa 80’s founder opened in July of 2008. The museum houses many of the Moon Family’s antique trucks and transportation memorabilia.”

“The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum collection was started by Iowa 80 Truck stop founder, Bill Moon. Bill Moon had a passion for trucks and was always looking for a new truck or trucking artifacts to add to his collection. There are now over 100 antique trucks on display in the museum. We also have 304 original petroliana signs and 24 vintage gas pumps.”

More information can be found here:

https://iowa80truckstop.com/about-iowa-80/our-history/

https://iowa80truckingmuseum.com/

This place was HUGE!  There were three big areas: one that housed memorabilia and equipment and two that housed trucks. This is one of the truck warehouses:

Andy loving the gas price on this one – 18 cents per gallon:

Check out the one in the middle – 12 cents per gallon:

Cool!

1927 Fisher Jr. Express:

1925 Douglas:

1933 Ford Model A Paddy Wagon:

1930 Ford A Snowmobile:

1919 Ford Model T:

Unimog:

1921 International Harvester:

1981 Kenworth K100 Aerodyne:

1930 Mack AK:

1931 International:

1914 Diamond T:

Did you notice all the old signs on the walls? Impressive!

This was a great museum.  If you are in the area, please stop by!

On a side note – Got gas in Walcott for $3.19.Gallon – YAHOO!

On Sunday, 4th, we just hung out at the campground and did some more repairs and upgrades.  I was able to get caught up on some blogs and some planning.  (Sorry I was so late in updating.)

Tomorrow we head to an Saylorsville Lake Campground for much needed nature time.  So stay tuned and enjoy today!