All Day on the I-80

Jane Reporting for 29th September

Today (29th September) we spent all day on the I-80 heading west through Iowa and Nebraska.  (Yes, folks, that is our 11th state to date, and Lyn and I can recite them all.  This is the kind of thing us back-seat passengers do for entertainment.)

On the Road
Lots of the towns just off the interstate have tall water towers.  Some look like Martians on tripods, some are more elegant.  Some are very smiley!

A smiley water tower

These wide open plains must be ideal for wind farms as we've been see them pretty constantly as we've driven along.  Today we even saw a lone blade standing up on its end beside the road, perhaps in transit to somewhere.  The scale is given by the cattle in the field below the 'fan'.
 

Farming wind

As well as water towers and wind farms there were a lot of crop farming (far more than stock) and some very pretty traditionally shaped barns, painted red with white trim.  Sadly none of my drive-by-at-speed photos of the buildings have come out, but this is a typical scene:
 

Typical scenery

This is a country of flags.  US flags mostly, with state flags occasionally joining them.  And the flags are often huge - the size of the New Zealand flag flying at Auckland airport.  They're not just on public buildings or national monuments, but a businesses and restaurants, and random spots all around the country.  Often I can't even see where they are, but we see them flapping away as we drive by.  The one below is an example of this from today's journey.  The nearest business was a petrol (gas) station.

Flags everywhere

This one is a photo through the front windscreen - what Gary sees - and was interesting enough seeing how they were building an overpass over the interstate.

Bridge construction

But then I managed to snap the bridge through Lyn's passenger window as we came along-side it and got this:

Same bridge, end view

Gary will be pleased as the one downside of driving for a man who loves to drive is the inability to get all the photos he might like.


An(other) Air Museum Stop
The Strategic Air and Space Museum at Ashland is a place we visited on last year's trip with Dad. 

Although they tried to confuse me with this Skytrain business, I was sure this was a DC-3 - and it practically is being the military version of the Dakota.  (AS usual, my thanks to Mr Wikipedia who answers all my questions.)

Douglas C-47 Skytrain

The museum is in a lovely, grassy setting and the day was warm with a warm wind blowing all the flags about.

View from the front steps

Geoff noticed the Vulcan bomber on the map of the place and Gary found it hard to believe that such a thing was loitering outside but it was all true and the staff of the museum found somebody to open 'door 16' for us and there we were - in what serves as the staff car park and the parking spot for planes that won't fit in the hangars.  There was a B-1 there (and we had seen one of them taking off as we left Sioux Falls a week or more ago), and the Vulcan.

Vulcan bomber

We are sure Dad will be gnashing his teeth that we missed seeing this on our last visit.

Lyn listens to Gary's explanation

Back on the Road
It was another couple of hours' drive (Geoff did the driving) to Kearney and this is the sorts of things we saw ... except I was mainly reading and/or sleeping.  It is hard work being a back-seat passenger.

Scenery

Look at the speed limit, 75 miles per hour! That is - a pause while I ask Google for help - 120 k.  Wheeee!

Our friend, the I-80

State Quarters
It's hard to keep up with Lyn at the moment.  Now she has her collecting book she is going all out to fill it up - actually asking for her change in quarters.  I'm sure that could almost be cheating. ;o)

State Quarters: Louisiana

Louisiana's quarter celebrates the Louisiana Purchase - and shows it on a map of the US.  There was I thinking they just bought the state of Louisiana.  Not so!  They doubled the size of the existing United States.  Here's a link to what my friend Mr Wikipedia says about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase