“We were at sea – there is no other adequate expression – on the plains of Nebraska. He may walk five miles and see nothing, ten and it is as though he had not moved, 20 and still he is in the midst of the same great level.” – Robert Louis Stevenson in “Across the Plains” – an account of his journey through Nebraska in 1869
We continued further south today, leaving South Dakota behind and venturing into the sights of Nebraska – our final state to explore on this tour.
If we thought North and South Dakota were vast areas, the description above by Robert Louis Stevenson also sums up what we have seen of Nebraska so far ! For most of the day we could nearly count all the cars we saw without taking our shoes & socks off ! That said, we never seemed to be far from railway tracks today.
Last of South Dakota 
South Dakota or Nebraska ?
We didn’t have too far to go after we left Hot Springs this morning before we were crossing the state border. The weather started okay but most of the day ended up quite overcast.
A little about Nebraska – It was the 37th state of the Union, established 1 March 1867. “Nebraska” is the derivative of Native American words for “flat water” or “great water.” They were referring to the Platte River, a wide, shallow river that spans the length of the state – and which we will get to see more of in the next couple of days.
The quirky – It’s a landlocked state, but Nebraska does, in fact, have a Navy. It was commissioned in 1931 by Lt. Governor T.W. Metcalfe, who wanted to gift his friends with ridiculous and meaningless government appointments. The rank of Admiral is awarded to people who have “contributed in some way to the state, promote the Good Life in Nebraska, and warrant recognition as determined by the governor. Admirals include Queen Elizabeth II, Captain Kangaroo, Big Bird, Dr. J., astronaut John Glenn, and comedian Bill Murray (obviously). Weird !
Our first stop was Toadstool Geological Park. A bit off the beaten track, it is a landscape a bit like Badlands. However it is named after its unusual rock formations, many of which resemble toadstools. Soft, sandy soil is washed away from the tougher layers of rock leaving many balanced precariously, until they too get washed away. We did a short 1 mile loop trail which showed various stages and effects of the landscape.
On the way back along the dirt road we had arrived on, we again had to wait about 5 minutes for our train 😂
Nearby to Toadstool Park there are a couple of sites similar to our Mammoth site we visited yesterday. One is Hudson-Meng Bison Kill Bed and the other Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. As the Hudson-Meng site was even further off the beaten track we decided to move on to the Agate Fossil Beds.
Essentially they both seem to have evolved from similar circumstances to the Mammoth site although the bison site is more of a mystery. Large quantities of bison bones have been found in what seems to be a ravine like area. They are not sure if they ended up there naturally or were herded to a cliff by native hunters.
The Agate Fossil Bed appears to be a dried up water hole where an extinct animal community on the Niobrara River died off. They date back about 20 million years ago (Miocene Epoch) and bear the remains of prehistoric mammals including Menoceras (two-horned rhinoceros), Moropus (7 feet [2 metres] at the shoulders with a horselike head), and Dinohyus (a large piglike beast).
The hills were the bones have been found
To break up the fossil finds and wide open landscapes, one enterprising person has created “Carhenge” near the town of Alliance. There, a replica of the famous Stonehenge has been constructed – but from old car bodies. It has been expanded further and includes other car-related sculptures as well as a buried “carpsule” – a car time-capsule. Don’t think it quite stacks up to the Cadillac Ranch in Texas but it was fun all the same.
As I said earlier, we seemed to follow railway tracks and trains all day. Not surprising given that over history, the route was made by the buffalo, next used by the Indians, then by the fur traders, next by the Mormons, and then by the overland immigration to California and Oregon. It was known as the Great Platte Valley Route. So on this trail, or close to it, was built the Union and Central Pacific railroads to California, and the Oregon Short Line branch of the Union Pacific to Oregon.
Today, this southern strip of Nebraska has some of the biggest railway yards in the world – more on that in the days to come. As we sit in our hotel tonight, we get the occassional train whistle and noise of the rattle of train tracks in the distance.
Trains AND corn fields ! 
And Nebraska’s college football team ain’t called the “Huskers” for nothing either 🤣 You thought you’d seen corn photos before – Corn fields everywhere, even behind our hotel ! Who’d have quessed !
Our stop tonight is Scottsbluff, taking its name from the landmark outcrop near the town which played such an important “guidepost” for the pioneers heading west along the Oregon Trail. And with most of the landscape around so flat, any outcrop is a good outcrop !
Scotts Bluff National Monument showcases the towering 800 feet outcrop which has served as a landmark for peoples from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails to modern travelers. It is also rich with geological and paleontological history. We did a short walk along the trail below and will drive the trail up to the top as we leave tomorrow.
Dinner tonight was at Applebee’s and we again shared the starter special of buffalo wings and grilled chicken wonton tacos and each had steaks – Adrienne had Shrimp and Parmesan and I had the Bourbon Street.
A quick trip to Target and then it was back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s activities …
Today’s Tour Trivia – Nebraska was actually bombed by Japan during WWII – In 1945, Japan sent random hot air balloons carrying explosives across the Pacific with the wind currents. 9,000 were released and 300 actually reached – and exploded – over the USA. The furthest reached 9,800 km away, over Omaha, Nebraska – it exploded but there were no injuries.