NEBRASKA from Page 13
us as we passed through Oshkosh,
Lisco and Broadwater. The railroad
tracks were close to the road. We
passed trains constantly. When my
family and 1 used to drive to my
grandparents’ houses, my mother
would tell me to wave at the ca
boose. Well, I haven’t waved since
childhood, so I took a chance. A
friendly conductor in an orange
shirt waved back, just like in the
olden days.
We arrived in Bridgeport as the
sun was creeping down in a fiery
red haze. It’s spherical shaped
seemed to flatten as it fell closer to
the earth. We drove through the
sleepy town. It was getting darker
and our chances of reaching Chim
ney Rock diminished.
We pulled to the side of the road.
The sunset was incredible. The sky
was washed in a dusky orange
pink, then smeared into a light hot
pink. Butch caught the splendid
canvas, yet another national con
science scene. I le was attacked by a
swarm of mosquitos as he snapped.
We returned to Bridgeport in
search of a gas station and an
agenda for the rest of the evening.
We encountered our first officer of
the law, but only for directions.
8:30 p.m. MST
Plan B
Instead of spending the night in
Bridgeport or head back to Ogal
lala, we decided to drive onto
Scottsbluff and spend the night in a
truckstop.
It was dark as we passed Chim
ney Hock. Lights at the base of the
formation added an eerie glow to
the rock and the landscape.
The darkness engulfed us. There
were no street lights, only the
moonlight that shone white, but
not enough. We arrived in the
metropolis of western Nebraska -
Gering and Scottsbluff.
Our first plan of action was to
find food. Godfather’s. We eventu
ally found out that there was not a
truckstop in Scottsbluff. The only
24-hour restaurant was Country
Kitchen.
Having been on the road for 1
hours, exhaustion had taken th<
life out of us. We found a parking
lot, empty except for a state ca
parked under a light. We pulled uj
next to it, reclined the seats in th<
Chevette and fell asleep.
August 23, 1988
4:00 a.m. MST
Good Day Sunshine
We awoke to the same scene w<
fell asleep to - blackness, not dark
ness, just black.
We headed out to Chimney Rod
to await the sunrise. I forgot that w<
hadn’t set the watch back to moun
tain time, so we started out toe
early. We pulled into the little park
ingarea at 4:30 a.m. It was still dark
we were still tired, and we wen
now cold. It must have been abou
40 degrees.
The sky was incredible, again
There were million and trillions anc
zillions of stars. It seemed like if yot
looked hard enough you could se<
r the Milky Way.
As light started to seep into the
r sky about 6 a m., I could read the
: historic markers.
5 Rising 4 70feet above the North
r Platte River Valley,
> Chimney Rock stands to the south
; as the most celebrated
of all natural formations along the
overland routes of
California, Oregon and Utah.
Chimney Rock served as an
early landmark for fur traders,
; trappers and mountain
II
men as they made their wayjrom
the Rockies to the
Missouri River. To later emigrants,
the solitary spire
marked the end of plains travel and
the beginning of
the rugged mountain portion oj
their journey.
Another marker said that Chim
ney Rock is composed of brule clay
with interlayers of volcanic ash and
arickaree sandstone. It was incred
See NEBRASKA on 15
I
1
tfflrM eni .. *9.29
Pabst Blue Rlkkon
warn eaaa 6.99
a
Coke, 7up, Squirt
....99'
Just North Of 27th & Vine
__477-Tilt
Pony Express station at Gothenburg
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