The Wild Wild West- Day 2

 When we sat down to prioritize our points of interest, Dave expressed a desire to see all the state capitals we drove through. I'll admit my enthusiasm waned, but after seeing the diversity it became intriguing.

Just as a side note, we had three cameras going at all times. I had mine, Dave his phone and the kids took turns on their own. As I shuffled through pictures I found many duplicates and on the kids selections, a picture of everything. Snap, snap, snap--what you will see in this

blog is only a small part of our collection. I'll admit, my own are not always the best so having some extra choices are nice.

By the time we got to Cheyenne, it was noon (only an hour from our camping spot:) We ate across from the capital building and then set off for Nebraska. Since we were running behind, a few stops were scrapped.

TIP#3 FIND PLACES TO SEE ALONG THE WAY AND BE READY TO SKIP THEM BASED ON TIME

NEBRASKA





We were told the road across the plains would be boring, I completely disagree. We fell in love with the rolling planes (yes, its not flat), the rolled bales of hay, baby stalks of corn (about 2 ft. tall) and black cows that dotted our view. Since the Midwest had a wet spring, everything was green! I'm a Utah girl at heart, but I'll take green fields of corn everyday. Oh, to own a prosperous farm and sit on my porch and revel in the sight.

Although we skipped Chimney Rock as it was more of a 1 1/2 detour, we stopped by Buffalo Bills Wild West Museum--more of a souvenir shop with some items on display: Like Mother like Daughter, our girls are also collecting items from each state, and as we found places like this few and far between. More often that not, we run into a gas station and back out without any luck. Rachel collects magnets, Bekah thimbles and Emma pins.



In the museum we saw a stuffed two headed calf, paraphilia from Buffalo Bill and a miniature mechanical display of the Wild West Show. Prepared with our trinkets and some sarsaparilla, we set off for Gothenburg and a Pony Express Station.



This museum was a slight disappointment--a one room packed full of relics. Rachel had a riot taking pictures of every inch. She may not be one to read every posting...Dave...but give her a camera and things are documented. One cool fact was how Mormon history weaves itself through all historical events--a part of the route followed the Mormon Trail to SLC.

 



 After a crazy stops, we were confident that our KOA was just up the road. After a lack of directions, a phone call back home and "helpful" gas attendants, we pulled in at 9:30pm. Determined to stick to our plan, we warmed up our refried beans, diced vegies and cooked up tortillas by flashlight. Our meal was wonderful if not very late. Thank goodness we had arranged for a cabin. We love KOA's...that mixture of camping with conveniences and the cabins mean one less thing to do to get ready for bed.

TIP#4 WHEN COPYING DIRECTIONS FROM MAPQUEST, COPY MILEMARKERS AND INCLUDE A MAP WHEN ENTERING RURAL LOCATIONS.