Katy Trail Adventure
We slept in today since we didn’t need to get an early start – even Penny! 
It was chilly and windy but we took another walk around the park this morning and stopped to see the train exhibit. The engine when fully loaded with coal or oil weighed over 1,000,000 pounds! 
It was interesting to see the mini-museum is set up inside the train cars. 
The view from the train’s engineer was very limited! It was a nice exhibit and free!
We got onto I-80 heading east. About 40 miles down the road we saw a sign for a Pony Express stop museum so we got off the road at Gothenburg. The museum was closed, but we were able to see the station which is located now in a city park. 
The Pony Express was a mail service that delivered mail and newspapers using relays of horse-mounted riders that operated between St. Louis, Missouri and California. Operations lasted only a short while, 18 months, from April 3, 1860 to October 24, 1861. Each rider generally rode between 75 to 100 miles each and changed horses every 10 to 15 miles. The opening of the transcontinental telegraph in 1861 spelled doom for the Pony Express because telegraphs could be sent much more quickly at less cost. This actual station was relocated to Gothenburg in the 1930s from about 20 miles south of here to this site.
From Gothenburg we took Hwy. 30 which is the Lincoln Highway Historic Byway.
The Lincoln Highway was dedicated October 13, 1913 and ran coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. It is the only byway that traverses the entire state of Nebraska. It was slower than the interstate, but more leisurely and fun going through the small towns along the way.
The Roadtripper App showed the George W. Frank House as a point of interest in Kearney, NE, so we took the short detour off Hwy 30 to check it out. Built in 1889 for his parents, it is now part of Kearney State College and operates as the Museum of History and Culture. 
It was closed to tourists, but it was a beautiful building. We were both glad it wasn’t far off our route!
We arrived at our friends’, Denise and Tim’s house in Malcolm, about 5:30 this evening. We had a great time visiting, having dinner, and catching up.
Tim leaves for work early and we have an early start tomorrow heading to Kansas City, so we are calling it a day about 9pm!
3 comments:
It is not a "communication station" in North Platte, but rather a dopplar weather radar.
I was just in North Platte with a buddy and we visited the Buffalo Bill Ranch, the Cody Park Railroad Museum, and the Golden Spike Tower. We did a 4-day museum blitz through central and western Nebraska.
The next day we also visited the Pony Express station in Gotherburg but the Historical Museum was closed for the Covid season.
North Platte we went by a communication station
A few weeks ago a buddy and I went on a museum blitz through central and western Nebraska just to get away. We saw about a dozen museums in 4 days.
In North Platte we saw Cody Park Railroad Museum, Golden Spike Tower, and Buffalo Bill's Ranch. Going down hwy 30 we went to the Pony Express Station & Museum in Gothenburg but the Gothenburg Historical Museum was closed for the Covid season. We were told all the volunteers are very old and shouldn't take the risk.
good to know! We debated what it was!
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