A Tribute to the Transportation

In this post, I (Ryan, at Michelle’s request) bring to you 3 contrasting views of transportation in America.

First, “Transportation in the Pioneer Era”
On Pioneer day we camped down in Scottsbluff, NE, and hiked a half mile along the Oregon/Mormon Trail. Here you can see Michelle and Helen in front of a covered wagon replica with the imposing Eagle Rock portion of Scott’s Bluff in the background. The trail passes right beside this bluff, and to the pioneers it marked the end of the plains and the beginning of the mountains.
Here're Helen and I with an official Oregon/Mormon Trail marker.
Here’s a view of Chimney Rock, the most well known landmark on the Oregon/Mormon Trail. You can also find it on Nebraska’s commemorative quarter.

Second, “Transportation as Art”
Yes, you guessed it, those ARE real cars arranged and painted in a replica of Stonehenge. Titled “Carhenge”, this work of art was created in 1987 in a cornfield outside Alliance, Nebraska, by a farmer who wanted to pay tribute to his father. Someday I’m going to give a copy of this photo to Jane to put in her high-school graduation display, to serve as a tribute of a father’s love for his daughter that he would take her to such a rare site. I mean, millions have been to visit Stonehenge, but how many get to visit Carhenge? For any doubters or the curious, here’s a side-by-side aerial comparison of the two sites for your review.


Last, “Transportation at the County Fair”
Chadron is the county seat of Dawes County, and that means we’ve had the pleasure of attending all the festivities at the Dawes County Fair. For a good time on Wednesday night I took Helen to the “Tough Truck Contest”. The grandstand was packed for this event, as every farmer in the county battled to showcase their suped-up pickups and their mud-sliding, ramp-jumping, and obstacle-avoiding skills.
Most all of the trucks were no match for the water pit, and Helen got really good at shouting “Help, please, tractor!” as each truck got stuck. She also recognized that the tractor was the wrong color. I told her it was because all the respectable John Deeres were too busy out working in the fields while this tractor was left here to play.