Move, day 2

Date - August 29th
Departure time - 8:40 AM
Departure location - Cedar Rapids, IA

A flat and rather boring day at the wheel, but we were able to get some good miles in. Well, good miles considering we were traveling with an eight year old.

Hwy 151 out of Cedar Rapids

We took 151 to 80 and set the cruise. Klaus is a great highway car, much better than his around-town manners. Even though it revs high (70 MPH is 3500 RPM), the mileage is respectable for it being heavy and as aerodynamic as your average cinder block. Especially with our crap on the roof.

The girls love the "living room on wheels" that Klaus' configuration makes. Celeste sat in a rear-facing jump seat the entire trip, utilizing her table for snacks, games and holding a DVD player while traveling thru the "flyover states". Allie was able to stretch out limo-style in back or move up front when she wanted a change of scenery.

We also hit the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney, NE. This museum opened in 2000, spanning I-80 and documenting the westward expansion of the country. We had passed under the museum a number of times when we lived in Colorado, but never had the opportunity to stop and check it out. Overall, we found the museum to be interesting and worth our while, giving us a great chance to stretch our legs at the end of a long day behind the wheel. Surprisingly, there was little mention of the displacement of Native Americans when the white man moved west.

nugget of wisdom

a good place to catch grasshoppers too!

nice boat, we passed it a couple of times in IA and NE

After the museum, we hit the road for another hour or so and headed west on 80 to North Platte to find a place to spend the night. After first checking out a crummy campground at Buffalo Bill Ranch State park on the north side of town, we drove to the shores of the Maloney Reservoir and found a decent (and cheap - $6!) site.

hooray - camping!

Arrival time - 7 PM
Arrival location - North Platte, NE
TOTAL MILEAGE - 544