we expected to find something similar to the website....but we only could see bits and pieces of the yard and the engines and cars. we stopped at the first thing that looked like an office and asked where the viewing stand was.... they all laughed .... said it hadn't been built .. in a politcal battle about who was going to pay and who was going to benefit. so what we found was the following.
well you can see that you can't see too much from here. but we were able to see the little hill they created to push cars up and then let coast down into the classification yard. one by one and two by two the cars slowly pick up speed until they are somehow slowed down with much screeching and sent onto one of the many trains that are being built. they just sort of ghostly glide down the tracks. none of the ones we watch jammed into a car so i assume an engine has to come along and crunch them all together.
we finally found an overpass for cars and people and got out and walked to the top to take some pictures from above. still couldn't see a lot, but could see more. unfortunately my digital camera was full, but took some with my 35 mm. supposedly the yard is big enough to hold 3800 football fields. i couldn't prove that from what i saw though. glad i stopped by though.
we also stopped at buffalo bill's ranch. great house... could use a little work on the hall wallpaper...doesn't look authentic.... looks like kitchen stick on shelf paper. but i could be wrong. the horse barn was great. lots of harnesses, saddles, and great pictures. got to walk up to the hay loft.
i wanted to see the famous canteen of ww2 but it has been recreated in a museum.. i thought it was the original... oh well...
it was still a fun trip with friends :)
also on the way stopped at a neat little resturant. serves taco bell and pizza hut stuff. looks ordinary from the outside but decorated western style inside.. they did a great job. it is just off i80 at gothenburg and worth a stop.
today i have a visitor helping me with my blog. georgia lives next door with her parents, her brother, and her dog, well her mother's dog--molly. we are planning to go and visit bailey yards in north platte --the world's largest classification train yard. it is owned by union pacific. will let you know how it turned out. taking my digital camera. i hope they let me take pictures. they might not because of 9/11. and security issues. we will see. i might just have to stand out back of my house and take pictures of trains going by and pretend they are in bailey yards. ha ha.
today i looked out my east window and saw redwing blackbirds sitting in a tree of unknown species, but with bright red coats over new leaves. what a picture. beauty is everywhere... you just have to look.
every once in a while i drive someone else's car...which i really hate. it takes a while for my body to learn something... don't learn things that are physical automatically. my ski instructor didn't think i was ever going to make it down any slopes ....ever
so when i drive someone else's car it takes a while to adjust to the brake... a few stops after everyone lunges against the seat belt... a while to stop putting my left foot on the nonexistant clutch .... fortunately most of the riders don't see that... and adjusting the sound of the motor to the speed of the engine.
today i drove a load of kids to lincoln in the ancient school van. it is such a joy.
it doesn't ride to badly, the engine seems good, but it does have a few quirks. there is no pointer on the gear indicator... so you have to count to right selection. not to much of a problem because you don't do too much sifing with an automatic. the other little joy is getting it started. you really have to put your wieight and strength into turning the key to start it. it starts right off if you can turn the key. not made for old ladies. everything else works fine. it is a lot quieter than driving the jeep with its cloth top. most of the kids were tired enough to fall asleep and they all had their own cd players and ear phones so i didn't have to listen to their music. ! :)
