THEODORE ROOSEVELT trip
Sep. 17-24 2016
PART 6
Our coolster caravan travels south on SD 37 and hits SD 50 near Avon, S.D. The unpaved road straight ahead is 411th Avenue. Those roads are numbered one per mile, but 411 miles from here is deep in Wyoming.
Old SD 50 enters Avon.
Old SD 50 continues through Avon.
A minor road that runs from Avon towards Nebraska.
I know Men At Work and Billy Squier are cool, but it wasn't my choice to spend money getting SiriusXM (or FunnyXM). Economically, I live like a monk. (Maybe not socially.) In this video, SD 37 becomes NE 14 as we cross the Missouri River into Nebraska!
A view up the Missouri River at the state line.
From NE 12/14, this is the bridge we were just on! It's called the Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge, and it opened in 1998. Standing Bear was a Native American chief who was the plaintiff in a court case that affirmed Native Americans' rights to move about freely. Before this bridge was built, it was miles to the nearest crossing, after a seasonal ferry closed in 1984. Construction of a bridge had begun in 1931, but the economy killed it, and World War II and the Korean War laid hulk to efforts to revive it. Also, did you know Nebraska is the only one of the 50 states ever to change its postal abbreviation? It used to be NB. It's also the only state whose legislature has only one house, and the only one whose legislature is elected on a nonpartisan ballot.
From US 281, this is looking up the Niobrara River towards Spencer Dam.
This has to be US 281 right past Spencer Dam, and it looks pibtacular.
NE 95 ends at NE 11. An unpaved road continues ahead.
This is where it gets good. And I mean really, really good! My road atlas shows an unpaved road running from Dunning, Neb., southwest to US 83 in northern Logan County. We conquered it. Utterly scorched it!
The gravel road went on for miles - and I mean miles!
You secretly love this road. Admit it.
Sign warns of cattle on road.
Birds, birds, birds...Whatcha gonna do without birds...You're gonna have to live without birds... (Bet it's been a long time since you've heard that one!)
I'm satisfied that we were in the counties of Blaine, Custer, Thomas, and Logan on this road. Let's hear it for county collecting!
This road is getting even better! Can you believe it?
Believe.
The road was mud once we got to this point. That makes it even cooler!
It's a myth that this road cost us any signifcant time. Look at the map. What's the alternative?
Our final photo from that road. Waaaaah!
This has to be US 83 or NE 92 near Stapleton, Neb.
NE 23 enters Loomis, Neb.
US 6/34 uses 4th Avenue in Holdrege, Neb. My big memories of Holdrege are violating doctor's orders by using a motel hot tub, and a conversation with an old man who worked at a downtown building who didn't know whether the Three Stooges were still living. (This was one of few times in this era when I had access to a hot tub, so I wasn't going to forego it. I'm a real rebel!)
An unknown road in southern Nebraska.