Day 4: Nebraska: fields, sky, lakes, trains, and cowboys

Today, we drove six hours across most of Nebraska, from Omaha to Ogallala.  I took many pictures of the pretty scenery: vast, endless fields under a vast, endless blue sky.  The fields were mostly corn and wheat; many of them were unplanted, and used for cattle grazing.  Sometimes, as we drove along, there was not a single car in front of or behind us.  For many miles, our road ran alongside a train track.  We saw fourteen trains, and each of them was one to two miles long, with hundreds of train cars loaded with coal.  We have no idea where all that coal came from or where it was going.  We’re in Ogallala because that is the starting point for a scenic drive that was recommended in several resources.  I’ve learned some things about Ogallala.  On the one hand, it is home to the beautiful and immense Lake McConnaughy—22 miles long, 4 miles wide, 142 feet deep.  To see that enormous blue lake in the middle of all of this farm and prairie land is a great surprise.   The lake was formed by damming the N. Platte River, way back in 1936.  The management of that water provides electricity, recreation, and flood control.  We were stunned to see the dam shooting out an indescribable amount of water today, from Lake McConnaughy to the little lake next to it.  But, on the other hand, the small, tired, unattractive town of Ogallala has quite a history.  In the late 1800’s, it was a violent cow town known as the Gomorrah of the Plains.  Fights were frequent and unprovoked and often fatal, and many of the unfortunate cowboys are buried in Boot Hill Cemetery.  I mention that history to explain the vibe I get from this town.  The vibe is this: I want to be somewhere else.  I don’t like it here very much.   I’ll be happy to leave in the morning and begin our next scenic drive.