Interesting sites in Nebraska/Iowa along I80 going east?

I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate? (geological/natural/cultural/food wise...)

I think the word's second biggest ball of string is somewhere along there.
TOW the new John Deere windrowers may be on display.
"eric" wrote in message
...

I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate? (geological/natural/cultural/food wise...)

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:48:43 -0400, eric wrote:


I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate? (geological/natural/cultural/food wise...)

There are some excellent museums in Nebraska. The Archway in
Kearney is build over the interstate. It takes a couple hours and
describes the history of trails passing through the area.
Pioneer Village in Minden is a world class museum with one of the
best collections of antique cars in the world and a wide variety of
other exhibits. At least half a day is required.
The Stuhr Museum in Grand Island is also excellent. In the
summer, there are a lot of live demonstations of 19th century life.
The Henry Doorly zoo in Omaha is right off I-80 and is one of the
top zoos in the country. It has an indoor Rain Forest, a desert, and
an aquarium with an outstanding penguin exhibit.
Bald eagles can frequently be sighted from I-80, usually between
Lexington and Grand Island, but this varies seasonally.

In article ,
eric wrote:

I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate?

Near Iowa City, head south on US 218 for 15 miles and you can visit
Riverside, Iowa, the "future birthplace of Capt. James T. Kirk". :-)

I was hoping to stop there as my wife and I were passing through Iowa this
past month (via a different route) but it was too far out of our way.

--
Jon Bell Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA

eric wrote:
I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate? (geological/natural/cultural/food wise...)

In Iowa, the Amana colonies make a pleasant visit. They are slightly
north of the freeway a short distance west of Iowa City. There is also
the Herbert Hoover National Historical Site just east of Iowa City.
The baseball field in the corn field from the movie Field of Dreams is
also somewhere in Iowa. I also would drive through Des Moines on the
freeway and not bypass it, at least you'll get to quickly view Iowa's
largest city and capitol.

In western Nebraska the Oregon Trail followed the Platte River as does
I-80. There are some sites along this stretch that might be of
interest (Ft. McPherson National Cemetary, Ft. Kearney State Historical
Park, Harold Warp Pioneer Village): Friends from California took a
trip along the Oregon Trail in Nebraska and Wyoming and thought it was
their best vacation ever.

George

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:48:43 -0400, eric wrote:

I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate? (geological/natural/cultural/food wise...)

Near the Iowa/Nebraska border, you'll be going right through the Loess Hills--
you can lose a day or two there if you've got a geologist or engineer along.
http://www.nfinity.com/~exile/loesspg.htm
http://pubs.usgs.gov/info/loess/ This is also Lewis and Clark country,
especially around Council Bluffs, and there's a squirrel cage jail
from 1885 in Council Bluff:
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/p...0/sqcgjail.htm

If you don't mind a slight detour onto I-29 in western Iowa, you can
visit the Desoto Bend Wildlife Refuge, with the recovered Steamship Bertrand,
sunk in 1865:
http://cityguide.dmregister.com/fe/L.../bertrand.html

In Elk Horn, there's a Danish windmill, and the Danish Immigration museum,
and some good food last time I was through.

Cedar Rapids has the Czech and Slovak museum, and good, filling food in
nearby restaurants Don't miss the kolaches. This is also Grant Wood country:
http://www.grantwoodstudio.org/ I'd also send you to
the Amana Colonies for some good German food (not Little Amana, a construct
off I-80 -- go the few extra miles) -- plenty of other stuff to look at, too,
from a communal way of life now gone.

In Coralville, just W of Iowa City, there's the Devonian Gorge, if you'd
care to walk over some nice Devonian sea floor and take a look at fossils
for a quick legstretch:
http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Coralv...ssil_gorge.htm
Iowa City, there's a nice little natural history museum on the university
campus; you can stop in for flint knapping lessons, or just say howdy to
the Dunkleosteous for me: http://www.uiowa.edu/~nathist/Site/exhibits.html.
And in West Bend, there's the Hoover Presidential Library, and a nice
section on Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) (Rose
Wilder Lane, Laura's daughter, was Hoover's first biographer).

On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:48:43 -0400, eric
wrote:


I'll be driving from WY (Yellowstone) back to MI via I80 going through
NE and IA. Any interesting sites of interest not too far off the
interstate? (geological/natural/cultural/food wise...)

Driving across Nebraska one time I saw some trees.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *