The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument Aug 06

From: Dan Trumble
Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 1:50 PM
Subject: Trumbles at The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument Aug 06

Listen, this is not as exotic as the whole “travel around the world” thing but it is what it is (and the family is along for this one).

We’re on our way to Oskaloosa Iowa where Beth’s folks live (as I write this sentence I’m sitting in a McDonald’s in Council Bluffs, IA). So, we did the Arch thing in Kearney, Nebraska. It’s not all that cheap ($29 for our family) but it is quite nicely done. It’s basically a museum documenting the travel to the west from the early pioneers to the miners to the cross-country railroad to a road for cars. Apparently Kearney is about 3 miles from the middle of that automobile road that ran from Boston to San Francisco (1733 miles to Boston, 1733 to San Francisco).

Outside there is a maze that kids can go through (that was $10 for the four kids). This morning, outside of the hotel was some thing. Steve thought it looked like a crust but it was really a flat frog. I had battery issues with the camera and didn’t get a picture. Somewhere I have packed some rechargeable batteries but I don’t know exactly where they are. $4.38 for 2 batteries at the place where we stopped for gas. I had a couple of batteries I had purchased in Indonesia in the community where we visited the project. I paid something like 70 cents for 4 batteries but when I put them in the camera the camera said to change the batteries.

What lessons can we learn from this?

• Have a good battery strategy so that you’re prepared to take pictures of flat frogs and other wonders.
• If you have rechargeable batteries, know where they are.
• If you pay 20 cents or less for a battery, don’t get your hopes up
• If you have to buy batteries at a convenience store/gas station, you will pay through the nose…ouch.

Here’s some pictures from the Kearney, Nebraska area.

Arch spanning I-80 and four Trumble kids in the bright sun.

Big Bison.

Bright Sun.

Beth helping some cross-country travelers push their wagon.

Four Trumble Kids and a bunch of Mormons with handcarts

I-80 from the Arch

The Maze. There are 4 corners and the goal is to get to each tower and punch a card and then return. It is timed. The Trumble kids did not break any records for speed.

Jim in the maze.

Sunset 3 Aug 06