SAC, Tracks and Seafood Snacks

(2025 Balloons and Beyond Ep 4)

After nearly three weeks and more than 2500 miles, we were joined near Kansas City by Pat’s brother, James.  He is also a truck camper owner who brings his Jeep along.

As we have done on several past trips, we visited Pat’s and James’ aunt and uncle in Shawnee, KS, near Kansas City.  We enjoyed catching up with them and agreed connecting with family is an important part of travelling.

A Strategic Visit

Leaving Kansas, we toured the Strategic Air Command Museum near Omaha, NE.  The museum has extensive aircraft and other exhibits on display.  The SAC, formed in 1946, was responsible for the US strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces that were intended to deter aggressors and, if necessary, execute strategic nuclear attacks.  In 1992 the SAC was disbanded, and its various functions were transferred to other military commands.  

Cabbage, Really?    

We were hungry after visiting the Kool-Aid Museum in Hastings, NE (see last week Ep 3), so we decided to lunch on a Nebraska staple – a runza.  Originating from German and Russian cuisine, a runza is a baked bread pocket sandwich filled with seasoned ground beef, onions and cabbage.  Our savory runzas were delicious.

North Platte – Tanks and Trains

Continuing west in Nebraska, we spent the night in North Platte, a sizeable town not far from the river of the same name.  We hoped to go tanking, where we would float a few miles down the river in a large livestock water tank.  We were disappointed when we learned the tanking season was over for the year.  Perhaps on a future trip…

Leaving North Platte, we visited the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center.   From the tower we could see the Union Pacific Bailey Yard, said to be largest rail yard in the world.  The rail yard is an interesting spectacle with dozens of locomotives and more than a thousand rail cars all moving at once on miles of rail lines!

Chewy Seafood

Later that day we stopped at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse and Lounge in Paxton, NE.  Rosser O. Herstedt, otherwise known as Ole, was a big game hunter who collected the more than 200 big game trophies that adorn the restaurant walls. The trophies include moose, elk, a polar bear, a jackelope and MANY more.  

Beneath a large elk, we sampled a local seafood appetizer, otherwise known as Rocky Mountain Oysters.   We tried not to think of the source of the crispy breaded and deep-fried meat filets as we dipped them in ketchup and chewed/swallowed them quickly.

Truck Campers Ho!    

Continuing west, Nebraska’s flat endless fields of corn became rolling hills covered with grass, and then distant rocky mesas.  Like 1800s pioneers following the Oregon Trail, we watched for Chimney Rock, a significant landmark that rises more than 300 feet above the surrounding landscape.

Next Week

From Chimney Rock, we continue westward to Wyoming, looking forward to the Cowboy State’s rugged, untamed beauty.