Carhenge

Another short travel day had us departing Creekside RV Park in Chappell, NE around 11 am. It's nice to not have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off getting ready to move.

The sun was shining and we chose a backroad that paralleled the freeway but took us through several small towns. I read the history of each one as we passed them and we were able to pick out a number of buildings or businesses that were over 100 years old and historical.

When we got to Sidney, only 30 miles away, we decided to take a detour based on something I had read about a bronze strip being place across the interstate where the east interstate met the west interstate during construction. We jumped onto the freeway and headed west hoping to see the bronze strip. Nothing......bummer.

A u-turn at the next exit brought us back to a rest area where we discovered this sign. It turns out that the Golden Link is a state marker, not a national one and the it's located north of the highway. Oh well, interesting detour anyway.

We turned north at Sidney and followed Hwy 385 for about 70 miles through gentle rolling hills. This road is nicknamed the Gold Rush highway because it was used to transport the gold that was discovered in the Black Hills to the railroads waiting in Sidney. Lots of history in this area.

In Bridgeport, NE we found the historical marker where the Mormons camped near the North Platte River. Bridgeport is recognized as the "Trail City" since the Pony Express, Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, Big Medicine Trail and the Sidney-Deadwood Trail all passed through here. I would have loved to see the actual ruts that are still visible nearby at Chimney Rock but it isn't alway easy to use the motorhome for sightseeing.

So, we continued on to our destination, Alliance, NE. where we found the Sunset Motel and RV Park. The original plan was to spend just one night here but we usually chose to not travel on Sunday and we paid for two nights.

The rv park appears to be an afterthought, tacked onto the back of the motel. Small and marginally acceptable, it will do as a stopover. Pics tomorrow.

After getting set up we jumped in the car to visit the highlight of Alliance. Carhenge! Yup, you read that right.


Just 3 miles outside of town is this hysterically funny take on Stonehenge built in a dusty field with 38 cars buried in the dirt. According to the "road culture" website Roadside America, this was constructed in 1987 much to the dismay of the people of Alliance.

It has now become a popular tourist sight with a visitor center and thousands of visitors each year. The American made autos are arranged in a 95 foot (diameter) circle copying the original Stonehenge in shape, proportion and size.


The admission is free and it's well worth the stop if you are in the area.

There are many other sculptures and "art" built from car parts in the field, including this ode to the four(d) seasons....

and a towering dinosaur.


Continuing down the road we discovered a rest area that Doug couldn't resist.

Perched on top of haybales is a recliner, toilet and pvc wifi pole. It's hard to take pictures when you're laughing so hard! Those Nebraskans have a great sense of humor.

It was a long day but very relaxed and entertaining.