Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 00:15:55 -0700
Reply-To: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Sights to see in the plains states (LVC)
In-Reply-To: <67f8ac6c0906042209o2644eacby3e3c17cb3635a331@mail.gmail.com>
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Man I'm all about getting off the interstates!
Steampunkish?
Had to google that one. :)
A book one might enjoy while out in the plains, "The Lost Continent".
Bill Bryson.
If ever I venture that far, I'll be sure to look up some of the "road
side attractions".
Thanks!
Neil.
On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 10:09 PM, Gary Bawden<goldfieldgary@gmail.com> wrote:
> Greetings, fellow Vanagonauts,
>
> The other day I mentioned that Nebraska is home to some surplus
> stores. The one I'm thinking of is the sort of place you Westy owners
> could pull into, go browsing, and the next day (or three), you'd have
> the solution to opening your top with the eight kayaks, three mountain
> bikes, and six large bear-proof containers on top. I envision an
> electric-over-pneumatic switch on the dash, which, when depressed,
> would assist your top to open with the help of a pair of air
> cylinders, powered by a nifty belt-driven compressor you were able to
> bolt on somewhere on your anemic 1.9 waterboxer. And for those of us
> who just have the plain-vanilla Vanagons, surely something
> steampunkish would come of a visit!
>
> Then I got to thinking about the poor old maligned plains states in
> general, and how true it is that most folks find crossing them rather
> boring. And I'd have to say that if you're in a hurry and are forced
> to take the Interstate, it's pretty hard to pick out any interesting
> features, no matter where you are.
>
> So, IF you have the time, here's a short list of stuff to see in (some
> of) the plains states:
>
> Nebraska:
> Lincoln has Burden's Surplus, 1015 W. O Street (see above)
> Minden has Pioneer Village, which is home to a steam-powered
> merry-go-round, complete with an asthmatic calliope. Also exciting to
> gearheads is a huge collection of early engines, including outboard
> motors.
> Sydney has Cabela's flagship store, containing their bargain basement!
>
> Kansas:
> Just west of Emporia is the Flint Hills, which is one of the last
> remnants of the great plains that was spared the plow.
> Mushroom Rock State Park may not be on a par with Arches National
> Monument, but still, rocks in Kansas...woo-hoo!
> Speaking of Kansas rocks, check out the mile upon mile of hand-hewn
> limestone fenceposts, a testament to the pioneer's versatility.
>
> The Dakotas:
> Somewhere I read, years ago, that either North or South Dakota had the
> world's tallest radio tower. Worth seeing? Your decision!
>
> So obviously this is not an exhaustive list. I just like to point out
> from time to time that to really enjoy the sights, you've gotta get
> off the Interstates! And the coffee? Pretty bad, all right, but who
> cares? We can take our own fixins' with us!
>
> Gary
>
--
Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
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