Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

Classic Car Collection, Kearney NE

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Classic Car CollectionOne afternoon, Mike and I were bored and needed something fun to do. I had driven past the Classic Car Collection in Kearney, Nebraska several times and was interested in checking it out, so we decided to visit.

Kearney Classic Car CollectionI have always been a fan of classic and race cars, probably because my dad has been into drag racing since before I was born, and I’ve been to more car shows and drag races than I can count. In fact, I’ve even drag raced my own GTO on several occasions (and once came in 2nd and won money!). I can certainly say that car buffs are going to love this place, but I think just a casual visitor would enjoy it too.

Classic Car Collection KearneyAnyway, the Classic Car Collection did not disappoint. The collection is large, and wide-ranging. Most of the collection belongs to one owner, although there are cars owned by other individuals that are loaned to the collection. If you’re in the neighborhood and looking for something interesting, it’s worth checking out. You can find directions, hours, and more information here.

Classic Car Collection Kearney NE

Bonne Terre Mine, Missouri

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Bonne Terre MineHeartland Scuba books a trip to Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri for scuba diving about once per year. This year it worked for our schedules for Mike and I to go along. Mike had been on some of the Heartland Scuba road trips previously, but this was my first. We set out from Kearney in the morning in a giant van, and had plenty of space to spread out for the trip…all 9 1/2 hours of it.

Travel to Bonne TerreWe stopped in the Heartland Scuba shop in Lincoln and met up with the rest of the divers, then had lunch at Dickey’s BBQ. So yummy! And how can you go wrong with free ice cream cones?! After lunch, we hit the road again and stopped again once we were in Missouri, at Bandana’s BBQ. Barbecue twice in one day, you might wonder? But that’s how it goes when you’re the only girl traveling with a bunch of guys. 😉 But Bandana’s was really good. I had a baked potato covered in barbecued meat, cheese, sour cream, and butter. It was delicious.  Then we hopped back on the road for another couple of hours to the town of Bonne Terre. We settled in for an early night, as we had early check-in times at the mine.

Bonne Terre Mine
Bonne Terre Mine
Yes, that is snow in those pictures.
Bonne Terre Mine
The red building is the entrance to the mine. The sign inside says “Mule Entrance” which felt rather fitting when we were hauling all of our gear into and out of the mine.

Bonne Terre Mine is located right in the center of the town, and is mostly flooded. This makes it a prime location for scuba diving. But they also offer walking tours and boat tours as well. We did three dives on Saturday, and one on Sunday. Mike and I were on trails 1-4, as we’d never been there before. Some of the other divers were on the higher numbered trails, as they’d been there previous years. The higher number the trail, the more advanced the dive (meaning more overhead environments, tighter restrictions, etc.). I don’t have any pictures from during our dives, as the light was low in certain places, and they asked that we not carry dive lights or cameras with flashes or lights, so as to avoid blinding other divers or wandering off alone.  But I did take a few pictures inside the mine just to give some idea of what it looks like down there.

Inside Bonne Terre MineThe enormous pillars are essentially stacked on top of each other in the different levels of the mine, so as to provide strength to the underground structure. These pillars are absolutely immense, and it’s hard to get a sense of their scale. They do provide a bit of navigational guidance when you’re underwater, as they extend down into the underwater section of the “Billion Gallon Lake.”

Inside Bonne Terre Mine
View from the dock, looking at the boat and the pillars inside the Mine.

On our dives, we were able to see all kinds of mining related items, including mine carts, shovels, pick axes, and hooks stuck into the walls. We also saw the stairs that the miners would take down into the mine, stairs that are submerged in probably 30 feet of water, and were able to swim through an elevator shaft. We watched air bubbles run along the ceiling, looking like mercury, and checked out an air pocket under the water. But probably my favorite thing that we saw was an area called the Cathedral Room. The Cathedral Room was among the last areas being worked on before the mine closed. There are crosses marked on the walls, where holes were to be drilled for dynamite to be added. It’s an incredible sight to behold, even more so when floating through the water to it while diving.

Inside Bonne Terre Mine

The air temperature inside the mine is in the 60s (Fahrenheit), while the water temperature is cool, in the 50s. I dove in a 5mm full body wetsuit, boots, hood, and gloves. I also wore a layer of Lycra underneath, not so much because it added any warmth, but because it made the wetsuit easier to put on (and put back on after it was wet). I was warm enough on the first dive, a bit chilled on the second dive, and downright cold on the third dive. On our fourth dive, on Sunday morning, I was chilled again. Diving Bonne Terre in a wetsuit isn’t bad, especially if you’re like me, without any plans for diving anything any colder than Bonne Terre. Mike took this (blurry) photo of me, so that everyone can see how incredibly flattering a wetsuit is. 😉

Wetsuit Diver Bonne Terre MineMike dove in a drysuit with a medium-weight undergarment, which is polar fleece. He has a heavier undergarment that looks like a snow suit, but chose not to wear it. He said that his medium-weight undergarment was plenty warm enough for the dives. This is a picture of him mostly suited up in his dry suit.

Dry Suit Diver Inside Bonne Terre MineOverall, diving Bonne Terre was a great, albeit stretching experience, for me as a diver. I’ll definitely go back and at least do the next set of trails. If you’re a diver, I recommend diving Bonne Terre at least once.

Las Vegas

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Las VegasI visited Las Vegas without Mike, as I was attending a conference, and he stayed home to work. Las Vegas is one town that’s definitely more fun if you’re with a significant other or with friends. Since I was mostly on my own, I didn’t hit up any shows (next time!), and checked out a lot of the free sites and things to see in town. And there are a surprising number of free things. For a town built on extravagance and gambling, I found quite a lot to see and do for not much cash.  Here’s a bit about my trip to Vegas!

Accomodations

While in Las Vegas, I stayed at The Tuscany, since it was hosting my conference. I didn’t want to have to walk to my hotel in the morning to make it to the sessions, so I opted to stay on site. The Tuscany is really nice, and is themed like *surprise* the Tuscany region of Italy. The food at the restaurant on site was very good, as I ate dinner there one evening. The conference facilities are nice. And there’s a pool which is much quieter than some others, such as the one at the Flamingo. The Tuscany is situated about a block and a half off of the strip near Bally’s, which makes for a bit of a hike back and forth. If you’ve not been to Vegas before, be prepared for LOTS of walking. Although everything looks pretty close on a map (and even in person because the buildings are so big), it’s quite a long jaunt between the different casinos.

Transportation on the Strip

There are two trams/trains/whatever you want to call them on the Strip. The City Center Tram is free, and runs on the west side of The Strip, but has a really limited number of stops. It’s probably not terribly helpful unless you’re staying in the area where it runs.

VegasThe Las Vegas Monorail runs along the east side of the Strip. You have to pay to ride it, but it runs the length of The Strip, and is worth paying for. It was nice to take a ride and see everything. And since it runs the length of The Strip, it’s a quick way to go from one end to the other, and pretty quickly too.

Dining Options

Anyone who has been to Las Vegas, or has ever heard of Las Vegas has probably heard about the buffets, but I managed to stay away from them during my trip. I ate dinner at The Tuscany one evening, and had a fine pasta dinner, although it wasn’t anything quite as special as I would have hoped pasta at an Italian themed restaurant and hotel to be.  I also ate dinner with some friends at Yellowtail, a sushi restaurant at The Bellagio. I’m not a huge sushi fan, so I’m probably not one to judge, but it was fine. The view from the balcony was the best part of that meal. I partook in some gelato in Caesar’s Palace, and it was wonderful!  I also ate a really hearty but good breakfast at Ellis Island Casino and Brewery. It was tasty, but plan on a bit of a wait as it was busy all morning long.

Things to See

Probably the best way to see Vegas is simply to walk The Strip. Many of the casinos have attractions both inside the casinos and out, many of them free.  Some of my favorites:

Treasure Island Las VegasThe ships at Treasure Island, even though they no longer have the free nightly shows. I remember seeing one as a child on a vacation with my family and being in absolute awe. I wish they would bring them back! Even without the shows, the ships are pretty incredible.

Wynn Las VegasThe flower covered hot air balloon at The Wynn. Lovely!

Bellagio Las VegasThe fountain, at the Bellagio. My photo was taken from the balcony of Yellowtail, a sushi restaurant in the Bellagio. The food is good if you’re a sushi fan (I’m not much of one, but went with some friends also attending the conference).

The Venetian Las VegasGondolas at The Venetian. Neat to watch even if you don’t choose to pay to take a float down the “river.”

Botanical Gardens Las VegasThe botanical gardens at the Bellagio. So beautiful to just walk through and see the interesting ways that the plants have been used.  Ingenious really!

Caesar's Palace Las VegasThe incredible statues at Caesar’s Palace. So neat, even if they are reproductions. I loved just wandering amongst them and imagining myself in the Old World.

Chocolate Fountain Las Vegas
Yes that really is chocolate flowing down the fountain!

The world’s largest chocolate fountain, at the Bellagio. Who doesn’t love chocolate?!

Flamingo Las VegasThe flamingos at, wherelse? The Flamingo. This is right up there among my favorites. Especially when you factor in all of the other wildlife that you can see while wandering through their gardens. Be prepared to see some folks getting married, as this area is quite picturesque.

MGM Las VegasThe lion at the MGM. Just really impressive looking.

Carousel Wynn Las VegasThe flower covered, working carousel at the Wynn. So gorgeous! And probably my favorite of  all of the free sites.  I’m just in awe that it looks so fresh and actually turns and plays music.

 

I had a fun time in Las Vegas, in spite of being a solo traveler. I’d like to go back with Mike or with friends next time, and check out some shows and the buffets.  Have you been to Las Vegas? What did you enjoy most? Did you find budget options for fun?

 

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