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

Six Things You Might Miss if You Fly Over ‘Fly Over Country’

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1. The boundless variety of shades of greens, golds, and oranges of the land, as well as how the same stretch of land changes through the seasons.

North Park Holdrege Nebraska2. Seeing red and green train signal lights, which leads you to wonder about what they mean, and then leads you to research it. Learning something new every day!

3. An early morning modern cattle drive. One pickup leads the cattle with a giant round hay bale in the open bed of the truck. Some of the cattle, apparently the most hungry, trot along to try to catch the truck. Other cattle, apparently the lazier and less hungry of the herd, dilly-dally along. Men on four-wheelers, and men in other pickup trucks, bring up the rear and hurry these slow cattle along. So neat to watch!

40318 Cattle Drive4. The feeling of freedom that you get while driving down a wide open road through an empty stretch of prairie.

5. The unmistakable squawk of Canadian geese migrating south in the fall, or north in the winter.

Canadian Geese6. Coal trains stretching as far as the eye can see, and moving along right next to you on the highway.

 

DeSmet, South Dakota and Laura Ingalls Wilder

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DeSmet, South Dakota is a small town located on the prairies east of the Missouri River. It is named after Father Pierre DeSmet, a Belgian Jesuit missionary. But the town is made famous by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Little House on the Prairie series of books and the television show.


I read the books as a child and was absolutely fascinated by all that these pioneers had experienced, and even more so by the fact that some of the books took place in my home state. As an adult, that childhood fascination translated into an intense desire to visit the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

26 Ingalls House in De SmetVisiting the Laura Ingalls Wilder historic homes and the museum takes about an afternoon. It includes a tour of the surveyor’s house, the Brewster School (the first school that Laura taught in), the DeSmet school, and the home of the Ingalls family in town. Seeing the places described in the books was so much fun. I was amazed at how much smaller these buildings were than what my mind’s eye had pictured.

The price of admission is $12 for adults, $6 for youth, and free for children under age 5.  I thought the amount of information and entertainment provided was well worth the price of admission.

I recommend reading the books before visiting. But they are available in the gift shop for purchase as well. Another great resource for those wanting to read more about the time is the Discover Laura blog. I recommend checking that out as well!

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