Nebraska - Day 15 - northwest to Victoria Springs

Tomahawk Park Campground, Broken Bow

Saturday, 15 October 2022

today's route

I'd barely gotten on the road when I saw a car with a Nebraska license plate that said, IHVTWNS.  I guess I wasn't awake because it took me a minute or so to decipher.

I passed Cairo, pop. 785, "Oasis of the Prairie."  The town's name is pronounced like the town in Illinois - KAY-row, like the syrup.

I saw a lot of trains today, many with coal-filled cars.  My brother told me they're coming from Wyoming, heading east, and they go back to Wyoming empty.  He and Anna traveled on this road not too many months ago on a trip up to Yellowstone and the Tetons.  So thanks to him I knew that what I was seeing in the landscape were sandhills.  Signs along the road told me I was on the Sandhill Journeys Scenic Byway, one of America's Byways, but that wouldn't have meant anything to me without David's heads-up.

These sandhills cover almost a quarter of Nebraska and have been designated a National Natural Landmark.  The University of Nebraska says they're "the largest sand dune formations in the Western Hemisphere" and "one of the largest grass-stabilized dune regions in the world."  Because I knew about this in advance, I discovered there was a visitor center along the highway with information, and I decided to stop there.

Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway Visitor Center

There were several informational signs posted around the visitor center (which was closed for the season), and Dexter and I took a walk around the area.

This first sign is general information about the sandhills area.

This is the sign; enlargements below.

This is what I felt in North Dakota.

This next sign has some specific data about the sandhills themselves.

This is the sign - enlargements below.

Next is an explanation about how the sandhills developed in the beginning.

This is the sign - enlargements below.

They had a working windmill nearby, with another sign.  Today was seriously overcast with a very strong wind, so I'm sorry that these photos don't have a bright and cheery feel.

This is the windmill.

Closer view of the base.

This is the sign - enlargements below.

This sign mentions "the
incessant winds on the plains"
and I can attest to those.

And there was one more sign in the grasslands area.

This is the sign. . .

. . . and this is one piece enlarged.

From there, we continued northeast, passing the town of Broken Bow, pop. 3,559, where we'll come back to spend the night, but now we were on our way to a nearby state park.

Victoria Springs State Recreation Area

I'd originally intended to stay at the campground here but got really nervous when I learned campsites were on a walk-in only basis - no reservations.  Since this was a small campground and a weekend night, I was afraid I'd get there and find no space available and know of nowhere to go.  Through an online search, I discovered a city campground back at Broken Bow and decided to make a reservation there.  Of course, when I got to Victoria Springs, the campground was almost deserted, but I still prefer security when it comes to a place to sleep.

But I came here because I'd read that Victoria Springs was once famous for its (surprise!) natural springs, which of course were still there, so I went to take a look.

The first video is 32 seconds and shows the entire pond covered with algae (I guess) except where the springs are bubbling.  The second video is 12 seconds and is a closer view of one of the bubbling springs.

And this is a sign about the springs and the local plans for them.

This is the sign - enlargements below.

And finally I'm including this sign about Wood Ducks.  Since the sign is here, I'm assuming they nest in this area.  Wood Ducks are among this country's more glamorous duckies.

This is an online photo of a male Wood Duck.

As I drove back to Broken Bow, I stopped to take this photo.

To me, this is what the Great Plains look like.  This is one of the iconic views of what America looks like.

A little farther on, I stopped to read this historical marker.  Over and over as I've traveled I've seen signs about the importance of the Grange to the survival of family farms in America.  This one explains what happened here in Nebraska.

The city campground in Broken Bow was quite nice, full hookups with concrete pads.  And it was nearly full, unlike the less well-equipped state campground, probably because both were about the same price and this one was handier.  Lots of dogs in the campground, so I was really glad I only had one rambunctious dog to contend with.  And I was tired after driving for hours in the strong plains wind.