Monthly Archives: April 2017

Apr 28

The southeast corner of Wyoming, the highest point in Nebraska

Posted on Friday, April 28, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, August 5 — After leaving Cheyenne, I headed east on I-80 almost to the state line and then turned south to reach the Colorado-Nebraska-Wyoming corner and the highest point in Nebraska. The two locations are within eyesight of … Continue reading →

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Apr 27

Great Plains Trip Day 4

Posted on Thursday, April 27, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

August 5, 2016: View of I-80/US 30 from the Wyoming Welcome Center, the highest point on the interstate. Kimball, Nebraska — From a college football stadium to a tri-state corner, this day had a little bit of everything. The first … Continue reading →

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Apr 26

Great Plains Trip Day 3

Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

August 4, 2016: Pioneers literally wore down the stone here. Oregon Trail ruts, Guernsey, Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming — This would be my first entry into Wyoming in nearly 16 years. But first, some auto work. After that, I stopped at Rebecca … Continue reading →

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Apr 25

Great Plains Trip Day 2

Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

August 3, 2016: Entrance to Scotts Bluff National Monument via old NE 92. NE 92 used to end much farther east, at NE 61 in Arthur County, but then was extended across the state and joined WY 92. Scottsbluff, Nebraska — … Continue reading →

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Apr 24

Great Plains Trip Day 1

Posted on Monday, April 24, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

August 2, 2016: The Golden Spike Monument in Council Bluffs marks the east end of the Transcontinental Railroad, as designated by Abraham Lincoln himself. However, the first rail bridge to Omaha didn’t open until March 1872. Broken Bow, Nebraska — … Continue reading →

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Apr 21

Dispatches from the frontier

Posted on Friday, April 21, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Washington Post went to Kiron, Steve King’s hometown, and put its observations on the front page earlier this week. The article doesn’t set out for a particular point, more of a “day in the life” of pretty typical Iowans. … Continue reading →

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Apr 20

The 1981 map and the tail end of the Great Decommissioning

Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The disclaimer on the 1981 Iowa highway map. From the start, I have limited the reach of Iowa Highway Ends to those state highways on the 1981 map and later. (For the US routes, since there are far fewer, any … Continue reading →

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Apr 19

Why we don’t have a 2017 map yet

Posted on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The first part of the year used to herald the annual arrival of two Map Days. One, in late winter, would be the release of the full RAGBRAI map in a Des Moines Sunday Register. That appears to have been discontinued … Continue reading →

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Apr 18

The new R&T lofts

Posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 11, 2013: View down the staircase that runs the height of the 1918 Register & Tribune Building. The historic Register & Tribune Building in Des Moines, where I worked for a decade, is almost ready to open as a … Continue reading →

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Apr 17

I wrote a check for 67 cents

Posted on Monday, April 17, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Ever since the IRS stopped mailing income tax forms, I’ve been free-filing my taxes online with H&R Block. It’s been fine — or at least it was, until this year. For 2016, my withholding ended in “9.33” — but the … Continue reading →

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