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 — This trip is about two-lane roads and historic trails: NE 92, the Oregon Trail, and the Lincoln Highway. As a member of the Oregon Trail Generation, with those factors in mind, there’s really only one way to chart the passage of time, right?
Oh yeah.
Route: US 30, IA 330, I-80 with old IA 925, I-29, 25th St, 9th Ave, get to IA 192, US 275, US 75, I-80, I-680, US 6, NE 92
With the threat of rain along I-80 I took 30/330 to Des Moines, and it worked surprisingly well. West of Des Moines, I picked up the White Pole Road, aka IA 925, aka Old Highway 6, and also made stops in Earlham (unvisited) and Walnut (school). Then, in Council Bluffs, I stopped to see the Golden Spike Monument, and took pictures of the new South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge. By now, it was a beautiful sunny day, and I got to my first Lincoln Highway item: the brick section in Elkhorn.
Preserved brick section of the Lincoln Highway between 180th and 192nd Streets. With the upgrade of US 6 (West Dodge Road) to a full freeway, the east end is reached via the 168th Street exit. Built in 1920, it was only part of the Lincoln/US 30 for a decade, until it was rerouted via Blair.
From there, it was time to get familiar with NE 92. Really familiar. Sadly, this exacting travel got an asterisk; I had to take about 10 miles of gravel where 92 was closed off for bridge construction. Otherwise, the conditions were perfect and I got to Broken Bow, setting up camp for the night at the Big 12 Motel.
Fresh with the spirit of exploration, I attempted a local delicacy. They call it a Runza.