WERE THERE DRUIDS IN NEBRASKA, WELL THERE IS CARHENGE

Day 7 Carhenge 

We started the morning with a pup walk and then made pineapple and ham pancakes for breakfast. All packed up and on the road at 0830 heading to Alliance Nebraska. 

The drive out of Custer and to Wind Cave NP was scenic and we saw buffalo, pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, and an occasional white tail deer. We did make a stop at Wind Cave so as to get our NPS Passport stamped. 

From Wind Cave to Alliance, NB the roads were good and the scenery consisted of miles and miles of open grassland. As the miles clicked by the temperatures grew higher. We soon arrived in Alliance at the J&C RV Park and got hooked up and turned on the AC.   

Were there druids in Nebraska? How did they place those cars? What is the significance of this structure? These quests beg for answers. 

Just outside of Alliance Nebraska, one can find a Road Side Attraction called Carhenge.  During a family reunion in 1987 a farmer (and engineer) Jim Reinders, built this as a memorial to his father.

Built from 38 cars found in nearby fields and dumps, the dimensions are in proportion with the original Stonehenge. Yes, the various windows are placed just as the windows are at Stonehenge, aligning with specific days of sun and moon rising.   All cars which were used to create Carhenge are Detroit made. Originally there were three foreign cars used as part of the structure but they were subsequently removed and replaced with Detroit made cars. The three foreign cars were ceremonially buried on the property. 

A couple years later the Reinders family spray-painted the cars a flat gray to make the monument look more like  Stonehenge.  Yet, there was trouble at first for Carhenge. The residents of Alliance did not like it and wanted to tear down Carhenge. Then the Nebraska Department of Highways wanted to label it a "junkyard" and erect a big fence around it. But as attractions bring visitors the air became more friendly towards Carhenge, and now Alliance proudly calls itself "Home of Carhenge."  In August 2013 the City of Alliance voted to become Carhenge's owner, officially giving its blessing to the monument and guaranteeing its preservation for many years to come.

Carhenge is a remote wonder, far from the nearest interstate (80 miles). It's a place that you really have to dedicate time to visit. For me, I appreciated the ingenuity and quirkiness of this Roadside Attraction. There is no fee and it is dog friendly. There is a small gift shop where one can purchase souvenirs and snacks. Although there is no fee, you will be moved to make a donation. The hours of operation are daylight hours. 

After our visit to Carhenge, we went to Wiggly Park, the local dog park, to let The Boys run and play. Then back to the camper where they crashed and did not start begging for their dinner. 

THE WILDLIFE LOOP OF CUSTER STATE PARK

Day 6 Custer State Park - The Wildlife Loop

The Boys were up at some crazy hour of the night and Lynn took them for a walk. Then at 0530 I got up and took them out for another stroll. Back at the camper we made breakfast burritos  for breakfast. 

The skies look to be clear and we will have all day to explore the wildlife loop. So we headed out on the Wildlife Loop. The first critters we encountered was small group of Pronghorn Antelope. They were pretty active and as it is the start of their rut, they were chasing and romping about. The Boys got pretty excited to see this activity. 

We continued on the loop and spotted a buffalo herd off in the distance and tried to get closer, but this was not the case as all we found was a solitary bull sitting by the road. We returned to a visitor center and found it to be in an old herdsman’s cabin. The building had a lot of character and there were some nice exhibits. Here we got information as to where other buffalo herds might be, as well as the burros. 

We continued on the loop and soon encountered the burros. Here these critters are well acclimated to the presence of cars and people. Several folks were feeding them carrots. The burros would approach every car that pulled off the road. The Boys did not get real excited about the burros but did show some interest. 

From there we continued on the loop and decided to take some of the back dirt roads. It was here we found two different small herds of buffalo. We stopped several times along the way to get photos as they passed by the truck. We would then pull ahead of them and stop for more pictures. 

The back roads lead us back to the small visitors center. There we had a picnic lunch and The Boys were very well behaved with all the activity happening about them. After lunch we continued the loop and stopped in a campground where  we had thought about staying. We are happy with our choice of campground. In this camp ground, we did see a flock of turkeys and Lynn got some pictures. 

Soon we were back at our campground and The Boys were fast asleep while we caught up on our writing. 

We decided to take a little hike along a nearby trail to the Coolidge General Store. The hike there was uneventful and The Boys enjoyed every step of the way. At the General Store we treated ourselves to a Blue Bunny Turtle ice cream bar. On the hike back, The Boys started really pulling and looking into the trees. Soon we see what they were looking at, a couple of White Tail Deer.  I tried to get some pictures but they were rather skittish. 

For dinner this evening I made grilled cheese that had cheese, tomato and grilled onion inside. They were very good, well Lynn said they were good. 

The Boys got their after dinner walk and they enjoyed touring the camp ground meeting some other dogs. Soon darkness fell and other campers were just starting their dinner and sitting by the campfire. We did not have any campfires on this trip as the fire danger was very high in Wyoming and there is a fire ban in place. Yet here the fire danger is listed as moderate and fires are allowed. 

Between the excitement of seeing several different animals and going for a long walk The Boys are acting rather tired this evening. 

    

Antelope and Buffalo and burros  LETS PLAY!!!!!

Then there was just the tail!!