South-Western US Road Trip: 1/6/22

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 Day 21

Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa

We started today by driving to the Great Platte Archway. It is a museum located above Interstate 80. Once inside, we were given handheld audio devices to listen to while walking through at our own pace. There were numbered transmitters throughout the museum that you simply tapped your device on, or manually punched in the number. We really enjoyed it and learned a lot of history ranging from the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails, to the Golden Spike of the transcontinental railroad, and even to the present day. They had a radar gun (speed) in an upper window that you could use to see how fast people below you were driving. After finishing the tour (we spent about 2 hours), we checked out a gemstone/fossil sluice that was on the main level. While we didn't purchase any of the rough (sand mixture), we found several small bits of interesting rocks and fossils. After piling back into the car, we drove to another museum. This one was about the winter quarters and journey of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), located in Florence, Nebraska. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by several smiling faces saying we were the first visitors in three days because of the cold weather. We had a wonderful guided tour and learned much about the journey and hardships they faced on their way to Salt Lake City. We also saw a demonstration of how they measured the distance traveled (an odometer). After leaving, we drove to our hotel in Sioux City.




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