Paying it Forward in Nebraska and a Pioneer House

Today started off sunny and clear, though it did turn windy by the afternoon. We had not traveled too far into Nebraska when we saw a tire go bouncing across the lane in front of us and into the wheat field on the side of the interstate.


We stopped behind the truck which lost the tire. He had no idea where the tire traveled so Gary helped him get the tire, re-stack his load and tie it down. He was grateful and wanted to treat us to dinner but Gary refused and wished him a good day.

We stopped in Gothenburg to check out a sod house. There is also a Pony Express stop here, but we had seen that on another trip so we just spent a few minutes here. The buffalo and horse with Indian were all created out of barbed wire!

When the settlers claimed their land under the Homestead Act they needed to build a house and occupy it for 5 years to get the deed for their land. Since there were no trees in this part of the country they made their houses from sod. We found out they needed to have at least one glass window. Since the windows were expensive many families shared one window and just passed it from place to place as they were being certified for their dwelling!

I took this picture from the end of the house. It was only one room and 9 people lived in here. Think about how spoiled we are today with our big houses and many rooms.
We stopped in Lexington, Nebraska for the night and are staying at Camp Walmart! It is great to have a self sustaining vehicle that does not need to have hook-ups. We used the generator for a couple of hours while we operated the air conditioner. It is now cooled down so the windows are open and the generator is off.
The dogs have gotten used to our routine and now travel real well. They even know enough to go potty quickly if we take them out at a rest stop.
We head for a real campground for tomorrow and Sunday, July 4th, just outside of Omaha. We plan to go see the Winter Quarters visitor center and pioneer cemetery. This is where the Saints (Mormons) spent time while a group went ahead to settle the Salt Lake area.
PROPERTY NEWS: We talked to the owner of the other 1.8 acres as well as the county assessors office and the county planning department. So far everything looks good for the purchase. Heather thinks we should still do a title search and make sure there are no liens on the property before we pay the money - a good idea.