Holiday RV Park and Campground
(25 Jul – 1 Aug)
North Platte, NE is a crossroad (rail?) of America, as we came to learn during our stay. In addition, there were many things to do and places to see we were not aware of until we arrived! We managed to fill a week with breweries, museums, historical sights, memorials, railyards, baseball and bike rides!
Our first stop . . . wait for it . . . was a brewery! Truly location dependent, we visited “Peg Leg Brewing Co” located down the road less than half a mile away. We could have walked back if we had to! One of only two breweries this time, it was a great venue and some great beer! I enjoyed their German inspired Bock while Tina stuck to the fruity stuff (yuck!), a Mango-Peach Ale. The brewery name does have a story and is easily located online, but to skip to the punch line – the Brew Master only has one leg, ergo – Peg Leg Brewery!
Our only other brew stop was “Pals Brewing Company” located a little further from home. A bit more of a drive, it was worth it! Oh, by the way, we discovered Pals is a Harvest Host if you are ever in the area and you need a place for a night! And they stay busy with travelers as we sat and chatted with Dan at the bar. Pals also has live music on the weekends at their ample outdoor venue. One other trivia note from Pals was the pleasure of meeting our beer tender . . . first name: Morgan. . . middle name: Christine. . . last name: not Jones, and she once lived in Algood, TN. She was shocked to meet folks from Sparta! For the uninformed, Algood, TN is a couple of towns from Sparta, but even smaller. Morgan stayed in the (Plains) Region after coming out for college. She liked it so much, that after graduation, she decided to stay! Interesting, but back to the beverages . . . the beer of choice for both of us this time was the ‘3 Palamigos’ and the ‘Weisenbock’. No fruit beers this stop!
The first stop on our other places of interest included the “20th Century Veterans’ Memorial” only about a mile from camp. It is a very well-done memorial with some really intricate stone / brick carvings dutifully recognizing all of the military services – especially the Navy! 😉. Co-located across a walkway was another memorial dedicated to police and other first responders. Glad we made the stop! God bless our military and first responders!
Next on the “cool list” was the “Golden Spike Tower” on the edge of town. If you ever get to North Platte or within 50 miles – make the drive to the Tower! Besides being a sight to behold, the story and history of the world’s largest railyard is really interesting! The Tower is an 8-story observation deck and contains a small sample of the history of rail as it made its way West. We will have a link to it, but in short, many goods going by rail – either West or East – come through this yard. The interesting part about this transition point is the “Hump Yards” and how they function to keep the right cars going to the right place. (NOTE: If you are really interested, Bailey Yard (proper name of railyard) has live camera feeds!) The other really neat historical aspect of the rail through North Platte goes back to WWII and the “Canteen” volunteers. There is a book you can read that goes into detail about it, but in short order, as I mentioned above, this was a major East-West rail route and during WWII, from 1941-1946, the troop carriers made routine stops in North Platte as military personnel were moving across the country. During this short 5-year time period, over 6 million (wow!) troops were fed, watered, coffee-d, and entertained by over 55,000 volunteers. It is quite a story! I am reading the book now – “Once Upon a Town – The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen” by Bob Greene.
Another big draw to this part of the country is the fact that it was the home to “Buffalo” Bill Cody in the late 1800s. His one-time home (1886-1913) and “Scout Rest Ranch” are still here, as is the “Trading Post” (souvenir shop) and “Cody Park”, home to some historical locomotives and still living buffalo! (NOTE: The Buffalo Bill Ranch, Cody Park, The Golden Spike, and the Lincoln County Historical Museum make up the “grand slam” of must-see attractions in North Platte. You can buy a “bundle ticket” for all of them!)
Cody Park is home to a couple of historical locomotives reminiscent of and representing the Union Pacific Railways. The “Union Pacific Challenger” and another engine are on display along with a restored period rail station. We were lucky to have a volunteer historian and “station master” give us a personal tour and give context to the “old days”. John was a great resource and a pleasure to meet. He is even an amateur photographer!
The “Lincoln County Historical Museum” was another very interesting stop and again, time well spent! This museum, as its name indicates, is a testimony to the history of the immediate area with artifacts back to the dinosaur days and countless items that represent the growth of the West in the 1800s. Several original buildings are here or have been re-located here along with their stories. Early farming equipment and tools make you think of how impressive it was to have these tools at the time they were introduced, while at the same time making you realize what kind of people settled this country! It was not for the timid or weak! (P.S. There is a great video about the Canteen here also!!)
We rounded out our week by celebrating Tina’s birthday with a nice dinner at the “Cedar Room” restaurant; taking in a college summer league baseball game between the “North Platte Plainsmen” and the “Nebraska Prospects”; taking a couple of bike rides; and visiting the local Farmers’ Market. The food and service at the Cedar Room was outstanding; the ball game was fun to watch, but not so fun for the home team; bike ride was nice (crossed South Platte River) and bike path was adequate to really nice in places; and visiting the Farmers’ Market which had kettle corn! Life is good!
Holiday RV Park and Campground is designed as a transient stop right off I-80. Lots of turnover, but we did meet our neighbors for most of the week. Tim and Julie Anderson are former longtime residents of North Platte who have since moved to South Dakota and are now 4th year full-time RVers in their very nice 5th wheel! The sites were all gravel, some shade, mostly level and fine for short stays. Sites were big-rig friendly, and they do have a pool, bath house and a laundry. It is a family run operation, and the staff were all very friendly. Not a resort but it is centrally located, clean, well-kept and I would stay again!
Camping up with the Joneses 