Things To Do Between Here and Denver

[Anonymous-0]

I'm driving from N. Illinois to Denver, CO and back again on wednesday next week. I'm looking for something to do on my way back through on thursday. I'll be on I-80 and that other interstate that slopes southwest to Denver. The trip out there is going to be just the straight shot with no stops because we're moving my brother. On the way back I'll be solo and can do what I want. Any ideas for tractor shows, attractions, or personal tractor collections I should see? I'll put in a day of work for you if I can borrow your couch thursday night ; ) Any ideas are welcome and my email's open. Thanks!

 

[old]

Watch the weather when you start to get close to Lyman CO. every time I ever went out and through that area the weather was always bad there. Fog, wind, snow, rain etc. Never did figure out why but I never drove in that area with out the weather being bad. Back in 1995 I made at least one trip that way a week.
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks old I'll keep that in mind. I hate driving interstate in the rain. The mist/spray from car wheels and the windshield wipers never do a good job at high speeds cause it's so windy. I'll keep an eye on Lyman. What made you drive out there once a week? If you don't mind me askin'

 

[730 virgil]

hey in how are ya? at newton ia. you might see if the matag museum also once up on at time was a guy with a john deere collection.
ask sloroll if any of this stuff is still there.

 

[iowadave1957]

In Paxton, NE you must stop at Ole" steakhouse and see his stuffed wildlife while you eat. Great stop right off I-80.

 

[Anonymous-0]

One of the neatest things on I-80 is the Bill "Speedy" Smith Speedway Motorsports (long time race/hot rod parts retailer) in Lincoln Ne. Large collection of old race cars, rare old race engines and speed equipment and at one time, toys and pedal cars. They do give tours and info probably found on Google.

 

[old]

That was back when I pulled mobile homes all over the country as a living. I pull out of a plant that makes them in Boonville MO and pulled them all over the place. Seemed like a good number of them would go out west so I was making that trip once some times twice a week
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

You could always stop at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab & Museum in Lincoln.......

 

[Anonymous-0]

I'm doing good Virgil. You dried out up there yet? Did you mean a Maytag museum? Like the clothes washer? That sounds neat 'cause I love the old engines they put on those. Thanks for the tip.

 

[730 virgil]

yep that's the one. i don't know if maytag is still making dryers there or not.
maytag had some kind of a race car once i think it had a maytag engine in it. i think tese cars were used to advertise maytag engines.
does anyone on here have a picture of one they could post.

 

[JDB]

If you like airplanes, try the SAC museum near Ashland, Ne

 

[Iowa_tire_guy]

Pioneer Village in Minden NE. is about 10 miles south of 80. Biggest car collection I have ever seen and lots of tractors and farm machinery. You really need more than a day to do it all.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Heck I forgot all about that!! Thank you!

 

[Merle Hoppenworth]

If you stop in Newton call Bill Zegars (515-792-2230 ) to se a nice JD collection ( used to be the JD dealer there. Shop phone 8:30 to about 4:00.

 

[HuskerMedic]

Spend a day to remember at the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. Just a mile or two off of the interstate at Grand Island, Nebraska.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I will second a stop at the Smiths collection. There is a lot of speed equipment for the old engines. You could look and drool all day at that place.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Call KUNI or one of the other Iowa Public Radio stations and see if you can get them to play "I'd Hate to Wake Up Sober in Nebraska" as you're coming through Iowa on I-80. They used to run that once in awhile in the afternoons on the folk program and I always cracked up listening to it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

How about the Farmalland Museum in Avoca IA. Jerry Mez has put together one of the finest collections of red power ever imaginable. Jusr my 2 cents. JGS

 

[Larry in CO]

There"s going to be a tractor show just north of Denver on highway 287 August 23rd thru 26th at the Daugherty (sp) museum. Should be 100 to 150 tractors, steam tractors, etc. There will be threshing demonstrations and baling demonstrations using an old stationary hay press. If you have time, check it out. I"ll have my Farmall H out there. Hope this helps. Larry

 

[Anonymous-0]

Between Lincoln and the SAC museum there is a little privately run WW2 museum. All real artifacts there.

In Lincoln there is a good natural history museum. Takes hours to tour it all.

Minden is primo but nothing there is restored. Could take more than a day. The only in Minden motel is owned by the museum. Museum admission is free with a motel room.

Bridge over I-80 at Kearney is mostly fabricated stuff but it seems to fairly accurately show how tough it was going west by wagon and ox. A tourist trap otherwise.

There is a decent art museum in Kearney, NE. And a historical museum that wasn't open when I was there back in March.

Stuhr Museums at Grand Island are worth a visit. A couple miles from where Case-IH combines are built and factory tours can be had there.

The westward expansion museum at the old Union Station in Omaha is good.

The UPRR museum in Council Bluffs is good on RR history.

Living History Farms at Des Moines has a good reputation right next to the Machine Shed restaurant.

The Iowa Historical Society Museum next to the state capital in down Des Moines is good.

The historical museum at the Dallas County Conservation Commission office is intesting. Its just south of Perry Iowa.

The Danish windmill at Elkhorn can be interesting.

There are several museums around the University of Iowa at Iowa City.

You're a week early for Mount Pleasant.

Search Iowa Museums on google and you will find many more. Most of these above, I've seen this year. Minden is still the top, with SAC second.

Cabella's home office is just off I-80 in western Nebraska.

Gerald J.

 

[Allan in NE]

Oh,

You must mean after you get done fighting that traffic. What a nightmare! :>)

Allan

 

[Anonymous-0]

if you stay the night in Rawlins wyoming DON'T stay at the travel lodge. it's a dump and run by india we found out the hard way

 

[Gene Dotson]

Coming through Nebraska, you might consider driving on U.S. 30. It pretty much parallells I-80 and many railroad tracks alongside. It goes through many interesting little towns. I traveled it from Kimball to Grand Island last fall. Was an interesting byway and good road and speed limits... Gene

 

[DaveH IA]

The area code is 641 for Newton---I worked for Bill and his partner from 72 till 80----the Jasper Co Museum is next to I 80 at Newton -- has lots of Maytag stuff and some old tractors and a steam engine I helped get to town few years back

 

[Anonymous-0]

You wont be going near LIMON as you will go south at the junction of I-80 and i-76 Limon would be way out of the way.

 

[Anonymous-0]

you schuld get home in time for thanksgiving.
look it all over and enjoy your self for once.
they got you a good list of places to see.

 

[mj]

(quoted from post at 13:48:56 08/15/07) Watch the weather when you start to get close to Lyman CO. every time I ever went out and through that area the weather was always bad there. Fog, wind, snow, rain etc. Never did figure out why but I never drove in that area with out the weather being bad. Back in 1995 I made at least one trip that way a week.
Hobby farm

Not being picking but it's [b:9b67f28cae]Limon[/b:9b67f28cae].....Roger? :wink:

 

[Anonymous-0]

Just for kicks see if you can keep up with an 18 wheeler.

 

[Chad Franke]

Well, you'll see my house. I'm about 400 feet off of I76 just east of the exit, you'll see my W9's sitting out there.

The Sterling museum is good if you want to see some stuff dealing with homesteading in the area. They have a few dozen tractors, threshers, etc. Not a lot of stuff, but worth spending an hour looking if you are intersted in the homesteading days.

 

[NEsota]

Nebraska's capital building,in Lincoln is terrific architecturally, Art Deco. Google may have good info on it.

 

[PatMz]

L.G. Simmons Conservation Park and Widlife Safari at exit 246 west of Lincoln. My wife and daughter were there a couple of weeks ago. Bison, cranes, whitetails, pronghorns, lots of prairie animals. They even saw a few elk!

 

[jubilee johnny]

I think I would vote for Pioneer Village at Minden, NE. There is such a variety of stuff to see, not just tractors, farm equipment, and cars, but lots of other stuff . Look on the website. It is worth the stop.