Today, we trekked across the breadth of Nebraska, dabbled into Colorado, and ended the day’s travels in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We were on the road for eight hours and it went just as quickly as the twelve hours did yesterday.

To entertain ourselves, we got through nearly (Harry Potter fans will understand) all of the first audiobook in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and stopped for some sights along the way.

One of those sights was the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, which also pairs as a museum for Nebraska’s role in the development of the west. We decided not to stop for the museum bit, but snatched a couple of shots as we drove on.

Another stop, which was pretty spontaneous, was in Gothenburg, where the original pony express station resided.

It was an adorable wooden building, settled on the outskirts of a park. We learned that it also was also used as a fur trading post, ranch house, an overland trail stage station, bunk house, and storage house; talk about versatile!

I’ll be transparently honest: Colorado wasn’t on our route to San Francisco. However, when the state line was mere minutes off of our course, I couldn’t resist.

I’ll tell you, it was worth the extra five minutes to say Big Booty Judy got to put on a few miles within the Colorado border.

To give you an idea of what our scenery was for a majority of the trip, I included the below picture. Field after field after field after field. Despite the black cows that often dotted the golden landscapes, there wasn’t much variation in our view.

A part of me longed to see it all on the cusp of harvest time, with green hues being added to the palatte of blues and golds. Maybe on the return trip.

Our last hour brought us into Wyoming. It was strange being surrounded by buildings again, as we pulled into Cheyenne, after being among open fields all day. The natural sameness we had grown accustomed to had disappeared.

I won’t lie, my heart is calling out to the mountains I hope lie ahead. While the farmland is charming and quaint, I’m ready to be awed by a horizon of peaks and valleys.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post!