A Hardesty Nebraska

We left the awful campsite after getting some coffee and headed out onto Route 6, again.  Staying on one road for the entire trip home has it's plusses and it's minuses.  One of the minuses was the repetition of signage.  Route 6.  Route 6.  One plus was seeing some quirky buildings, like the one below.

If you had ever traveled down I-95 from the Mason Dixon Line towards FL, you are familiar with South of the Border.  It's a big exit that boasts everything from ice cream dots to full family fun.  It is mandatory to stop there, especially after seeing hundreds of signs telling you how close you are.  The Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska is similar to South of the Border.  Not as many signs and no ice cream dots, but it promised fun for the family and often reminded us of how close we were.

We arrived in Minden midday and located a parking spot under a large tree offering shade for the dogs.  We took a few shots of the signage and a few farming buildings across the street.  The museum had large glass windows facing the street and we could see hundreds of different olden vehicles from Model T's to Bi-wing planes.  This place was huge and would have taken a few days to see all that it had to offer.

We went into the building and they wanted more than $10 for the each of us.  We both thought that it was not worth the price for the limited time we would have there.  We declined admission but asked for permission to go into the gift shop and peruse.  They welcomed us in and we puttered around looking at the different trinkets and wares they offered.  I ended up buying a few homemade postcards.

Our destination that day was Alma, Nebraska.  It was located about 20 miles south of Route 6 and was the home of our friend Joan's parents.  I spoke with Joan a few days earlier and she said that her parents would offer us some iced tea if we stopped by.  It was a great idea.

We arrived in Alma in the early afternoon.  We drove over to their house, just to take a peek.  Joan's parents were at the doctors that day and would not be home until 4 so we drove around town a bit.  If you clinked the link for Alma, you would see that it is a small town located on a lake with lots of recreational activities.  I went to City Hall downtown in hopes of finding some information about camping areas.  They told me of one which was part of the city and of another just down the road.  We took a look at the atlas and the phone and decided on heading "just down the road."

The directions took us a few miles out of town to a wonderful campground called Methodist Cove on Harlan Lake, the 2nd largest lake in Nebraska.  We found a campsite located on the banks of the river under two trees and far away from other people.  It was perfect.  The wind was blowing which meant no bugs.  Yeah!  It also meant our tent may blow away, so when we set it up, we staked it down and used one of the dogs tethers to secure it to a tree.

We hung out for a bit until it got close to 4.  We headed back into Alma and took this shot of us in front of the Hardesty's home.

We made it to Alma

Hardesty Home

Hardesty Woodworks

Anyone Home?

More Woodwork Art

There was no answer at the door, but we walked towards the rear of the house and found the Hardesty's playing a game of cribbage.  They were wonderful hosts, quickly offering us either a glass of wine or iced tea.  We chose the iced tea and they chose some wine.

We had a great visit, talking about their family and our friends.  It was slightly odd to be talking to total strangers about people you knew well.  Jason's visits, Gryphon & Verona's childhood and Joan's visits to the Pioneer Village.  Everything was talked about with never a lull.  We talked about our trip and our home for the night at Methodist Cove.  I got to take a tour of the woodworking area as I was being offered wood for the campfire.  

It was getting into the early part of the night and we were getting hungry.  The Hardesty's suggested Bugbee's Restaurant, located back on the main road coming into town.  We said our goodbyes, thanking them for the hospitality and the wood and headed over to Bugbee's.

We picked up some ice at the store next to Bugbee's after a nice meal of Chicken Fried Steak and headed back to the campground.  It was great to be stopped before darkness, especially after the night before.  We all felt refreshed as we got to the site and settled in for a pleasant evening.  

We built up a nice fire, usoing the wood that the Hardesty's had offered us.  It was a great fire that night. Tom and I played some cribbage that night.  I believe I won, but my memory is fading.  Let's just say I won.

We got up early the following morning.  The campsites were as empty as when we went to sleep.  We both took showers, feeling clean for the first time in days.  We let the linens and towels air dry in the wind in the morning hours.  Some dog walking and some ball play and we were off.  Back to Route 6!