Here I am in front of the GATEWAY TO DEATH VALLEY in Baker California.

Will Herron, a businessman, dreamed of a huge thermometer for 25 years before he made it a reality in California’s high desert. The World’s Largest Thermometer is 134-ft.-tall, symbolic of the record high temperature in the US, in Death Valley — 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913.

It juts up above Bob’s Big Boy coffee shop in Baker, a small town near Nevada, “Gateway to Death Valley.”

INFO curious of roadsideamerica.com.  This site really helped me in my trip.  Thanks!

I was at my nephew’s birthday party the other day and guess who showed up?  It was none other than Blues Clues.  So we got to talking and come to find out he “bown, bowns” Volvos.  That’s  ”loves, loves” in human talk.  So he gives the 940 Volvo a thumbs up on being a family safe vehicle.  We even took a little test drive together.

In-N-Out is a family owned fastfood restaurant found actually all across the United States and has been in business for some 60 years now. This is the first time that I have actually eaten at one. The last time I was in Vegas another Volvo told me about In-N-Out but I never had a chance to drive in.

In-N-Out prides itself in the freshes food and 100% PURE beef. They make their french fries dialy and their milk shakes are amazing. Their food is without additives or preservatives and you can taste the difference.

I treated myself to one of their double burgers and it was GREAT!

So we went to the hometown of “Buffalo Bill”.  But who was this guy with the funny name and where did the name come from???  Hummm.  He was a buffalo hunter duhhh.  His real name was William Frederick Cody and he got his nickname after he took a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. And supply he did with killing almost 5,000 Bisons or AKA Buffalo in only 8 months time.  So why is he not called Bison Bill?   Food for thought.  No punt intended.

So if you are in the area of North Platte, Nebraska you should stop by the Fort Cody Trading Post.  It is at the junction of I-80 and US 83 and BONUS, it is FREE.  AND it is visible from the interstate so you don’t have to travel out of you way.  It is Nebraska’s largest souvenir and western gift store.

You can see:

1.  Plastic Buffalos

2.  Large (gigantic, 30 ft tall) Buffalo Bill cutout

3.  Two headed cow (kinda gross)

4.   Wild wild west gifts

5.  Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show (in miniature :),)

6.  Wood Carving of an Native America (great listener)

7.  Jackalope, a real one not like the one I saw at the WALL DRUGSTORE of South Dakota (You can even buy a REAL skin, which I did)

8.  Much more . . .

You can see the world’s largest plow in front of the museum. And even if the museum is closed you can still go and see the sod house and a few scuptures made out of bared-wire just behind the red barn.

The following pic is a sketch from the Buildings Entered Project:

This original Pony Express Station is located in Ehmen Park in Gothenburn, Nebraska .  It’s a pretty cool stop if you are traveling on I 80.

The history of Gothenburg dates back to the great westward expansion, when thousands of pioneers crossed through here on the Mormon and Oregon Trails. In 1860 and 1861 the town boasted a station for the Pony Express.