Omaha - my latest ride for work

[cowboyup3371]

After 794 miles this weekend, I’m sitting in Council Bluffs IA across the Missouri River from the Omaha VA Medical Center where I’ll spend a few days upgrading some of their network equipment. Despite being caught in rain from Indianapolis to Bloomington IL yesterday, I was able to knock out 475 miles mostly on the slab officially marking it my longest single day ride ever. It was relatively boring however so I decided to make up for it today.

What twisty roads I could find were of the quick sweeper sort but I found some touristy spots to check out. First, breakfast with Walter “Radar” O’Reilly. I wish but I did stop for breakfast at a nice little place in

Untitled by Scott Baker, on Flickr

And then found this

Untitled by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Later, when deciding to pull off for water I noticed a sign for this museum and decided to take a little detour

Untitled by Scott Baker, on Flickr

And the home in which he was born prematurely in 1907

Untitled by Scott Baker, on Flickr

A stupid driver at a gas station later forced me to change my lunch plans (my attitude wasn’t a pleasant enough one to be in the same building as him) but for the better as I found these old lunchboxes on four different walls of a mom and pop place.

Untitled by Scott Baker, on Flickr

As well as some model car and railroad pieces

Untitled by Scott Baker, on Flickr

I’ll be here for a few days and then make the ride home. I’m hoping we might finish a day early so I can maybe run down through Indiana and Kentucky on the way home instead of the direct route. But we will see

[Dogma]

You're having too much fun for a work trip.

[Steve]

You could do that too, if you got a bit creative on your "commute".

.

[cowboyup3371]

Got home yesterday with 1,792 miles under my belt for this trip. Before leaving Nebraska, I met up with Larry (Alke46) for dinner at a pretty nice Italian place. We chatted for awhile and he gave me a suggested route home that was a nicer distraction from the Interstate.

On Friday morning, I made it out to the Strategic Air Command (SAC)and Aerospace Museum in Ashland. Although the Air Force has its main museum in Dayton, this one is focused solely on the old SAC major command that was such an instrumental part of the Air Force until the early 90s. I was pleasantly surprised when I first pulled up to the museum though not by what I saw of the museum itself but what was parked in the parking lot. There was a 1941 Ford sitting next to this 1966 Plymouth Barracuda. This year of the Cuda was one my dad wanted to buy me for my first car but we could never find one until after he had bought a 1979 Plymouth Horizon TC3.

1966 Barracuda by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Inside the museum

The SR-71

SR-71 by Scott Baker, on Flickr

SR-71 Plaque by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Tie Towers

Tie Towers by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Tie Towers Plaque by Scott Baker, on Flickr

This switchboard allowed SAC to have complete command and control communications ability through a separate phone system than the rest of the military. Known as the Strategic Operational Control System or SOCS, it allowed commanders to communicate with various offices throughout the command. I used a 1960s model with two cords per plug instead of the one when I was at my first duty station in Anderson AFB Guam waiting on my security clearance. Setting up the communications with this was fairly simple but the board could look very busy especially if dealing with something like an In Flight Emergency call where different offices are linked with those on the radio net

SOCS Switchboard by Scott Baker, on Flickr

The original red phone

Red phone by Scott Baker, on Flickr

One portion of one of the hangars (there are two here versus the Air Force Museum's 6 or 7)

SAC Museum Hangar A by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Although Nebraska doesn't have a lot of technical curves, there are a few sweepers here and there and a definite contour to the countryside.

Nebraska Countryside by Scott Baker, on Flickr

I made my way down through Missouri following Larry's suggestion and staying the first night in Springfield IL. Although construction was a bear through Indiana on Hwy 46, we came to a complete stop about 2 miles west of Nashville, I still managed to have a decent ride.

[alke46]

Scott, glad you made it home safely. Sorry I forgot to show you all of the fine twisties we have here in the Omaha area. They are called on/off ramps to the interstate.

Feel free to come back again and we will enjoy some more good eating facilities.