Part Four

"Good Day, Sunshine".

An old tune from The Beatles gets Day 4 into motion. It is an absolutely spectacular fall day here in Nebraska. Not a cloud in the sky. Much calmer winds than yesterday. And to quote the late Dr. Mel of News 8, we have abundant sunshine today. And with horizon-to-horizon skies, you can't get better than that.

I went into downtown Kearney this morning and managed to shoot a video of an empty unit coal train heading westbound. The weekday local, led by UP 832, was moving some cars around in the small Kearney yard. At least today I can shoot videos. That wind yesterday was something to deal with. And with not much of anything to slow the process of the wind out here on the prairie, well, just make sure what you do not want flying around is securely anchored down.

The few times I have been out here, there were 2 occasions where I went through high wind warnings, a rarity back home in Connecticut. In Nebraska, the highest winds I have been through have been 35 to 45 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 60 mph. It really changes when you go into South Dakota. The highest winds I have been through up there have been 45 to 55 mph sustained with gusts up to 70 mph.  That is just 4 mph under a minimum strength hurricane. The winds can literally blow over tractor- trailer rigs and those double stack trains that roll through here. And driving a car?? Hands at 10 and 2 with your right knee at 4 to make sure you keep your car on the road. Kinda redefines the phrase, "drive safely".

At about 10am, I am on my way Holdrege, Nebraska to see the transmitter site of AgRadio KRVN, 880 on your AM dial:

 KRVN is the main station of the Nebraska Rural Radio Network, which includes KTIC, AM 840 in the northeastern portion of Nebraska in West Point and KNEB, AM 930 in the western part of Nebraska in Scottsbluff. KRVN recently added 2 more stations to their Rural Radio Network to extend their agricultural coverage. Around the transmitter site, some of the corn has been harvested and the remnants of the stalks have been plowed under with a good blend of cow manure:

 Definitely clears up the sinuses!! Other fields are still awaiting harvest.

Now, normally I meet up with the Director of Engineering of KRVN, Rod Seigler (who is also a ham radio operator), but he is at meetings with FEMA today. But I did get to have a "Brush with Greatness" with the voice of the weekday 10am to 2pm shift. His name is Dave Thorell and I got to talk with Dave in his on-air studio while he ran the 20 minute agricultural block that runs from12:40pm to 1:00pm CDT:

 Dave kept an eye on his computer screen as various items aired. The reason I went to meet Dave is two-fold: putting a face to the voice and to see how he was doing as he is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia. I came to find out about Dave's condition while listening to the station's Internet feed back in September. He undergoes a pill type of chemotherapy every Sunday and when he goes back to work on Mondays, well, he has to be a bit careful while he gets his bearings back. His grey hair has grown back (you would never know he had treatment) and he says it's got some curl to it. But for all intents and purposes, he is the consummate pro. He has been in radio for over 50 years and last month he celebrated his 45th anniversary with KRVN and recently turned 65. He plans to hang up the headphones for good next September. As I have mentioned before, you do not find that many people with long careers at one station which also includes your writer. Still, it was great to meet Dave and we wish him continued good health and the promise of a candle lit for him the next time I go to church.

 Good health, Dave. It was an honor to meet you.

At about 1:15pm, I make a stop at a historical marker park to so some writing and see the trains roll by. On this one train, there were 2 guest locomotives very far from their home railroads. 

The 2nd unit was from the Canadian National and the 3rd unit was from the Norfolk Southern. The wind is a lot less and the sunshine sure feels good.

At about 1:45pm, I arrive at my very rural office for the day in the town of Darr, Nebraska. 

Out in the corn field in the back of my office, a farmer is at the helm of a John Deere combine, harvesting his crop

Nearby is a John Deere tractor with a huge green wagon behind it waiting for the farmer's command to come along side and grab the corn kernels in the combine's bin.

To the south of my office is an old meat packing plant that has pretty much been empty all of the times I have been out here.

But it appears that the building has been repurposed as it now is a place to hold farming supplies and liquid fertilizer.

To the north of my office is an open corn field that has been harvested. And across the field is a pivot arm swing corner sprinkler system. 

One of the manufacturers is Reinke, based in Deshler, Nebraska, where their slogan is, "More right than rain". The ASC is a mammoth irrigation system, built as long as 318 feet with a watering reach of 420 feet. If you take a look at a Google Map of Nebraska, you will see the circular corn fields which are watered by these systems. The arm attaches to a central pivot:

Which gets it water from a well. Here in Nebraska, that well most likely taps into the Ogallala Aquifer which runs under most of the Midwest. Once the arm is filled up with pressurized water, the big wheels on the arm begin to turn and the arm rolls around, watering the cornfield. And when to water and have remote control of it?? There's a app for that. Take a look at the beast at www.reinke.com and see what Reinke does for the farming community.

And as usual, Union Pacific continues to provide the entertainment. Coal loads going east:

Coal empties going west.

New cars going to market in a 55-car Auto Rack unit train:

And the high speed double stacks.

Tomorrow, we work our way west to our mid-point in this week's travels at North Platte, Nebraska. We will make stops in Brady and Maxwell and show you an interesting place to have lunch and visit the Golden Spike Tower and tell you about the world's largest classification yard.

And before we head out, a shout-out to a good friend. While making a stop in Overton to check out their pedestrian bridge at Wayside Park:

I got a phone call from a former News 8 colleague, Dave Schroder. He called to say HI and to update me on his medical issues that he has been taking care of since early September. Dave came back to the states from his retirement in The Philippines to Tucson, Arizona where is currently getting looked at by the folks of the local VA hospital there. Dave is doing better and he was on a walk this morning watching the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) roll through Tucson and we were comparing railfan notes. And we both could see the half moon in the western sky!! Dave send his regards to those in Engineering at News 8.

Get well, old friend.

I'm Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Cozad, Nebraska.