Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
Friday at 5:15 AM I left to pick up the Delco Light Plant, located just west of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. My GPS listed the trip at 840 miles, which I thought was too far, so I checked with Google Maps, and used their directions, which cut the trip to 718 miles. I headed southwest on 169 until I was to turn west on I 90. Well, as my luck goes, a semi was on my right and blocking my view of the road signs, so I missed my turnoff at I 90. I drove another 20 miles before I knew for sure that I had missed my turn, so at that point I decided it was best to continue to head south and west rather than turn back. The roads were great, and the traffic was almost nonexistent, so this was a good alternative.
Another good thing about missing my turn was this route took me through the Nebraska Sandhills, a place I'd never been before, and only heard of them about 15 years earlier. I forgot to take my camera, so you'll have to Google "Nebraska Sandhills" to see pictures of them. They were much larger than I'd ever imagined, and about 5 miles into them I saw a large sign in someone's front yard that read "SAVE OUR SANDHILLS". I wasn't sure what that was about, because the sandhills are so large I can't imaging them going away any time soon.
About 50 miles into the sandhills I saw an RV/Mobile Home Park, and I couldn't imagine that being out in the middle of nowhere. After I read about the sandhills on Google, I learned they actually have a large aquifer and deer in the area, so I imagine the trailer park was for hunting and fishing. The sandhills had several very large cattle ranches, but the homes were several miles apart because of the large area of land needed to support the cattle. I was thinking a school bus driver must have to travel a hundred miles just to pick up 10 students.
If you thought the old water windmills were a thing of the past, you'll change your mind when you drive through the sandhills. I saw hundreds of them, and they were all still working to keep the stock tanks full of water. In fact some looked brand new, so some company must still be making them.
I didn't see any interesting antique shops to stop at, and in fact there were only a few small towns along the way. I didn't realize Nebraska was so sparsely populated. The only Model A's I saw on the trip were in front of a small town bodyshop. I didn't know if they were to attract attention, for sale, or maybe they were a customer's awaiting some restoration work.
The Delco 850 Light Plant weighs 425 pounds, so I wasn't sure if I should take my small trailer, or remove my back seat cushion and stow in inside the car. My 1999 Olds 88 got just over 33 miles per gallon on the way there, and just over 34 MPG on the way home, so I'm glad I put the Delco inside the car rather than use the trailer. Even the small trailer knocks my mileage down to 24 MPG.
After getting the Delco loaded in the car I stopped at a gas station in Scottsbluff to plan my return route. When I parked and looked out the window, I saw a pink bra on the shrub, so this was my only souvenir of the whole trip. My return route took me through the Rosebud Indian Reservation and other parts of South Dakota I hadn't seen before. I like road trips and seeing new places, though I rarely get the chance to take them. I had intended to drive straight north to Murdo, South Dakota to see if the nice car museum was still there, but again I made the wrong turn and headed east too quickly, so I caught I 90 quite a bit east of Murdo.
By this time it was getting dark, so I didn't mind being back on the interstate, since there is nothing to be seen in the dark anyway. The entire trip was 1500 miles in 36 hours, and I enjoyed it, but should have got out of the car more and taken time to read each Historical Marker that I passed.
If this read was boring, you can blame Mike V. because if he hadn't posted the ebay link on this Fordbarn thread (link below) a few weeks ago, I never would have known about the Delco on ebay. Mike can blame Pat Grant for starting the thread about a 32 volt fan to use in his Model A. So, you can see how the action of one man can affect the lives of so many others. Now, where have I heard that before? Oh well, it's a wonderful life. 
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212215&highlight=delco+light&page=2
Another good thing about missing my turn was this route took me through the Nebraska Sandhills, a place I'd never been before, and only heard of them about 15 years earlier. I forgot to take my camera, so you'll have to Google "Nebraska Sandhills" to see pictures of them. They were much larger than I'd ever imagined, and about 5 miles into them I saw a large sign in someone's front yard that read "SAVE OUR SANDHILLS". I wasn't sure what that was about, because the sandhills are so large I can't imaging them going away any time soon.
About 50 miles into the sandhills I saw an RV/Mobile Home Park, and I couldn't imagine that being out in the middle of nowhere. After I read about the sandhills on Google, I learned they actually have a large aquifer and deer in the area, so I imagine the trailer park was for hunting and fishing. The sandhills had several very large cattle ranches, but the homes were several miles apart because of the large area of land needed to support the cattle. I was thinking a school bus driver must have to travel a hundred miles just to pick up 10 students.
If you thought the old water windmills were a thing of the past, you'll change your mind when you drive through the sandhills. I saw hundreds of them, and they were all still working to keep the stock tanks full of water. In fact some looked brand new, so some company must still be making them.
I didn't see any interesting antique shops to stop at, and in fact there were only a few small towns along the way. I didn't realize Nebraska was so sparsely populated. The only Model A's I saw on the trip were in front of a small town bodyshop. I didn't know if they were to attract attention, for sale, or maybe they were a customer's awaiting some restoration work.
The Delco 850 Light Plant weighs 425 pounds, so I wasn't sure if I should take my small trailer, or remove my back seat cushion and stow in inside the car. My 1999 Olds 88 got just over 33 miles per gallon on the way there, and just over 34 MPG on the way home, so I'm glad I put the Delco inside the car rather than use the trailer. Even the small trailer knocks my mileage down to 24 MPG.
After getting the Delco loaded in the car I stopped at a gas station in Scottsbluff to plan my return route. When I parked and looked out the window, I saw a pink bra on the shrub, so this was my only souvenir of the whole trip. My return route took me through the Rosebud Indian Reservation and other parts of South Dakota I hadn't seen before. I like road trips and seeing new places, though I rarely get the chance to take them. I had intended to drive straight north to Murdo, South Dakota to see if the nice car museum was still there, but again I made the wrong turn and headed east too quickly, so I caught I 90 quite a bit east of Murdo.
By this time it was getting dark, so I didn't mind being back on the interstate, since there is nothing to be seen in the dark anyway. The entire trip was 1500 miles in 36 hours, and I enjoyed it, but should have got out of the car more and taken time to read each Historical Marker that I passed.
If this read was boring, you can blame Mike V. because if he hadn't posted the ebay link on this Fordbarn thread (link below) a few weeks ago, I never would have known about the Delco on ebay. Mike can blame Pat Grant for starting the thread about a 32 volt fan to use in his Model A. So, you can see how the action of one man can affect the lives of so many others. Now, where have I heard that before?
Oh well, it's a wonderful life. http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=212215&highlight=delco+light&page=2
