Route 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour

The posts on this site were written by two people associated with the Route 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour. The views expressed are those of the authors, and are not ncessarily the views of the Route 6 NE association. Since this is a public Blog site, the public is allowed to make comments and the Route 6 NE Art Car Tour participants and the Route 6 NE association are not responsible for those comments. Comments will be monitored for suitability.

Photos by Paul McRae: Erika, Paul, Don and Dave showing how old they are. Tammy and Erika with their harps.

The tour is documented with the earliest posts first so start with the post on the bottom if you want to follow our trip across Nebraska.

Don Robertson, Erika Nelson, Ed Jonak, Tam Jonak, Paul McRae, Dave Major, and Anne Rohan traveled across the state from border to border. Several other drivers joined us with their Art Cars for some of the stops. We appreciate all of your contributions!

Thanks to Don Robertson (applause, cheering, and the crowd goes wild) for leading the (sometimes) naughty kittens across the state. We know you spent hundreds of hours setting up these events and we hope we were able to help you accomplish your goal of bringing additional tourism to the Route 6 communities. We hope the communities realize the possibilities for new tourism and economic development through projects like this and will again support this event next year.

A few photos were stolen from the Flickr site and posted here. For more fun and frivolity, an extensive array of photos of the 2006 Route 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour are found here. You'll also find more imaginative captions for the photos because I didn't want to steal too much from that site. Believe me, it's worth it to visit the Flickr site! Thanks, Paul for being our official photographer. If you would like to purchase photos, please contact us at the web site and your message will be forwarded to Paul.

Also thanks to Rex for setting up the blog site and allowing us to post anything so we could share the information about our amazing trip with everyone. The only rule I remember is "keep it clean" and we certainly tried to do that.

In their bids for extra points, there were three contenders for "Special Mission" status:

Rex of Chewbaru
Total Points: 1,217,318

Super Tam and Special Ed of Star Chief
Total Points: 545,603

Anne of Swap and Shop
Total Points: 3,984,216


Reasoning:
Rex posted purty pictures, although he didn't really understand the directions (we meant to the WESTERN EDGE of NEBRASKA, not out to California!!) Valiant effort, but you didn't come back, didja?! But, we're glad to have had Rex along in spirit, over the phone, texting, and in our thoughts during this years tour.

Super Tam and Special Ed never really left (physically) on their Secret Mission, although their hearts and minds were fully engaged in making sure it was successfull. Two million bonus points for their Super Secret Mission accomplishments.

Anne accomplished both her secret mission AND returned in record time. Mission Accomplished, Successful Return, and maintained a healthy outlook throughout.


Results
Overall winner: Route 6 Nebraska communities!

Photos of the 2006 Route 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour are found here.

When I left California on Saturday my manic side kicked in suddenly as I cruised I-10 heading east. I had this grandiose notion I could surprise the Route 6 Art Car Tour group and drive hard enough to make it to the Nebraska-Colorado border to surprise them as they pulled up to the sign. I could see myself sitting in a lawn chair watching their jaws drop when they found me there. However, it was not to be.

My age took over and I finally had to stop in Holbrook, AZ, for the night, with MANY miles to go to meet the group at the border. While driving on Sunday I kept track of the time, and I knew the schedule for the day by looking in my official Route 6 Art Car Tour book Don prepared for everyone. I pulled into Grants, NM, found this sign at the mining museum, and found a willing person to serve as photographer after a brief workshop on composition and a couple of botched attempts as he learned to do the photo the way I could picture it in my mind. I even asked him to wait for the time display so I could show the time I thought the group would arrive at the border (time difference factored in). As it turned out, though, the group didn't make it at that time.

While cruising north of Santa Fe, NM, on I-25 much later in the afternoon I had a call from Erika who reported the group had just arrived at the border. They all greeted me in a loud yell, and, while they did that, I did a photo of the spot on I-25 where the call came in from Erika. Although the Route 6 Art Car Tour would have been a lot of fun, and I know that from doing it last year, I wouldn't trade the time with my son for anything. I'll plan to cruise with you guys the next time.........

It seems fitting to share the following information with you regarding each of our Rt 6 NE Art Car Tour travelers so you'll get to know these people as intimately as we did:

Fearless Leader Don
Sack of Silliness: Whatever the tune, whenever the time, Don can miraculously warp any old standard (and obscure tunes too!) into a ballad that reflects the moment... I.E., "just like a white wing hog, HNNNKK HNNNNK HNNNKKK."
Super Sweet: In the face of adversity, Don showed true leadership. Occasionally, he was the target of our jokes but it was all in good-natured fun and he was a trooper throughout the planning process and the trip. Kudos to him for coming up with the concept for this tour and for seeing it through. It was unanimous that this tour was even better than last year. Thanks, Fearless Leader!

Erika Scout
Sack of Silliness:I never do anything silly. - Erika
The rule for this post is that you can't take anything off that someone else put on the post so I'll just add my comments to this. Erika proved she will dumpster dive with anyone who is willing to join her. Buying a tomato for Paul was definitely a sack of silliness. Erika had a silly face and a quick laugh for every wise crack comment and was gracious enough to laugh even when the joke wasn't silly. Gosh, guess that also qualifies as Super Sweet - I'm so confused! Always willing to ham it up for photos, her silliness definitely added to the flickr page!
Super Sweet:I just might melt in the rain! NOT. - Erika
Again, Erika is misinformed. Totally taking responsibility for the many chalk art contests at the schools, Erika was a champion. She coached them and made sure every group of students was praised for their achievements. Buying the tomato for Paul was also Super Sweet so she is the only one who gets two things that were both a Sack of Silliness and Super Sweet!

Super Tam
Sack of Silliness: Sarcasm is Tam's strong suit, making anyone believe the exact opposite of reality, warping young and old minds alike... Tam also posed for several photos and the flickr page thanks you!
Super Sweet: Tam designed the traveling trophy, donated some precious treasures to Swap & Shop, coordinated the prizes for the nightly games and was always on the scene to help Swap & Shop girl get ready for business. During the Imperial stop, she and Special Ed entertained the elderly with a beautiful waltz. We can't make the trip without you, Tam, so start scheduling right away to join us next year.

Special Ed
Sack of Silliness: He named HIMSELF "Special Ed". And, according to Don, he's always silly! Sometimes he was the strong silent type but WATCH OUT, you never knew when he would spout something that would cause all of us to erupt into laughter.
Super Sweet: Realizing that she was woefully unprepared to make her car road worthy, Special Ed came to Anne's rescue and developed a plan to strap and bungee to keep the load secure. Ed also volunteered many times to help get Swap & Shop ready to show and to pack up the load for the next trip. During the Imperial stop, he and Super Tam entertained the elderly with a beautiful waltz. The many times he made trips to the car to help Tam or get water for all of us was also noted. Thanks! You really are special, Ed.


Swap & Shop Anne
Sack of Silliness:I would tell you, but "It Would Be The Saddest Story You've Ever Heard".
Super Sweet: Trading with Kindergarteners for handfuls of grass, giving up prized possessions for old acorns, Anne made the Swap and Shop accessible for all. In addition to producing the tour book, creating games on the road, writing the original grants that made the tour possible, and many many many many many other things too numerous to list here, Anne was all-around Amazing and Steadfast in her support of the Route 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour.

ChewBaru Paul
Sack of Silliness: A stuffed tomato on your head?! That was just one of the silly pranks but it certainly was memorable. Especially when walking in to a crowded Country Kitchen during the Sunday rush crowd. And, who but a silly person would lock their keys in the car TWICE in less than 24 hours, and would then lock his keys in his OWN car while standing outside Rex's place at midnight after he returned the ChewBaru to Rex!!
Super Sweet: Paul was not only patient and talked with the school children while they were viewing ChewBaru, but he worked the crowd when we visited the senior citizens in Imperial and made them feel extra special. This was in addition to driving a car across Nebraska while serving as the official photographer and staying up late to post the photos for us. Paul was the only newcomer joining a rag-tag group of veterans for the entire tour across the state and he was a great new addition to the group. Next year would not be the same without you so charge up your batteries because we not only need you but we want you along every step of the way.

Aerocar2 Dave
Sack of Silliness: Dave's executition of the $5 challenge beats all that I can think of but his suggestions for vile human beings has us still laughing. He was as happy as a school child when he dumpster dove and saved the tool box from destruction. And he, too, entered a crowded resteraunt during Sunday Rush wearing a full Space Shuttle jumpsuit...
Super Sweet: There are just too many reasons to bestow this title on Dave. Always willing to stand out in the heat to explain his car to the crowds that gathered around him and work to get Aerocar2 ready at every stop, Dave is the shining example of sweetness. We love your singsong voice, your enthusiasm for everyone and everything (except bigots, but see above Sack of Silliness entry). Thanks for joining us again this year, Dave.

Emerge-N-See Robert
Sack of Silliness: It's hard to top the things that Rob Seven did under the bucket of water at Tiny Town (Gretna). Some of the photos are posted but others are only in the heads of those who were there to witness it.
Super Sweet: After having mechanical difficulties in Lincoln, Rob could have been grumpy and zipped across Nebraska as quickly as possible. Instead he stopped in Hastings to add to the Downtown Melt and entertain the crowd. You're a good man, Rob 7.

Rex
Sack of Silliness: Although he was not able to physically join us for the tour all the way across the state, Rex earns the Sack of Silliness award for his entertaining blog posts. We know we missed the silliness of having Rex call us all by the nicknames that he would have bestowed on us but Anne did give Paul the nickname of "ChewBoy" in your honor.
Super Sweet: We know you were enjoying spending time with your son but you were very sweet to text message, call, and to post photos and blogs so we could also be a part of your trip. We'll see you next year, my friend!

In the rush of the last few days we didn't have time to talk about Paul's tomato addiction very much but here are more details for those of you who thought he had forgotten about tomatoes.

Erika's $5 challenge item was to purchase a stuffed tomato for Paul - think stuffed like a stuffed animal, not stuffed like filled with chicken salad. Although she declared Paul the winner, the tomato was still a very sweet and succulent gift. Not wanting to let it get too far from him, Paul asked Anne to sew a string on it. Even though she used the needle and thread from Swap & Shop she knew how important this was to him so she didn't even try to work out a swap for her services. Just seeing the smile on his face was enough to melt her heart.

Paul showed his appreciation to Erika by wearing the tomato on top of his head in McCook, during the drivers meeting, and at Imperial. We're not sure if he slept with it on his head but that is a very personal matter between Paul and his tomato so we're giving him the opportunity to keep that secret.

Although ChewBaru driver, Paul won the $5 Challenge in McCook, Dave definitely deserves an honorable mention.

He came in and told us that he had been suffering from an affliction during most of the trip. It seemed that everytime he got into the truck that he would have a severe bout of coughing. Even in his weakened condition, he had stopped at the Pharmacy to look for something for the challenge.

Unfortunately, he was not able to finish the story because he was, at that very moment, overcome by one of his coughing spells. Always polite, he went outside so he wouldn't disturb us. Everyone was very worried and concerned but felt helpless to assist him. After what seemed like 15 minutes of listening to one deep cough after another he finally returned. He looked weak but declared that he felt better. It seemed it had taken a lot out of him but he said he finally got it loose and he felt better. Seeing the concern on everyone's face he held out his hands to show us the result. In his hands was the "fruit of his efforts" . . . . . . . a nasty Musinex stuffed critter.

With everyone feeling "had" he explained that he found it in the Pharmacy and the employees were happy to sell it to him for his $5 challenge item so they wouldn't have to look at it any more.

Editor's Note: I took Dave aside and let him know that we expected his kind, gentle nature to rub off on us and I was surprised that he could be such a convincing liar. We realized that the rest of us were inclined to be pranksters but thought he would be a positive influence for us.

His reply? "You've got me outnumbered! I haven't got a chance!"

'Nuff said.

Happy Day: Last night Fearless Leader Don gave us a gift. Due to the change in time zones we were able to sleep an extra hour. After bowing and groveling at his feet for the unexpected gift we just stayed up an hour later and it was like it never happened.

Happy Day: Our Sunday excursion started with the scenic drive to Imperial for our scheduled stop at the Imperial Manor Nursing Home. Fearless Leader Don, always one to take advantage of an opportunity, took his Concert Roller Organ along so we could play it for the group. He also played some of the unlabeled cobs and the residents generously offered their assistance in helping to identfy them. I saw plenty of toe tapping and several residents had a gleam in their eyes as they recognized yesterday's tunes.

Happy Day: We were treated to a home cooked meal and everyone totally cleaned their plates before we were presented with homemade blueberry pie.

This is probably a good time to mention that we have been discussing a fall tour because we are willing to eat our way across Nebraska again to get more of these locally cooked meals.

Very Happy Day: We were honored and humbled to be in the presence of a local writer, Wayne C. Lee, with a fan following that has given him justly-deserved international fame. We were in awe of his many accomplishments and purchased some of his books but also took the information so we could purchase several more. Erika purchased the book on Kansas, Tam grabbed the one on the early days of wild Nebraska communities and Anne was overjoyed to learn that she could read about the baddest of the bad men of Nebraska's early days with her purchase.

Since the skies opened up and drenched the area with much appreciated rain we were able to stay longer to get to know Mr. Lee, his family, and meet some of his friends.

We had a presentation on Lamar during the 1920-30 era. We learned a couple of coin tricks from one of Mr. Lee's friends and we had a second opportunity to play the Concert Roller Organ before departing.

Happy Day - Sad Day: As the skies cleared and the rain slowed to a drizzle we waved goodbye to Aerocar2 Dave so he could depart for a birthday party. We hated to see him leave but were happy, happy, happy that he joined us again for this tour. What a great guy!

Happy Day - It was time to "run to the border" and the beginning of the tour would be unimportant if we didn't have an end to the tour. Lead by an antique car we departed Imperial for our destination. Instead of the shouting hurrah that we had last year we had an emotional hurrah. There were smiles all around as we toasted at the border and Chewbaru driver Paul was documenting the experience from several angles with his camera. No one but Paul knows how many photos he has taken while crossing Nebraska but we appreciate every one of them. Thanks, Paul!

Happy Day - Don gave everyone a packet of antique, commemorative postcards of Nebraska for completing the tour. Super Tam presented Fearless Leader Don with the traveling trophy for his organization of the tour and leadership during the trip. Swap & Shop Anne received the brain award and everyone declared that she was one of the most creative people they had ever known.

Happy Day: We were elated that we safely made the trip and we had a short prayer for those who were with us in spirit and were facing adversity.

Happy Day - Sad Day: This was the official end of the tour. That's enough to be both happy and sad about. However, not willing to let it end at the Nebraska/Colorado border we made plans to stop for fuel and then meet in McCook for the "last supper."

We headed back to McCook's Bieroc Cafe for an evening of fun, food, music, laughter, and getting to meet more people in the community. The informal gathering gave us an opportunity to kick back and relax. The Heritage Singers were very entertaining and the only one who seemed to be slightly distracted was Swap & Shop Anne because she knew the chance to make trades across Nebraska was coming to an end.

Bieroc's Cafe Matt is now the proud owner of a zipper tie and Anne is now the proud owner of a dozen, delightful, dazzling-decorated, dutch-chocolate donuts and daintily decorated Danish. This dastardly feat on Anne's part would be even more important if Erika, Tam and Anne were trying to collect things that started with the letter "D." I wonder what that's all about?

Knowing that our time together would soon be drawing to a close, the driver's meeting lasted late into the night. There were just too many details to work out at this late stage of the Rt 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour to let even one detail slip through our fingers or webbed toes.

. . . and a good time was had by all!

Kudos to the Bieroc Cafe, located on the bricks in downtown McCook, and the others who arranged our McCook activities. They really know how to put on a celebration and we thank all of our McCook hosts for their hospitality and for making us feel special.

There is nothing that makes us smile more than a parade so the morning parade was just what we needed to inspire us to get up early to drive from Arapahoe to McCook. Then we received a nice gift so we went shopping, shopping, shopping. An inpromptu challenge made it even more fun because we decided to have a contest to see who could do the most unique thing with $5. And so the search began . . .

Fearless Leader Don tried to bribe everyone with dessert because he had seen that bribes and cheating are well received. Everyone ate the dessert and then didn't vote for him. Harsh! Super Tam found a pump. Special Ed found a special tool with an even more special name. Aerocar2 Dave not only brought an item but also acted out a mini-performance (more on this later). After Chewbaru Paul announced that he donated his $5 to the Art Guild Erika just threw up her hands and declared him the winner.

After a wonderful historical presentation of Route 6,

. . . STOP THE PRESSES . . . and what to my wondering eyes should appear but Anne with Swap & Shop. She was spouting something about extra points but everyone ignored her because we were headed out for a auto-tour of McCook.

The highlight of the tour that made us all giddy was the opportunity to see and drive on the "old Route 6" (mostly abandoned area still remaining before they routed it around McCook differently). Erika started swerving from side to side on the abandoned road and instead of reeling her in we all just followed suit and and enjoyed the ride. We drove by and/or stopped at several historic locations and really got a feel for the uniqueness of McCook and the pride of the people in McCook. We can't wait for the evening activities in McCook.

Posting today will be difficult because we leave before 8 am on Saturday to travel to McCook.

Anne took off abruptly last night. Said she had a dream about "bonus points" and wanted to make a side trip. Guess she is still upset about coming in last during the lego competition and wants to try to make up some points.

If you are in the McCook area just head to the Bierock Cafe in the downtown area, grab a wonderful pastry and while you're paying for it just ask them for the Rt 6 Art Car Tour schedule. Thanks, Matt for arranging this stop and we look forward to spending the day with you.

We think we've got this down. We play for 6 hours and then we get our second wind and we go again.

The afternoon in Arapahoe was delightful. We appreciated the cloudy skies so it was cooler to meander around town for our scavenger hunt to look for lego blocks. I don't know who came up with this idea but I'm going to steal it because it was a blast. We headed over to the Missing Center (Missing is the last name of the building donor) and constructed our legos into something "creative." The boys won this one hands down. Erika, Anne and Tam pretented like it didn't matter but Tam and Anne are ready to sign up for architecture classes at the community college when they get home. Erika just pretended it didn't matter but I saw her lower lip quiver ever so slightly and just one lonely tear slid down her left cheek.

P.S. Anne said Paul cheated. Now, let's talk about this. Anne is the one that admitted to underhanded techniques to get an advantage at one of the contests. Anne and Paul were ready to start throwing punches until Special Ed reminded them that he had the handcuffs and knew about a nice jail that was reserved for mean aliens. Everyone became quick friends.

Thankfully, we're all also getting into this tomato thing so sliced tomatoes and two salads with tomatoes in them helped the ladies feel better. Erika needed a dose of pink cake but she was smiling and all gushy when someone put the second piece of cake in front of her and said it needed a good home. We haven't let the fact that we aren't hungry deter us from eating the plentiful Nebraska foods during our tour. We have decided that summer is a great time to travel in Nebraska but suspect that any time of the year is equally good!

How many hours will we be busy today? Twelve? OK, we're ready for that!

Paul finally found enough tomatoes to curb his cravings. He is still high from his tomato overload. We must find a way to help him curb his addiction to large, juicy, red, ripe tomatoes freshly picked from the vine after being slowly ripened in the sun while being caressed by gentle breezes and watered by gentle showers in the early morning so dew drops slide silently over the glorious curves of the crimson . . . . STOP IT! Instead of us curing Paul it seems to be affecting the rest of us, too! What's that all about?

We're back behind the wheels of our cars by 8 a.m. to travel to Arapahoe to spend the morning at the school. Students of all heights inspected the cars from every angle. Aerocar 2 make a couple of runs and the breeze felt good on such a hot day. We heard several blasts from the Star Chief Patrol and Weego joined us and laid on the horns a few times to keep everyone's attention.

Anne was back to her tom-foolery by taking advantage of the kindgergarden students by giving them an eraser in trade for grass and weeds. Actually, Anne didn't realize that the younger grades would not know about the concept of trading, swapping or bartering. It gave us a chance to teach the students something new by explaining that she was willing to give them things that she didn't want if they gave her things that they didn't want. Of course we had to work with what was available so she told them to grab anything they could find like sticks, rocks, and weeds. When done she had a toy dump truck full of grass and they had nice, new erasers for their pencils.

Arapahoe Public School: Thanks for allowing us to use your connection to help with blogging!

Another school lunch and again we were amazed at how school lunches have changed over the years. We again shared stories about how we didn't get food like in school (AKA: We again revealed how old we were.) This is the second school lunch and the second time that we found a salad bar and several choices on the menu. Kudos to the schools for their progressive attitude toward balanced nutrition.

We were so hot and tired that we crawled to our cars and drove to Holdrege for quick showers before we joined the evening Farmer's Market in Downtown Holdrege. The heat is good for the corn but seemed to be hard on us today.

The Farmer's Market at Holdrege was great. Baked goods, music, cookout foods, and plenty of produce kept us heading back across the street one more time for more tasty food. Aerocar 2 Dave cooked sweet corn in the microwave he has stashed in his truck (why didn't we know about THAT before?) and we took up residency under the street awning until we had nothing left but a pile of corn cobs. Anne would tell you about corn cobs on the farm but it would be "the saddest story you ever heard" so let's not go there.

We found great hospitality at the Plain's Motel and we will make a point of staying there whenever we travel across Nebraska.

Thanks, Holdrege, and good night . . . . . . z z z z z z z z z z z

Photos by Paul McRae: Chalk Art Competition at Minden; Darryl joins us in Minden with his Art Car.

How many hours will we be busy today? Twelve? OK, we're ready to roll.

Departing Hastings (only slightly late) and heading west for Pioneer Village was the first order of the day. It was great to have Sally Buss meet us at Pioneer Village and be our guide for the day. What a nice touch! We explored parts of Pioneer Village that we missed last year (everyone knows that you can't possibly see all of it in one morning) and we continue to be amazed at this marvelous attraction.

We tested our "Art Car Chalk Art Contest" (say that quickly three times) last year in Minden at the Public School and went back again this year for a repeat performance. There are some wonderfully creative students there and this blogger was extremely impressed with the Shoe Car and the drawing started my wheels turning in my head about how I could decorate my Art Car wheels next year.

Dylan, you made our day and we can't wait for Rex to find out about your contribution to Chewbaru! For the rest of the world: Dylan had a loose tooth so he finished loosening it and donated it to Chewbaru. To the best of our knowledge this is a first for Chewbaru. Dylan chose a place of honor for the tooth, Erika helped position it and Paul documented the addition for all of the world. Thanks, Dylan!

We ate lunch with the students at the school and it was unanimous . . . school lunch menus have changed a lot over the years. We kept saying, "We didn't have this many choices when I was in school," and "Why weren't we ever served this?" Don even found strawberry milk and Anne almost wrestled him to the ground for it but instead she distracted him and Ed stole his nachos so they could share them.

We faded fast after our guided tours of the Minden Courthouse Square and the Opera House. So much for saying that 12 hours was nothing for young, physically fit specimens like us!?!!

Don wasn't sure if I'd be able to accomplish this one, and, while pursuing it I wasn't sure myself. We got the job done, though.

Bonus points came from making a trip to Salvation Mountain outside Niland, CA. It took a while to find it, but it was worth the trip. My son, Eric, and I found Leonard hard at work high up on a ladder inside the structure, and he was trying to get a branch placed just where he wanted it. He had a couple of "come-alongs" and a chain and boomer attached to a relatively large branch, but, when we walked in, he came down from his ladder and started giving us a tour. It's an amazing place and he's an amazing man.

After we toured Salvation Mountain we stayed quite a while and talked with him. During part of the connversation he spontaneously started talking about art cars and mentioned Erika, her bus and her visit to his place! He showed photos to us, and also gave us DVD's and puzzles done with a photo of Salvation Mountain. Somehow, a game of horseshoes developed between Eric and Leonard and it was called a tie.

After spending several hours there talking with Leonard it was time to go. It was quite a day! I'll see you guys down the road, but won't be able to make the end of the trip. Enjoy the rest of what has clearly been a really good Route 6 Art Car Tour this year, judging by the posts and the photos!

Photo by Paul McRae: Art Car Drivers pose with their hats during the Downtown Hastings Art Melt.

We talked about this stop for days prior to actually arriving in Hastings because we knew it would be even more fun than last year. We were greeted with street performers like musicians, belly dancers, and artists proudly poised behind pottery wheels making incredible works of art.

We were also treated to another visit from Robert Seven and Emerge N See. Unfortunately for him he broke down and was delayed from leaving Nebraska but we had happy, happy, happy spread all over our faces because we were glad to see him again.

NEW ART CAR!!!! The YWCA After School "Zone" program decorated a car that was definitely worthy of across the state status. Decorated to represent multiple holidays, this car rocked! Thanks to the YWCA staff and students for their commitment. You have achieved what most communities along Rt 6 did not do by coming up with a concept and designing your own art car. Give yourselves a well-deserved pat on the back!

Thanks to Angela Graham (Graham Gallery) for judging our hat contest. Everyone was a good sport about losing to Erika because we all knew that her idea of drawing an art car parade around her hat was pretty hot!

The Blue Moon Coffee Co. and Prairie Books and Gifts were both open late and we appreciate everything that all of the downtown committee members did to make it a great evening. Also, thanks to Sandra for the Swag Bags! We always look forward to digging through them for all to discover the neat gifts.

Well, it has been a while. Don gave me some additional assignments for "extra points" and it has been an ordeal trying to get those accomplished. However, I've succeeded!!

One assignment given to me was to photograph Angels Stadium and any freeway in LA. Here they are, Don!! I want my points.

Photos by Paul McRae: Tam Erika, Dave and Don show off their hats. Cars are lined up at the Hastings Elk's Country Club.

We're staying too busy and having too much fun to even have time to blog our journey to share our experiences with those of you who are not lucky enough to be on this tour.

Wednesday was our day to stay and play in Hastings. On our free time we were able to go to the Hastings Museum, Pastime Bowl, do some shopping and make some car repairs before the second half of our trip across the state. Thanks to the City and to Pastime for hosting us at those stops.

The Elk's Country Club was our afternoon stop and Dave was able to crank up Aerocar 2 and take it for a few exhibition runs. It's always a crowd pleaser and none of the other cars get any attention after he starts the motor. Of course, Dave is the nicest guy in the world so we applaud him getting center stage with the giant spotlight.

There are some fantastic cooks at the Country Club and the hamburgers and layered lettuce salad were the highlight! Paul complained about not having tomatoes on the menu so I think he mumbled something about bringing his own potted tomato plant along on next year's tour so he would have a constant supply.

We learned a new game, decorated Art Car hats for later in the evening and got to meet some great people. Thanks to the Elk's for throwing a wonderful shindig!

Good Morning . . . let me revise that to Good Late Morning because we slept in as long as possible. We're well rested and read to go. We're now heading out to see Butch at Pastime Bowl and check out the Hastings Museum. Thanks to Butch and the city for hosting us and we'll be there soon to check out the wonderful sites of Hastings! We also received a generous gift of free passes to the AquaCourt water park but we're not sure that we have the energy to frolic in the water. We'll at least be driving by and checking it out because we had a great time there last summer.

Photo by Paul McRae: The Star Chief with the Exeter police car.

The story is: Tam and Ed have reported that Don tried to send them on an expedition. He wanted them to go west to Hastings, pick up a key, change to yet another Art Car, and then drive back to Lincoln to await "further instructions". We didn't get the whole story but it was something about extra points. The details are unclear but Super Ed told Tam that he thought there was something odd about the request so they stayed in Hastings last night and will be trying to get more details from Rex before they "fall victim to one of Don's scams". Sorry, I meant to say "before they headed away from the tour for extra points". By the way, does anyone know what state Rex is in now?

As you can see by the banter, we're having a great time even though family emergencies and mechanical difficulties have arisen. If we're going to have to face uncomfortable situations, we're glad we're in Nebraska with caring people in so many towns and with our friends nearby. Tam and Ed did have to leave the group for a short time but luckily they are back with us and all is well.

WOW! We keep thinking that the current day is the best day on our 2006 Route 6 NE Art Car Tour. That's probably true but it also feels that way because there have been so many wonderful things before today that the smiles just keep building and building.

What we suspected about yesterday was true. We were too busy to update the photos or blog between Lincoln and Hastings. And, it was also the food tour.

We grabbed Lincoln Journal Star newspapers on the way out of Lincoln so we could see the photos taken by Dior Azcuy (section B, page 1 of Aug 22, 2006 issue - whoo hoo!)

We had such a wonderful time in Milford on Saturday that we stopped back in Milford yesterday for lunch at the Pizza Kitchen buffet. Nice selection, spotlessly clean dining area and friendly staff. None of us had tried the new beverage, "Cheerwine," and everyone who tried it raved. Honest, it really is called Cheerwine and they have it available at the Pizza Kitchen. You just never know what interesting and special things you'll find in Nebraska!

Paul even negoitated a special pizza for all of us to sample, bet you can't guess the secret ingredient. Yup, tomatoes! Stop by Milford's Pizza Kitchen and tell them the Art Car Artists sent you their way because we had a great time there.

Steve White, NTV News was waiting beside the road when we rolled into town at Milford. Our tabletalk of tom-foolery did not deter him so he went touring in the Rt 6 NE Cruiser to the next stop at the Exeter School.

Exeter: After touring Exeter (lead by their fire truck) we headed for the School for an all school chalk art competition lead by Erika. The first graders were declared the winners but everyone enjoyed the candy and swapping at the Shop and Swap Car.

Aerocar2 was fired up and the students were amazed - and cooled - by the experience. Anne was in an unusually good mood because she was getting grass in trade for some things from her car. [Editor's Note: The grass was lawn grass. Clean up your little minds, we were at a school for gosh sakes!]

We had time for a stop on main street to spend money and explore the local businesses before heading to Fairmont. Anne found some great bargains at Greg's Grocery Store in Exeter so she could restock her Swap and Shop car. Several Art Car Artists went exploring a building that was used for storage while Tam and Anne served as look-outs. Actually, they had permission to enter the building but we won't divulge the location because there is some really cool stuff in there.

Fairmont: Fairmonts celebration is becoming an annual tradition that we all look forward to - Ruth's birthday cake, ice cream at the museum, fire department fundraising barbecue in the park, and special awards for art cars as judged by the public, the committee and the mayor. Fairmont even decorated their ambulance with a holiday theme so they would have their own Art Car. Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas! Yes, Anne is still being a pain by displaying her "Super Creative" Certificate that she received in Fairmont. She is waving it in front of people's faces because it means so much to her to have the fact that she is creative reaffirmed. The hay rack rides of the community with Don West giving historial information was a hit with all of the Art Car Artists.

Grafton: Tony's Bar (owned by Gary, not Tony) in Grafton was a new stop on the schedule in 2006. We learned that stopping in Grafton is much more fun than driving by it and hope that others stop there, too. Gary was an excellent host and we were treated to music by Paul Siebert. Rex's Chewbaru (driven by Paul)is always a source of wonder and amazement and Erika's Scout received a lot of attention. Groups of people tended to gather around Don's Route 6 Cruiser to reminisce about their Route 6 adventures.

Anne had a great time swapping at Tony's Bar. Who would have known . . . give some of the crowd a few soft drinks (wink, wink, wink) and they might be talked out of trading the shirt off of their back, the cap off of their head and the purse off of their arm. Not one to ever take advantage, Anne now has a nice collection of shirts, caps and purses on display in Swap and Shop because some of the swappers went home and brought extra caps and shirts to swap. Heads up! Anne has several swappers who are interested in her bag of GIANT marbles and you'd better have something pretty special to swap. However, she did show a weakness for swapping for unusual T-shirts so come prepared.

This is a good time to mention that we have heard that Nebraska is a pass-thru state. Anyone passing through places like Exeter, Fairmont and Grafton without stopping is missing some of the best things about America. You would need blinders on your eyes (dangerous when driving) to not be able to see everything great about these rural communities. We hope you also give yourself the opportunity to experience the friendliness of these Fillmore County communities. Thanks to the organizers, participants and to all of our new friends for making us feel welcome.

Everyone went different ways during the day and then joined up at the motel before heading out to the Noyes Gallery. Happy Birthday, Tam! We hope all of you are looking at the photo page, too, because there is certainly a memorable celebration picture there. We had birthday cake and watermelon (Thanks, Lindsey, for providing the cake) and we also celebrated Erika's birthday since it was only a few days ago.

Ambulance to the Future again joined the gang of ChewBaru, the Rt 6 Cruiser, Scout, the Star Chief, Emerge-N-See, Aerocar 2, and the Swap and Shop Car at the Noyes Art Gallery in Lincoln. We were met by the No Coast roller derby girls when we entered the area and the evening featured several artists. The Art Car Artists enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the artists and find out more about their work. Emerge-N-See performed with several musical instruments and visitors had the chance to win prizes at his performance piece where you competed for prizes based on a fluctuating set of rules. Paul was the big winner hitting double infinity and quitting while he was ahead. He has the wiggle butt car key chain to prove it. One other lucky winner received a painted magnolia leaf. Anne did some quick talking and demonstrations of her Swap & Shop wares so she could also swap for one of the prized leaves.

The owners and artists at the Noyes Art Gallery were fantastic hosts and we appreciated everything they did to make this a special evening for everyone.

Lincoln is treating us very well from the West O Street Days Inn to The Oven where we ate Indian Cuisine after the Noyes Art Gallery Opening.

Here's a shout out to Rex. Paul and Anne both say that our version is correct regarding your leaving the tour and we feel that you have a couple of your "perceptions" in "error." That's the nicest way that we can think to state that it and it is two against one so we must be right.

Don has been trying to call you. He's got a little something extra lined up so you can get even more bonus points. Gosh, you're lucky! We're not getting many bonus points but we're getting fed well and we're saving some slightly used swag for you. Hurry back and we'll look forward to having you catch up at the end.

Tomorrow we leave the big city of Lincoln to go west. Stops in Milford, Exeter, Fairmont and Grafton will keep us busy until we finally land in Hastings. Milford is a pizza stop (food) before we go to Exeter (more food) then Fairmont (even more food). We'll be rolling (literally rolling) into Hastings late and look forward to the long day of seeing the sights of Rt 6 Nebraska along the way.