The alternate route spit us back out on the highway and it was a straight shot to the Nebraska National Forest. The only national forest where all the trees were planted. 222 square miles of man made forest. It was staggering to comprehend that every mature tree that existed in this area was once planted by a person. The time it took to establish this beautiful, serene area must have been enormous. How much more devastating were the fires from last year, when you consider the efforts that have gone into this amazing place. A quick tour of the park took us up into the back maintenance roads where the hand of man in planting was evident by the straight rows of trees. Most of which were burned badly. The undergrowth was thriving and there is hope for an eventual recovery from the fires which took 4000 acres in May and October of 2022. Our tour of the park brought us out of the burned section and into some gorgeous meadows with wildflowers and healthy tall pines. But the beauty seemed to fade just as soon as Galen reported on his radio that his jeep died and wouldn’t restart.
Nebraska National Forest by
Tim, on Flickr
Galen has not had the greatest luck with jeeps over the last year. He lost his last jeep to a delivery truck that was stopped on a highway on his way to the Rendezvous in the Ozarks last fall. His replacement jeep blew the engine, and the replacement engine lost compression. The day before we left, he picked up the ’97 ZJ from the shop with a freshly installed remanufactured engine.
Nebraska National Forest by
Tim, on Flickr
So here we were, surrounded by natural beauty, and I’m in shock that Galen hasn’t started throwing things. He didn’t. Instead, we started going through the possibilities and determining our next step. No cell signal dictated that we get back to “civilization”. Forward or back was clear after a little bit of exploring because the trek back was just about 150 yards to the maintenance road, forward would have been miles through some rough sandy tracks. We got his jeep turned around and began the 9 mile drag back to the main entrance of the park.
Nebraska National Forest by
Tim, on Flickr
With connections to the world reestablished we got in touch with some experts and determined that the engine computer was fried. Most likely caused by a short of some type. We eventually discovered the rear O2 sensor wiring had been pulled out of the sensor and the stripped wires had shorted the system out. A couple more phone calls determined there were no parts in the region to attempt repairs, so arrangements were made for a friend to gather spare parts, a truck and a trailer to come to the rescue. And in the meantime we set up camp at one of the ugliest camp spots ever. But then it was chosen for it’s ease of access, not it’s view.
Nebraska National Forest by
Tim, on Flickr
Thankfully the night was uneventful, as was the following day which was spent discussing anything from childhood to jeep repairs, even religion and politics were entertained. It was a quiet and beautiful day to wait. In the afternoon when our rescuer arrived, she brought with her a little bit of disappointment, as the spare computer did not bring life back to the damaged jeep. Fortunately Galen’s foresight to the worst case scenario provided a trailer upon which we loaded the ZJ.
Crossing Nebraska by
Tim, on Flickr
We said our goodbyes and headed in separate directions. Galen to the south and me to the west where adventure awaits.
Timing always seems to be a factor in travel. My initial plan was to be arriving at the Pawnee National Grassland in Colorado by this time. In essence the whole trip was a day and a half behind “schedule”.
I probably should have lead with this… this is my first real multi-day, planned out “overlanding” trip. To date most of my trips have been weekend camping trips with a destination and a lot of sitting around. This trip was planned out by day, destinations, gas stops, etc. It was a learning experience for me that there must be some flexibility in everything. The unforeseen events of severe weather and a dead jeep threw (seemingly) everything off. I was able to take it all in stride knowing that life throws monkey wrenches when they’re least expected.
I adjusted my plan and headed west through some gorgeous areas of rolling dunes covered in lush green prairie grass. Once again the clouds built up in my path, this time they unleashed a downpour that slowed my progress considerably. The storm was brief and intense, with clear sunny skies on the other side.
Crossing Nebraska by
Tim, on Flickr
Crossing Nebraska by
Tim, on Flickr
When I arrived at Alliance, I got a room and enjoyed an evening of air conditioning and a hot shower.
After a mental reset it was time back on the road and to do a little bit of touristy stuff. While Stonehenge is a bit far to drive, Car Henge was right up the road. So I headed there and enjoyed the eclectic arrangement of vehicles. Just up the road from Car Henge is a small town called Hemingford. Stephen King fans would recognize the name from his book The Stand. Being driven by humor, I went 40 miles out of the way to see if Mother Abagail was there. She wasn’t home. (you can laugh now… )
Carhenge by
Tim, on Flickr
Hemminford by
Tim, on Flickr
