View From the Cab

For today's blog, I wanted to share something special with you. My dad, Rich, is a railroader and sometimes shares his thoughts and musings from his trips on the train with the rest of the family. I always look forward to his "View from the cab" emails because they are so full of his voice and so true to him that it is like he is sitting next to me telling me about his trip. He might not be a writer by trade, but he knows how to inject his voice into anything he writes, even simple emails.

From my sister's Facebook page and no, you're not getting the link.
My Mom and Dad. Aren't they adorable?!

View from the cab.

We all know that rain and water are one of the necessities of life. It is a given that we in the Midwest experience thunderstorms and occasional super cell storms that produce rain, tornadoes, and hail.

Hail is the topic of this rambling.  

Headed west out of North Platte, the first town we come to is Hershey. Some damage, corn leaves are split and torn up. Next is Sutherland. This is another story. Early this summer a storm came through with wind from the north. Damage was extensive: windows, roofs, siding, cars, trees, etc.  Talked to one fellow, he had over $30,000 damage to his house. From the track and my view, not a lot to see, saw some trees uprooted, limbs down and minor crop damage.  Heading further west we come to Paxton, Roscoe, Ogallala, Brule, Big Springs; crops look good, no damage. Life is good.

Next up is Julesburg. We enter the town from east and here, the track leaves the friendly grade of the South Platte River, takes a right turn, and begins the climb to Cheyenne 150 miles away.  At the end of June, a storm went though and turned pastures to bare ground, fire bush and sunflowers to sticks, waist high corn reduced to stubble, and soy beans fields turns to bare ground. (Katherine you know what this looks like from a couple years ago in Gibbon.) The trees were stripped of leaves and have not yet grown any new leaves back. Cedar trees and pine trees were stripped of needles and are about bare. Some trees appear to be dying, nor sure if any of the damaged ones will recover. All last winter and this spring, we saw pheasants galore, not now. Those too, were likely victims of the hail. There is a small subdivision of acreages in this area; windows are boarded up, roofs to be replace, sheds damages, and of course shelter belts thinned. I was through this area the day after the storm and had not yet heard of the damage. 

Picture from NTV
This was a cornfield of knee- to waist-high corn that was stripped in the hail
storm that hit the town I live in two years ago. It shredded siding, shattered windows,
flattened crops, and uprooted trees. It was heartbreaking to see the damage.

You stare out the window in disbelief as to what you are seeing and say a prayer for the folks affected and one for yourself that we had been spared. A couple miles either way, and crops look great. One man's disaster is another's gift.

The next hundred miles or so, life is good. Between irrigation and rains, pastures are green, corn, beans, and sugar beets are lush and bountiful. The further west you go, the climate becomes drier, the soil’s less productive, you begin to see an increase in winter wheat, sugar beets, hay, and pasture land. 

Pine Bluff, Wyoming, sits right on the Nebraska border. As a matter of fact, there is an old truck stop on Highway 30 that sits on the line. Interestingly, there were 4 fuel pumps in Nebraska and 5 feet away, 10 in Wyoming. A tribute to the higher fuel taxes here [in Nebraska]. The same cannot be said today; fuel is higher in Wyoming.

I felt a bit of apprehension as we approached Pine Bluff this week. After seeing the Weather Channel video of the devastation, I did not know what to expect. Interestingly enough, the wind on this storm was from the south and the majority of the town is south of the tracks. We saw several buildings with a lot of damage, but not the devastation I expected to see. The head high corn was reduced to broom handles, pasture reduced to bare ground, alfalfa ready to cut now looks like it was harvested. Fortunately, the majority of the wheat was already cut and thus, was spared. Pine Bluff gets its name from the pine trees on the bluff that overlook the town. These trees had a lot of damage and were thinned just like the ones in Julesburg.  

Surreal, I guess, is the poets’ and writers’ term to describe when you see this type of devastation. Awe at Mother Nature’s power and feelings of loss in the pit of your stomach would better fit my background and understanding.

With a month or so to go in the growing season, let's all hope and pray that the rain is gentle and abundant, and those affected by this summer’s storms can find the hope and strength to move forward. Say a prayer for their well-being and a pray of thanksgiving for the blessings we have all received this summer.