Centennial, Strasburg, and Rain

We were able to get together again with Caryn, Scott, Emily, and her two children, Cody and Imana Wednesday afternoon, spending quality time and playing with the kids.  They are located south of Denver in Centennial and the drive there was hectic going into the Denver city proper.  Lots of traffic.  Caryn prepared a wonderful Italian dinner for us and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  On the way home we were treated to a magnificent sunset over the Rocky Mountains as we drove east bound on Interstate 70 to Strasburg.  Today was spent cleaning and laundry and waiting out a storm that was predicted to hit with high winds and hail by 1pm.  Right on the dot.  So much rain it flooded the campground.  Three hours later, sun out, and many sites are still under water.  Hope it goes down before the next wave of campers come in.  Campground is booked starting today through Sunday - Strasburg has Home Days starting in the morning with all kinds of hometown fun planned.

Flooded campground

Once the rain slowed way down we headed into town and to the Comanche Crossing Historical Society.  Strasburg was originally called Comanche Crossing.  The ah-ha came when we discovered that on August 15, 1870, the Kansas Pacific Railway joined the first continuous, uninterrupted chain of railroads across the United States from New York to San Francisco. A year earlier the joining of the first transcontinental railroad was at Promontory Point, Utah was huge news! However, this was a misnomer - west bound passengers still had to get off the train at Omaha, Nebraska and ferry across the Missouri River and get back on another train.  Those passengers leaving San Francisco had to get off the train at Sacramento, ferry across the San Francisco Bay, and get back on another train heading east. Not until this segment was completed and bridges built over the respective waters could a person continuously stay on a train and go all the way across the country.  Nicely documented museum.  And it was free - something you just don't see anymore.

Map of Railroads 1870

Original Strasburg Depot

Tomorrow we head a tidge east but more north to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska.   Will do some sight seeing there before really moving east bound from then on.  Unsure of our route from Scotts Bluff, we have some time to do more sightseeing before we have to be in Cleveland by the middle of September.