B4 FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2020 All PHOTOS By JAnnA GRABeR Scotts Bluff National Monument. Carhenge, a quirky attraction in Alliance. Cattle at Our Heritage Guest Ranch. A Road Trip Through Here, rugged buttes of clay and sandstone rise from the earth, a visible tribute Northwestern to the region’s ancient past. The tall ridges are often Nebraska rich with fossils. Janna Graber the creation was invented, to sample it for and moon. Nebraska’s version is created ourselves. The soda fountain looked like it from vintage automobiles from the 1950s cattered among the expan- hadn’t changed much since its beginnings and 1960s, with the same dimensions as sive prairies, wide valleys and in 1916. Stonehenge. It’s free to visit. mountaintops of America are “I’d advise you to get a small, because thousands of rural towns and that will sure fill you up,” a local rancher in Our Heritage Guest Ranch communities. Travelers often a cowboy hat advised. He wasn’t kidding. The sun was low in the sky as we made our miss these far-flung destina- The “small” ice cream treat was enough way to Our Heritage Guest Ranch. Located tions, but they offer a reward- to feed a small family, but I tackled it all 12 miles down a dirt road near Crawford ing, uniquely American experience to the same. between the Oglala National Grasslands, Sthose who venture off the beaten path. “The secret is the marshmallow,” said the Pine Ridge region, and the Badlands of That’s especially true in this time of social Warren, a retired Kansas pastor who now Nebraska, Our Heritage is a working cattle distancing. The wide-open spaces, free of volunteers to serve tables at the restaurant. ranch. The ranch has guest accommoda- crowds, offer the chance to explore—and The folks at several other tables agreed, tions, including a historic guest cottage that that’s healing after months of isolation. and in small-town fashion, soon we were sleeps six ($175 per night) and two apart- My sister Debbie and I took a recent road all having a nice conversation—socially ments in the barn. trip to northwestern Nebraska, a sparsely distanced, of course. The best part of the ranch experience is populated region with a rich history, an- One local suggested that we stop at the owner Jean Norman. My sister and I spent cient geological formations, and several Potter Duckpin Bowling Alley next door. a fun morning out with her in her truck as state or historic parks. This historic bowling alley, which has been Rock formations at Toadstool Geologic she checked on the cattle, showed us the Our destination was Our Heritage Guest lovingly preserved, is the last remaining Park. ranch, and introduced us to her horses. Ranch near Crawford, Nebraska, a sprawling duckpin bowling alley west of the Mis- Along the way, she told us stories of how ranch tucked in the hills and canyons of Ne- sissippi. You can rent the whole space for her grandparents homesteaded the ranch braska’s top left corner, some 30 miles from your family or group bowling for only $25 in 1887, and how Mother Nature challenged Wyoming and 12 miles from South Dakota. an hour. the family with bad storms and even a fire. Since we live near Denver, it was an easy While we didn’t have time to bowl, we Ranch guests can also add other activi- 4.5-hour drive. Denver is the nearest big did make time for a stop at A Collective ties through several ranch partners. M&M airport to western Nebraska, while Omaha Gathering, where 25 different vendors sell Overland Coach offers a chuckwagon cook- is a good eight hours away. an eclectic collection of gifts, arts, and spe- out and ride on an original 1860s Sidney- As we drove NE-71 up the western side cialty foods made in Nebraska. Lead-Deadwood stagecoach. You can book of the state, we often had the road to our- a fossil-hunting adventure with a local selves. The majority of Nebraska’s 1.9 mil- Scotts Bluff National Monument expert or just spend the evening stargaz- lion residents live in the eastern part of Then, we were off to our next stop at the ing. The ranch’s remote location provides the state, and most of the state is rural. Scotts Bluff National Monument. Known to a good place to view the night sky. Nebraska is famous for its rich farmland locals as “The Monument,” this giant bluff (this is the Land of the Cornhuskers, after rises 800 feet above the floor of the Platte Chadron all), but western Nebraska has a whole dif- Valley. It’s all that remains of the ancient Chadron is about 45 minutes from the ferent feel. High Plains that have eroded over ranch, but well worth the drive. The town Most people imagine Ne- millions of years. of 5,400 is home to several popular restau- braska to be a flat prairie, Pioneers on wagon rants, including the Bean Broker Coffee but the further north we trains from the Mis- House and Pub, which is known for its drove, the hillier it got. souri River must have stone-fired pizza, hearty sandwiches, and Here, rugged buttes been awed at the A fossilized spiral beaver burrow at breakfast dishes. (My sister and I went back of clay and sand- sight of the mas- Agate Fossil Beds. several times for their delicious pastries.) stone rise from sive bluff. More Owners Paige and Dave Feddersen gutsily the earth, a vis- than 350,000 opened the restaurant during COVID, but ible tribute to the pioneers are es- it already has a loyal following. region’s ancient timated to have Nestled among the buttes and canyons past. The tall ridg- passed through of Nebraska’s Pine Ridge, Chadron State es are often rich here between Park is the main attraction in the region. with fossils. 1836 and 1869, and As Nebraska’s first state park, it is a popular Northwestern Ne- their wagon ruts family vacation destination. The park has braska is ranching can still be seen. cabins for rent, as well as a campground. country, and we passed We walked a trail We saw families fishing, hiking, on the ar- field after field of grazing along the national mon- chery range or playing in the pool. cattle, bison, and longhorn ument (it’s free to enter the cattle. park), thinking about those Crawford and Fort Robinson The famed Tin Roof days, then drove to the top of We spent an afternoon visiting the town of Tin-Roof Sundaes and Sundae at The Potter the bluff for an expansive view Crawford, population 1,069. It has several Bowling in Potter Sundry. of the valley. unique stores and is home to the Broken Halfway there, we decided to Spur, a favorite local restaurant in a beau- make a short detour to Potter, population A Twist on Stonehenge tifully restored historic building. Diners 350. America can thank this little town for We made one more stop in the town of Al- come from more than an hour away for the invention of the Tin Roof Sundae, a sug- liance, home to a quirky attraction called their popular prime rib and steak dinners. ary concoction of ice cream with chocolate Carhenge. Carhenge is a replica of Stone- Crawford’s history is closely intertwined syrup, marshmallow cream, and nuts. henge in England, the ancient alignment with nearby Fort Robinson State Park. Fort We stopped into The Potter Sundry, where of stones that chart the phases of the sun The Broken Spur in Crawford. Robinson served as a military post from FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2020 B5 The Hip Strip and Beyond: Discovering the True Jamaica All PHOTOS COURTeSy OF JAMAiCA TOURiSM BOARd Tim Johnson Once, this was Jamaica’s most storied stretch of beach. Nicknamed the “Hip Strip,” Katharine Hepburn (accompa- nied by playwright and director Noel Coward) once tooled along this stretch of Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay in a Singer convertible—one that she Carhenge, a quirky attraction in Alliance. shipped to the island herself. John F. Kennedy and other luminar- ies vacationed here. The adjacent Doc- tor’s Cave Beach was perhaps the first on the island to attract tourists, all the way back in the 1920s. And now, walking through a sultry, tropical breeze, palms audible, if not visible, shaking in the inky blackness off to my right, I see that this curving street, today renamed for local, legend- ary reggae and ska legend Jimmy Cliff, is rising again. The area has seen some tough times, sagging with the devel- opment of mega-sized, all-inclusive The Blue and John Crow Mountains national Park, a UneSCO World Heritage Site. resorts aimed to keep guests within their walls, swimming and eating and he lived from 1975 to 1981, has become ing through hairpin turns, you’ll roll drinking all in one place. a museum, and feels a bit like a reg- through everyday life in Jamaica, a long But now, anchored by a Jamaica-cen- gae Graceland. A stately 19th-century way from the beach, passing through Cattle at Our Heritage Guest Ranch. tric, distinctly non-all-inclusive hotel residence, it still feels like a home, and villages and farmer’s fields in Saint Ann (S-Hotel), as well as Usain Bolt’s Tracks tours take you past his bedroom and Parish, not far from tourist hub Ocho and Records (a restaurant co-founded personal recording studio, as well as Rios. But again, Bob Marley is the main 1874 to 1948.