Backpacker Magazine – August 2004

High Points: Panorama Point, Nebraska

There's not a bad napping spot anywhere.

by: Joe Glickman

Tags:
• Nebraska
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• Feature stories
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The Peak: 5,424 feet

If you're a location scout looking for a windswept, mellow-as-a-mortuary spot littered with cow pies, Panorama Point is just the ticket. From the small town of Pine Bluffs, WY, you negotiate a Lotto list of country roads--164, 203, 1, 6, and 5, to be exact--to, finally, a rutted dirt road. You pass a windmill en route to the weathered white stone monument marking the junction of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Park by an old wagon bleached white by the sun and walk up the gentle incline to a chest-high granite obelisk. The napping possibilities are endless.

The Projectile

The surreal town of Kimball, NE, has seen more booms and busts than Donald Trump. In the 1950s, it was oil; in the 60s, missiles. By the end of the decade, there were so many ICBMs housed in silos around the panhandle that Kimball was known as Missile Center USA. While most are underground or out of sight, a 100-foot-tall Titan 1 looms over Gotte Park. There's also a swimming pool, so bring your suit.

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