Powerhouse Social & Suites - Scottsbluff 

 

This has a certain elegance to it.  I think it's the building and how it has been designed.  We intended to have a meal here but we arrived too early.  I did check, though, and the steaks are flame grilled and some people know how much I like that.  Since we go through the area often, I hope to get that steak here in the near future.

The chairs look very comfortable but I didn't sit in one to check.

There's also a very nice outdoor area when the weather is appropriate.  This whole area of Scottsbluff has been redeveloped, with lots of fun places to choose from.

Hangar 39 - Potter 

This is the fourth year with the Nebraska Passport and I think we've been to Potter every year.  This year Potter also has one of the 15 favorites, which I will cover in a separate section. 

Again, just like the Beans & Steam Coffeehouse in Sydney, our friends like this business, too.  So, we were actually here before this. Because we get introduced to all these fun and unique places by friends or the Passport, they have become normal stops for us when traveling through.  I'm not an Interstate fan because I like seeing the small towns and what they have going on.  Unless I have to hurry somewhere.

We were amazed as soon as we walked in on how it's decorated.  A lot of pipes went into this contraption below.  This tap house is located in a historic Conoco Station in Potter, NE.  We walked into the building and were greeted by a very friendly person behind the counter.

The owner told us that the bar is the original car lift from the 1930's.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a good photo of it.  We sat at the bar and visited with her for a while.  I often marvel at the extent of decorating that so many places do.  Growing up, it seemed that most places were always content to be relatively clean but to be modern and attractive for their respective generations, that was just not very important.

Beans & Steams Coffeehouse - Sydney 

We've paid this business a couple visits before they became a Passport stop.  We have some friends who live nearby and this is one of their favorite places to go.

It seems to be a popular place whenever we've been here.  There are several friendly people behind the counter and we were greeted immediately when we entered.  A quick, friendly greeting is a common characteristic in all the customer-oriented businesses.  It certainly isn't just because of the Passport because the greeting always comes before anyone even knows why we come in.

 In this photo, I had a nice conversation with some ladies sitting below this sign.  You're probably thinking, "Well, where are they then?"  They decided to move but we chatted for several minutes afterward.  One of them wanted to take my picture instead.

They were a lot of fun talking to so I had to do it.

There was a bit more private of an area in the back.  The whole Coffeehouse is very nicely decorated, as you can see.  If you notice the timestamps on the photos, you'll see how much time I spent chatting.

Cheyenne County Museum - Sydney 

We arrived here on what was supposed to be an open day but found the museum closed.  In September, they changed operating days.

Wildeflour Baking Co - Lodgepole 

 

We kind of messed up here.  They weren't open when we stopped.  However, when I went to the door, I saw someone inside and she let me in and stamped our books.  I was also able to take a couple photos for the blog.  This person was not the owner and did this out of kindness, which is what you can often find in small towns across Nebraska.

She said the business has been open for some time now and it has it's usual local patronage which find it a great place to spend time.  It is always great to see small towns find a way to continue creating new and inviting places to keep their towns relevant.  Who knows what can be accomplished when you find a way to provide people with a value they want.  Especially when it's in a comfortable setting such as this.

The rolling pin wall is unique, as far as I've ever seen.

The Secret Garden - Merna 

 

The Secret Garden is an appropriate name.  When you drive up, you see a nice coffee shop which includes lots of home goods.  The name comes from a somewhat hidden garden to the east of the shop with a nice paved walkway that winds through it.

There really are a large variety of goods here.  We ended up taking home an attractive lantern to go with a recently remodeled wall in our house.

Feather River Vineyard - North Platte 

The vineyard is located in a beautiful scenic area south of North Platte.  It's a few miles off any main roads but it is an easy drive getting there.  

The winery was built in 2006 and includes a tasting room with a veranda, production area, lab and offices.  We came here last year for the Wine Passport and really liked it so we were excited to come back.

The tasting room is small but has a lot of  displays showing their success over the years.  Notice all the awards.  We were greeted by a very knowledgeable and friendly person who gave us more information about the winery and wines.  

While I was tasting the wines, Frank was watching a person pressing some grapes with a special tool.  That was really neat to see.  I was ready to buy all six wines I tasted but Frank said only one bottle.  (I did already have about 10 bottles at home.)  So I settled on a 2020 Stretto Red Wine.  Last year I bought a bottle of Edelweiss which was also very good.  If you want to see how grapes are processed, early fall is the time to go.