Wally Goes Tourist - Statewide

Wally also had a chance to visit (virtually) a couple really interesting places in Nebraska that are an important part of our state's history. Chimney Rock in western Nebraska was an important landmark for pioneers who traveled along the Oregon Trail through Nebraska. It gets it's name because it looks like a chimney. It used to be about 100 feet higher then it is today, but erosion and lightning strikes have shortened it. What makes it stand out is that most of Nebraska is pretty flat.

Another cool place to visit is Ashfall Fossil Beds in Northeastern Nebraska. Wally felt right at home here. Thousands of years ago, when Nebraska was a tropical rainforest, a really big volcano exploded in what now is the state of Idaho. A huge cloud of ash blew across the land. Animals who were drinking at a water hole died when the ash fell on them and they breathed it in. They were buried under many feet of ash. The ash was covered by dirt and sand. One day only a few years ago, a farmer found a bone in his field. It turned out to be a bone from a rhino. When archelogists started digging they found fossils of rhinos, prehistoric horses, zebras,bison, and cranes. They are still digging and finding more fossils.

**Wally would really like to iChat or Skype with some of you Wally Blog members so he can tell you how he made his virtual trip. Send us your address!**