East along I-80 in Nebraska, then north along I-29 into South Dakota, then westbound on I-90 – all the while looking for old signs.


First thing in the morning. US highway 30 eastbound in western Nebraska. We follow 30 for a while because it’s a mile or two away from I-80 and more likely to have old signs. It may or may not be rather cold.


Catch of the day! Over and over again, I scoured downtown Omaha for old interstate highway markers, and by the third time, I finally found one. This one was installed in 1963 or so, whenever I-480 was built through here along old US-75.

The shield was in an industrial area just south of US-275, and it was replaced in April, 2009. There is one 1957-spec interstate shield left in Nebraska that anyone knows about. It is an I-80.


The blue US-77 bridge in Sioux City. South Dakota is the far side, and Nebraska is where I’m taking the picture from.


Several of these survive in Gothenburg. Also: ice does very interesting things under flash!


Nice pair of embossed signs, showing the difference between old and new fonts.


Rain or shine, the trains will run on time. (This principle apparently extends to snow and ice, too.)


A switch engine.


Red barns and white frosted trees.


This can’t possibly be a standard sign – but it’s definitely old. Somewhere in Omaha.


What’s missing here? Yep, just a block down from that I-480 shield. The odd thing is, that one is at eye level and this one was about 20 feet in the air – and this one is the one that got yanked first?


The I-129 freeway. It’s about a two mile long spur of I-29 coming from Iowa… and it contains about half of the button copy left in the entire state of Nebraska.


The one state-named I-129 shield. Yep, it’s in Iowa. Because Iowa is good about that sort of thing. The ones in Nebraska are all gone … there’s one sitting on my floor at this very moment, in fact!


The Sioux City airport beacon in the fog.


Delivery van of the damned. The strange, strange skies are the result of fog and smoke from an industrial area, all under municipal lightning.


Not a particularly old sign, but gotta love the bizarro lighting.


The best part of this scene is that the little banner on the more distant light post says “right at home”.


A tall light fixture in swirling fog.


And a yellow stop sign! The “seat belt fastened?” variety is popular in the parking lots of a certain midwest and mountain state telecommunications company. I know of some still extant in Wyoming, Colorado, and this one in Iowa.


Another view of the blue bridge.


And one with some trees.


South Dakota likes its metric speed limit signs.


Residential neighborhood of the damned? I was just going for the embossed speed limit sign and upon review, the houses behind it look perfect for Halloween.


Somewhere on South Dakota state highway 46. I don’t remember which town’s main drag we are approaching.


Entering Sioux Falls, South Dakota on I-29.


Specialization is for insects.


South Dakota interstate shields get more and more common as one heads westward in the state. This is about as far east as you can get – there’s some 229s in Sioux City at one intersection.


The end of interstate 229. No, really – it turns into a dirt road north of I-90.


Haunted house at the end of I-229.


Where I-229 starts being paved and splits into four lanes, intersecting I-90. Also: spot the sign that has been installed upside-down.

Next up … more old signs in South Dakota, and some more traditional scenery, courtesy of the Badlands and the Black Hills before we head back into Wyoming and Colorado and attempt to cross the Rockies again.