A Peaceful Escape From The Big City And A Glimpse Into The Life Of Nearby Town, Potter, With A Population Under 400 Residents
A quaint, quiet little place out in the meandering country of Western Nebraska, Point of Rocks Motel & RV Park is over two miles from the nearest town. People passing through often stop at Point of Rocks – with its large cottonwood groves and location near the bluffs – to get away from it all and marvel at the views and the setting. “Quite a ways from a lot of things,” overnight guests can completely unwind in the rural countryside, the sound of a train roaring down train tracks in the far distance.
Never fully booked, Point of Rocks Motel & RV Park is a peaceful escape from the big city and a glimpse into the life of nearby town Potter, with a population under 400 residents.
“I like the peaceful country setting. I've always wanted to live in the country,” said owner Lynn Enevoldsen. “My son always asks me, 'If you could live anywhere, where would you live?' I always tell him I am very happy where I am. This is where I want to live.”
Enevoldsen and her husband, Hal, purchased the motel and campground around 2004 after Hal did some landscaping for the past owners in exchange for some land. After a while, the owners asked if the couple wanted to take it over, selling the restaurant as well (which they later turned into their current home). The motel and campground was a “labor of love.” As a landscape architect, Hal was always improving the land, planting trees and a lot of flowers.
A native of eastern Kansas, Enevoldsen moved to the area to be with Hal in 1982. Her first thought was how desolate the area seemed. She recalled: “It was large and brown. There weren't very many trees anywhere. Kansas is full of trees. For me, that was the biggest adjustment. But it didn't take very long until he changed the whole downtown and city of Potter into a beautiful arboretum with a lot of trees.”
A lifelong Potter resident, Hal worked with the city and some local government agencies on tree grants to put trees in town. It was a huge community effort between the ever-volunteering Hal and the village's community. Just another labor of love.
“The transformation was amazing,” said Enevoldsen. “It's one of the nicest small towns and communities I've ever seen. A lot of small towns are dying. It takes a real effort to keep them going. Most small towns are bedroom communities for larger cities and Potter is no different. But its success and survival has a lot to do with the community and their commitment to the town. There's just good community spirit.”
Once again surrounded by trees, Enevoldsen felt at home taking over the campground, where the couple ended up raising their family. And while the rural country setting is what sold Enevoldsen, it’s the humanity she has witnessed that has made her continuously felt felt blessed to have the motel and campground.
Most of the over-nighters at Point of Rocks are traveling cross-country, allowing her to meet people from all over the country and even people from overseas. They stumble across the “camping” sign on the highway. Others are local, looking for a relaxing escape. Others are working construction nearby and want some peace and quiet after working all day in the city.
“We never have trouble with people. We meet so many nice people,” said Enevoldsen. “And it's never really that busy.”
But the visitors that do end up at Point of Rocks make a big impact on Enevoldsen, as few and far between as they may be at times. There was the barefoot runner in her early 20s who was making her way across the country. And there was, of course, the cowboy.
“We had a gentleman who was going cross-country on horseback,” said Enevoldsen. “He was dressed up like he was from the Old West, with an old-time revolver by his side. He was living his entire life that way.”
The 60 year old traveler spent time at Point Of Rock's campfire ring down by the cottonwood trees. He told stories of his travels and his encounters to Enevoldsen, who had made a corral down in the grass for his horse. The man spoke of the simple life, one that Enevoldsen and her husband could relate to now that they settled back around Potter.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Point Of Rocks Motel & RV Park, where overnight guests can completely unwind in the rural countryside and get away from it all and marvel at the views and the setting.