SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 1

SEPTEMBER 29

THE NEAT LITTLE IOWA FARMS ADRIFT IN A VAST SEA OF  GOLDEN CROPLAND SEEM TO GO ON FOREVER LIKE AN INFINITE MINIMALIST PAINTING.  I FIND COMPLETE SERENITY PASSING THROUGH THIS UNCLUTTERED LANDSCAPE AND WHEN YOU GET OFF THE INTERSTATE AND CRUISE DOWN THE OLD HIGHWAYS IN THE HEARTLAND, ENJOYING THE SIMPLE, YET BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS WITHOUT THE BILLBOARDS, MENACING SEMI-TRAILERS, AND FORESTS OF 90' MOTEL, FAST FOOD AND GAS STATION SIGNS,  INSTEAD YOU NOTICE THE OCCASIONAL JET BLACK CROW OR FLOCK OF BROWN BIRDS TWISTING IN UNIFIED AERIAL ACROBATICS, OR ADMIRE THE BRIGHTLY PAINTED FARM MACHINES MOVING THROUGH THE FIELDS LIKE GIGANTIC TOYS. WHAT A PLEASURE.

                                                                                                                                           

APPROACHING OMAHA THIS 'ONE OF A KIND' BRIDGE DEMANDS YOUR ATTENTION WITH FOUR HUGE METAL SCULPTURES THAT LOOK LIKE CALDER ON LSD. WHENEVER I CROSS THE MISSOURI RIVER, AS HERE ENTERING NEBRASKA OR UP NORTH IN THE DAKOTAS, I GET A STRONG FEELING I'M LEAVING THE FAMILIAR EAST BEHIND AND ARRIVING IN "THE WEST". THE LANDSCAPE DOES CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH FEWER TREES, MORE OPEN SPACE AND BROADER HORIZONS CREATING A TRUE 'BIG SKY'. THE GREEN LAND FADES AWAY TO THE DOMINANCE OF ALL SHADES OF BROWN.

I LOVE FINDING REGIONAL FOOD ALIVE AND WELL WHEREVER I GO. CASE IN POINT IS THE UBIQUITOUS 'RUNZA' IN NEBRASKA, A MIXTURE OF CRUMBLY HAMBURGER AND FINELY CHOPPED CABBAGE GENTLY COOKED THEN ROLLED UP IN FRESH DOUGH AND BAKED. HITS THE SPOT AND SHARES THE LIMELIGHT WITH ANOTHER MIDWEST FAVORITE, IOWA'S 'MADERIGHT  SANDWICH' OF TOP GRADE CRUMBLED GROUND BEEF AND ONIONS COOKED WITHOUT BROWNING AND SERVED UP ON A BUN. NO GARNISHES, PURE AND SIMPLE.

THIS RUNZA INCLUDED MUSHROOMS AND CHEESE

HUGE NEBRASKA THEME PARK BRIDGE SPANNING I-80

NOT TO BE OUTCLASSED BY THE BRIDGE NEAR OMAHA, THIS BEHOMOTH IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA CONTAINS FAIRLY CLASSY  MULTI-MEDIA DIORAMAS OF THE OREGON AND MORMON TRAIL TREKS THAT YOU WALK THROUGH INSIDE THE ENORMOUS  TWO-STORY STRUCTURE  WHICH WAS HAULED TO THE SITE AND PLACED OVER THE ROAD IN ONE NIGHT BACK IN 2000.

MORMONS HAULING THEIR CART TOWARD UTAH

 

DOMINATING NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA AND VIEWABLE FROM A SEVEN-STORY OBSERVATION PLATFORM "This may be the largest and busiest railway yard in the world, where more than half of Union Pacific's rail traffic passes through at some point. Throughout the 150 parallel tracks at the 8 mile long yard, trains are assembled, reconfigured, and loaded at a rate of around 120 trains and 9,000 freight cars per day." WATCHING THE TRAINS FROM ABOVE MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS PLAYING WITH THE BIGGEST TOY TRAIN LAYOUT IN THE UNIVERSE!!!!

CHIMNEY ROCK

YOU CAN SHARE THE AWE AND EXCITEMENT THAT THE PIONEERS FELT WHEN THEY SAW THIS IMPORTANT LANDMARK ON THE OREGON TRAIL. THE UNUSAL NATURAL FORMATION IS TALLER THAN A 35 STORY BUIDING AND CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM 20 MILES AWAY.  NATIVE AMERICANS HAD ANOTHER VIEW OF THE MONUMENT AND NAMED IT "ELK PENIS".

SCOTT'S BLUFF IN FAR WESTERN NEBRASKA IS ANOTHER TRAIL MARKER FOR THE MID-19TH CENTURY PIONEERS. A WELL-DESIGNED PARK MUSEUM AND SUMMIT ROAD ARE WELL WORTH SPENDING AN HOUR OR SO.