Tourists, Pioneers & Adventurers

Guernsey State Park, WY

Continuing our drive up the Sand Hill Scenic Highway in the early morning light was beautiful. The subtle breeze swayed the tall prairie grasses and flowers and we were rewarded with greens and yellows of every hue. Our only company was the coal trains that relentlessly rolled on.

We eventually made it into the far western side of Nebraska and pulled into the town of Alliance. (Which we now appreciate all the more since we know it's the birthplace of Janet Lamb - of Lamb's Victorian Inn in Grass Valley!). What makes Alliance so special, beside the just mentioned fact, is wonderful kitschy tourist attractions. First stop was Carhenge. It is a replica of England's Stonehenge and was dedicated on the summer solstice in 1987. As far as roadside attractions go, it really doesn't get better than this. Several vintage cars ('46 Willy's Jeep Truck, '57 Plymouth, '71 Vega - just like Ned's dad owned, '62 Valiant, '70 Gremlin - just for you Cary, and a '59 Cadillac to name a few) all gloriously stacked one on top of the other. It was truly a hoot. Of course we had to pick up a shot glass and t-shirt to commemorate the occasion.

Also in Alliance is Dobby's Frontier Town. This little gem is located in the backyard of "Dobby" Lee. His hobby was collecting buildings and artifacts that would have been destroyed or discarded. It isn't particularly neat and tidy (ahem), but what it lacks in charm it makes up in complete weirdness. It's totally free, you can go into each building and pick-up and touch whatever you want. Dobby says he trusts you to leave things in tact. How can you not love that? As we were wandering through this little "Frontier Land", looking at the Saloon, Post Office, Bank, Old Soda Shop, Hamburger Stand, Gas Station and various stuff strewn all about, we wandered into the General Store. The owner's daughter (I think) was meeting with a gentlemen attired in a bee-keepers hat. I overheard the following conversation, "So, we know there are bees in this wall from the window to the corner of the building. Forty years ago when we got this building from Colorado, it had the bees in it. We didn't want to destroy the bees so as we drove the building here, we kept stopping every few miles to allow the bees to catch up." What?! We had so many questions! And why do you want the bees to be moved now? We asked the gentlemen if he planned on taking the bees. His response, "I guess, at least half of them. Don't know if I need that many." While in the General Store I decided to finish that checker game that I started yesterday. For the record, dad, all that thinking paid off. I won:)

After that little tourist excursion, we were onto Wyoming to learn all about the Overland Trails and see the mighty Scott's Bluff. (Hat tip to my big bro who suggested we stop off here.) The irony did not go unnoticed by us that we were using google map to find it when the pioneers used this mighty bluff to actually GUIDE them on their journeys. Many years ago Ned and I drove the original Route 66. For the record, driving highway 2 in this part of the country is MUCH better for authentic businesses of that era. We were loving the ice cream stand, gas station and bakery we spotted, to just name a few.

Scott's Bluff National Monument is impressive for it's geology, a massive bluff towering 800 feet over the valley floor, and for it's role in the Western Expansion. Many of the overland trails passed through this route - the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express. After taking in a film at the Visitor's Center we decided to take a bike ride, suggested by the park ranger, thru the tall prairie grasses. It was unbelievable and really gave you a feeling of what the pioneers experienced. It was blazing hot, close to 100, and I have to admit that our hour bike ride was a bit much for me.

Continuing our education of the Western expansion, we decided to check out Fort Laramie as well. By the time we arrived there, the weather had changed dramatically from brutal heat beating down on us to a huge storm beginning to brew. Fort Laramie is amazing! The history, the huge expanse, the buildings old and new, truly an interesting place. Again, our first stop was the visitor's center and taking in a movie. During the movie they referenced an iron bridge that we had spotted on our drive in. We had assumed it was part of a bike trail. What we learned was that it was built in 1875 as part of the Calvary's plan to attack the Indians. Pretty impressive to see this bridge still standing today. Our initial plan was to ride our bikes through-out the grounds and check-out all the buildings and the bridge. However, the foreboding skies caused us to hesitate. We spent some time just taking in the black, grey, green and blue skies. We had an amazing viewpoint over a huge vista and watched rain, lightening and streaks of sun pierce the landscape. No sooner had we made it into the car then the heavens opened up and boy did the rain fall. Good thing we held off on that bike ride!

Our campsite tonight is one of the more unique places we have ever camped. It's on a damed part of the Platte River. Driving over the dam and seeing the river rage through a very small gorge gave us goosebumps. We are camped high on a bluff overlooking the river. It's very primitive (no flush toilets, no really designated areas) and we had the place to ourselves for quite awhile. After all the reading about the pioneers, Indians, Calvary, etc. we felt like one of the early settlers making our way on the Pioneer Trail. Just us - the dramatic bluffs, river and ominous skies. That is, until a few minutes ago, when several families, complete with 6 kids and 2 boats decided to share our spot. Oh well, I'll keep living the fantasy. We still have 3 more days of our vacation.

Nebraska Pioneers

Halsey National Forest Campground, Dunning, NE

Ned here again. Our main outing for today was the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, Nebraska. This is principally a living history town, set in 1894 Nebraska. We've been to two outstanding ones (Shearbrook and Upper Canada Village) on this trip, so we knew that those might be hard acts to follow. The first thing we noticed on arriving is the enormous scale of the place. The main reception building, which is surrounded by a huge moat(!) was being remodeled, so we didn't get to hear the introductory video narrated by Henry Fonda. Turns out he was born near here, and one of the houses in the "Railroad Town" is the one he was born in (and later moved to this location). We were shown a map which showed the grand scale of this place, and we asked if we could ride our bikes around it, and much to our surprise we were told that would be a great idea.

On of our favorite places in Railroad Town was the Stolley house, where this very sweet woman was drying apples and making apple butter, with the help of her granddaughter. The woman working in the Millinery was also very nice and helpful in explaining the finer points of women's hat making. We walked into the hardware store and thought a sitting mannequin had been set up behind the main table. When Debi snapped a photo, her flash woke him up from his nap, and he immediately welcomed us to the hardware store! While there, Debi sat down and pretended to puzzle over a game of checkers.

The veterinary clinic was interesting, but really creepy. We visited the doctor's house, and were most fascinated by the posted Bill of Fees. (The cost of an abortion was listed as $5-$20. Treatment of syphilis: $20 upward. Amputation of an arm: $25-$50. While circumcision would run you $10-$30!) When we got to the flour mill, we realized we were really spoiled. The mill we had visited in Upper Canada Village was fully operational, having just finished producing 900 pounds of flour as we arrived there. This Nebraska mill actually had quite a few more sophisticated pieces of equipment set up, but because nothing is ever actually made there, the learning experience doesn't seem nearly as vivid. Another area of the grounds had a Pawnee Earth Lodge, which was interesting because it felt surprisingly open and light inside. I expected it to smell like mold and dirt. Our last stop on the grounds was their antique farm machinery building. My favorite there was a huge old Farmall tractor with cleated steel wheels. I wished our Uncle Bud had been with us for this part of the tour. He would have spent hours in this place.

We then headed out along the Sandhills Scenic Byway. This is a beautiful area, described as "one of the largest grass-stabilized dune systems in the world." This road parallels the railroad tracks the entire way, and we were amazed at the number of trains fully loaded with coal which we passed. I counted the cars on one train and got 140. We saw at least six of those trains as we drove to our campground for tonight at Halsey National Forest. We also found out last night that these trains run all night. I'm seriously considering wearing earplugs tonight. Those engineers are extremely compliant about blowing their horns at every crossing, day or night.

This campground is part of the country's largest hand-planted forest. This results from the dream of a Professor of Botany from University of Nebraska in the early 1900's to plant a forest in the sandy soils of this area to protect it from further erosion. Riding our bikes around the campground tonight we were impressed to see dozens of trees labelled with their species names. Tomorrow we head further west in the Sandhills.

"Hoo but Hoover"

Fremont SRA, Nebraska

We were going to visit a fort today, but were feeling less than enamored with that idea. After a quick internet search we discovered that we were a short 25 miles from the boyhood home and Presidential Museum and Library of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President and first to be born west of the Mississippi. We were like a dog with his ears perking up, "What...squirrel?!"

We spent half a day getting to know quite a lot about Herbert Hoover. Honestly, what little I did know amounted to "Hoover-ville" tent cities during the Great Depression and drawings of him looking like the cartoon Monopoly character, a chubby man wearing a top hat and tails.Turns out Herbert was more complex and a greater humanitarian than I gave him credit for.

He was born in West Branch, Iowa, orphaned by age 9, raised by relatives and was the youngest member of the pioneer class at Stanford University, age 17. He majored in geology and made his fortune touring the world (Australia, China and England) as a mining engineer. He was raised a Quaker and these beliefs guided much of his life. After making his fortune (and then some), he became involved in the Public Sector. His claim to fame was leading the effort to feed the refugees and starving masses in Europe in the wake of World War 1. He believed that helping the poor was imperative, but this should be done by the private sector, through volunteerism and philanthropy, and not thru Government. He ran the U.S Food Administration, revolutionized the Department of Commerce and ministered to victims of the Mississippi Flood.

When he won the Presidential election it was by a landslide 444 to 87 electoral votes. Basically, his platform was keeping the Federal budget balanced and cutting taxes. After the Stock Market crash he expanded public works projects such as the Hoover Dam, called for an increase in the top tax bracket from 25% to 63% and an increase in corporate taxes. Some how, I don't see today's Republican Party supporting that platform! I think one of his greatest achievements under his presidency was expanding our national forests by more then 2 million acres. He was responsible for many of our National Parks. To name just a few, The Arches, Great Sand Dunes, Death Valley, George Washington's Birthplace, Canyon de Chelly, and White Sands.

What a difference 4 short years make. One story states that as the Depression grew worse, due to his Quaker upbringing he was reluctant to display any emotions regarding how badly he felt towards the plight of the common man. He was also reluctant to campaign and believed his proxies should do it. This backfired and he became the scapegoat for all things. As Will Rogers said, "If someone bites an apple and finds a worm, they'll blame it on Hoover." FDR beat him by 472 to 59 electoral votes. Ouch. Ironically, FDR's New Deal was based on many of Hoover's ideas. There was no love lost between these two and Hoover continued to fight the New Deal and rail against FDR for many years.

The museum was filled with great artifacts and numerous detailed displays. Some of my favorite things - the first program from a Stanford vs. Cal game, colorful stories about his time in China, how he saved Belgium Lace during the war, his future wife's dance card from Stanford with his signature (on line 9), and he was the first President to use an early version of the teleprompter, (called the tele-executive) which was on display. There was also a replica of his suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, where he lived for the next 25 years.

At the museum there was a traveling display on all the First Ladies. I was really looking forward to seeing this. Earlier this year I read a book entitled, "Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies". It's written by JB West who was head usher for 3 decades and discusses in detail his memories of working with the First Ladies from Roosevelt to Nixon. This exhibit tied in so nicely with JB West's anecdotes. I loved seeing all their gowns and dresses on display. Mamie Eisenhower loved all things pink, and sure enough there was one of her pink dresses. It was also interesting to see a dress that Mary Todd Lincoln wore and one of Jackie Kennedy's suits. There was an article of clothing from all 44 of the First Ladies. And yes, there was even Lou Hoover's, (wife of Herbert Hoover) cadillac!

Ned and I also enjoyed walking around the grounds which was recreated as Hoover's boyhood village during the 1870's. We saw the microscopic house where he was born, his father's blacksmith shop and the Quaker meeting hall. His mother was a Quaker minister and even tho she died young, her beliefs had a profound effect on young Bert. If you're ever driving near West Branch Iowa, take a couple of hours and stop by. Well worth your time. (unpaid endorsement).

Thanks Iowa for such a fun time. Next time we'll look into the Bridges of Madison County or visiting John Wayne's birthplace. Onto conquering Nebraska.

Tonight we are camped at Fremont State Recreation Area, not too far into Nebraska. It's a series of small lakes with campsites dotting the shores. There are a ton of jet skiers and a couple of water-skiers out, but for the most part it's pretty chill. We got a sweet spot on a small bluff overlooking the lake.

The River is Rising...

Lake MacBride State Park, Iowa

Reluctantly, we said our good-byes to Owen and Brian and headed toward the Iowa border. It sure was good to spend time with my family this weekend, I only wish we had a week and not just a few days.

This part of the country is beautiful, especially this time of year. With the rolling green hills of knee-high cornfields and the straight roads that seem to go on forever, it's hard to believe that just a week ago we were leaving Quebec. As we traveled across Illinois and into Iowa along the Old Lincoln Highway, we noticed how swollen most of the rivers were. The Mississippi River seemed just as overflowing as we remembered her from last year. We stopped in Clinton, Iowa for awhile to take in the riverfront and sure enough large parts of the river walk were under water. I had just finished reading Edna Ferber's "Showboat" and was immediately drawn to the Showboat that was docked along the river. Upon closer look I noticed it was "docked" in sand. So weird, and not quite sure I understand it, especially since everything else was flooded.

By the time we reached Cedar Rapids, IA we were ready for a bike ride and to explore the city. We parked our car in the Czech-Slovak Village, walked around the village and visited the local museum. Cedar Rapids has a huge Czech demographic. At one time a little over 30% of their population were from the Czech region. The big wave of immigrants came over in the late 1840's to homestead the area and get away from the political and economic depression. "After the Homestead Act of 1862 large amounts of land in the American West were available. At the same time, land was becoming scarce in Bohemia and Moravia. Immigrants were attracted by the prospect of abundant and affordable land in America. Traditionally, Czechs and Slovaks lived a village centered life with an emphasis on community and family." Thus, Czechs and Slovaks came over in waves to be with family that had already settled the area, spoke their language and practiced the same customs and traditions.

The other part of the museum focused on the great flood of 2008. The very building we were standing in had a painted "water line" near the ceiling indicating how high the water had risen. There were lots of aerial shots showing most of the city under water. The Czech Village was hit especially hard. Today, it's amazing to see how much work has been done and how "tidy" it looked. Ironically, when Ned and I hopped on our bikes to ride the river walk trail, great portions of it were under water! They've been experiencing heavy rains and the river once again was claiming parts of the land. We had to keep re-routing around barricades that blocked off either the path or entire streets due to the flooding. Oh why couldn't some of that water be in California!

I had no expectations of Cedar Rapids, other than seeing some rapids, maybe! My impression was that the infrastructure is new, the local Center for the Arts was advertising major acts (Bill Cosby, Lyle Lovett, Jackson Browne) and Les Miserables was showing at the Theatre, but there was no one around! Ned and I kept asking ourselves if it was a holiday and we missed something. It felt very much like walking around Sacramento on a Sunday. There were whole parking lots empty of cars, and most of the metered parking spaces downtown were vacant.

Ned did get a kick out of seeing the Quaker Oats plant. It's the largest cereal mill in the U.S. When Ned worked for Ghirardelli, Quaker Oats was the parent company. We thought it would be fun to take a tour of the plant, but unfortunately Quaker doesn't allow public tours.

Tonight we are camped at Lake MacBride State Park in Salon, Iowa. It's a large, nicely wooded State Park thick with oak trees and mosquitos. In all fairness to Iowa, the mosquitos have nothing on their Canadian brethern. Those suckers are HUGE and vicious.

Sleep Over!

Marc & Sheila's house, St. Charles, IL

We spent the morning and early afternoon in Paradise with Gary and Dru, then caravanned over to my nephew's, Marc's house in St. Charles. I was very much looking forward to seeing Marc and his wife, Sheila and super excited to see my great nephews Owen (8) and Brian (6). Hard to believe it was just a year ago when I last saw the boys.

The funny thing about kids is that they not only remember everything, but also ask a million questions. We weren't together more than 5 minutes than Owen was asking me all kinds of questions. "How many states have you been to, Aunt Debi?" "Where are you going next?" and of course, "can we see the van?" They couldn't wait for us to pop the top so they could examine all the nooks and crannies and poke around. They remembered our visit last year and wanted to see if the flashlight was still in the same compartment and did we still have blueberries in the fridge. Yes and yes.

They were like little miniature investigators looking under the hood with Uncle Ned and seeing what treasures were stowed here and there. Eventually they made their way up to the sleeping area. They weren't up there longer than a few minutes until they conned Uncle Ned into driving them around the neighborhood, with the top popped while they were perched above. Of course, Aunt Debi was right up there with them. Uncle Ned drove a racing speed of maybe 12mph at the most with both the boys squealing and giggling. It was a hoot hearing them calling out to other kids in the neighborhood, "Hi Spencer, Hi Sophia" as Uncle Ned was directed where to turn next.

After riding bikes with Brian and losing terribly at video games I finally had a little adult time sitting on the back deck. Marc is a beer aficionado, and knowing my love of stouts, began pouring some pretty tasty craft beers. Before you knew it there was also some comparison going on between George Dickel and Jack Daniels. After an awesome dinner of steel trout on the grill the boys wanted another drive about the neighborhood. One thing lead to another and the next thing you know we're doing a sleepover in the camper.

The plan was for Owen and Brian to sleep upstairs and I'd take the bottom sleeping quarters. There was an awful lot of commotion going on, talk of fireflies, planes and potential rain before they began to settle down. About a half hour in Brian bailed and wanted to sleep inside. Owen said he's definitely in for the duration. I'm currently trying to type this blog as quietly as I can. I already tried an attempt earlier to open my ipad and type something, but Owen wanted to know why I was allowed to have an ipad while we were supposed to be sleeping. I don't know if I'll get any sleep tonight, but I do know I'm having the time of my life.

Moose Races in Paradise!

Paradise Resort, Garden Prairie, IL

After poorly navigating the Illinois toll system, (okay maybe it is just us and not our lack of French) we finally arrived at Gary and Dru's, my brother and sister-in-law's, camper. As expected, I hardly slept a wink last night in anticipation of seeing my big bro. Yep, it sure felt great to get a great big bear hug from Mr. G.

We had an awesome time drinking some brewskis and breaking out the bottle of George Dickel No. 12, sitting on the front deck and getting caught up. Gary had fired up his smoker and grill, and what a treat it was. He was babying a brisket in the smoker and keeping a close eye on the slow cookin' ribs on the grill. Dru and Gary spoiled us with a Midwest feast, including potato salad, broccoli salad, beans and watermelon. Delicious!!

Their camper is located in a seasonal RV park, Paradise Resort, that is situated on the Kishwaukee River. I enjoyed the walk-about with Dru and the spin on our bikes with Ned. This little piece of paradise is so relaxing and feels like a bygone era. A tractor was pulling kids in a hayride wagon, youngsters were splashing about in the small lake, and a couple of games of bean toss were happening. However, the highlight of the evening was definitely the Moose races.

At the community hall just about everyone in the campground turned out for the big event of the night, Moose racing! Six wooden Moose, about 10" high, painted different colors, and each given their own unique number are lined up at the end of 4 folding tables. Everyone places a bet (turning in cash for funny money) on which moose will win. Someone rolls the dice, someone calls out the number and whatever number comes up, that moose advances. It takes about 20 min. for each race. It was a hoot watching everyone jumping around and screaming for their moose. I had a streak of beginner's luck and won the first 4 races!!! The best part was not winning, but seeing the annoyed and exasperated look on my brother's face. Just like old times, Gary's little sister provoking and annoying him. It didn't hep when Dru and I won a race together too! Fortunately, by the end of the evening each one of us had won at least one race. Looks like breakfast is on me tomorrow!