Nebraska - Cornhusker State
September of 2011 took us to Nebraska. There had been torrential rains during that summer and as we flew into Omaha, we saw flooded areas with homes still partially underwater. Once we landed and checked into our hotel, we went outside to take a walk and discovered that it was 101 degrees. I’ve heard many stories about how changeable the weather can be in the Midwest, and we experienced these examples on our first day. Despite the heat, we walked across the Missouri River on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, marked midway with a line proclaiming the boundary between Iowa and Nebraska. It is 3,000 feet long and was opened in 2008.
Due to the heat, we decided to go inside St. Cecilia’s Cathedral where it was cool and quiet. It is one of the ten largest cathedrals in the U.S. and an early example of the Spanish Renaissance Revival style. It would have looked right at home in California. It sits majestically on one of the city’s highest points and is a dominant feature of Omaha’s cityscape.
The next day we headed to Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s Botanical Center. It is more than just a garden, as we quickly discovered. Never before had we seen a Model Railroad Garden, this one containing 7 operating model trains surrounded by miniature buildings and floral displays. We especially loved the Kaneko large-scale ceramic sculptures flanked by lush greenery and colorful flowers displayed throughout the 100-acre garden. Some of the sculptures were startling, like the large head with closed eyes which is painted a brilliant cobalt blue.
The Joslyn Art Museum is a gem for visitors, in part because it is not too big, can be seen in one-half day, and is filled with outstanding permanent collections. While it includes works from Veronese, El Greco and Titian, its most outstanding collections are thought to be the nineteenth and twentieth century American and European artists, including a Renoir. There are two gigantic Chihuly installations, one at each end of the museum in the atrium. The impressive art deco building also includes a Fountain Court made of brightly colored hand-crafted ceramic tiles.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo was great fun. We saw a very shy albino tiger, several gorillas, a majestic cheetah, meandering giraffes, and a curious monkey. From a gondola traveling above the zoo, we had plenty of time to observe muddy, mucky rhinoceroses gallivanting around in their large area.
Before leaving Omaha, we drove to the neighborhood in which Warren Buffet lives. His house is very nice, but not opulent. We ate our first night in a very good French restaurant and Andy asked our waiter if Warren ever ate there. He replied that, yes, he did, but that you would not notice him because he looked just like anybody else and never called attention to himself. We learned that his philanthropy has enabled the people of Omaha, and visitors like us, to enjoy the many sites I have described.
Lincoln was our next stop, the capitol of Nebraska, but also the home of the University of Nebraska and the Cornhuskers. One of our nephews, Angus McClure, had been a coach for the football team for a few years and he and his wife had several friends in Lincoln. Angus arranged for us to get together with Katie and Daryn, with whom we had a couple of beers before the big game. And that was an experience! There was a sea of Red and Angus got us seats right next to the band. Lil Red is the Cornhuskers mascot, and we managed to get our picture taken with him. During the pre-game show, a huge flag was displayed on the jumbo screen as the band (loudly) played The Star-Spangled Banner. We fit right into the environment in the stands because Andy’s brother, Bill, had given us Cornhusker shirts to wear to the game. It was rowdy and loud, but the Cornhuskers won so all the Big Red fans went home happy.
The following Monday we went to visit the capitol building. It was constructed of Indiana limestone and its 400-foot tower can be seen up to 20 miles away. In fact, it was the first state capitol to incorporate a functional tower into its design. We loved the Homesteaders’ Campfire Mural in the vestibule, just one of many colorful murals depicting Nebraska’s history. Several doors to various chambers are painted with bright colors. For example, the doors to the Warner chamber tell of native American culture and life. Corn, the native American’s main agricultural crop and an important food source, is in the center of the doorway, represented as the tree of life. The thunderbird, a symbol of rain, is pictured at its center. On its sides, an Indian man is standing on an otter, a symbol of medicine, and an Indian woman is standing on a turtle, a symbol of fertility. It is difficult to describe the impact of the design and the colors, and the overall effect is stunning. Can you tell that I liked it?
The Sunken Gardens are both colorful, impressive and possess an interesting history. Formerly a neighborhood dumpsite, the 1.5-acre plot was first developed in 1930 and was transformed into an iconic feature of Lincoln. There are two lilyponds and a cascading waterfall. It is also home to some of Lincoln’s better known public art pieces and sculptures. As we wandered down the paved paths of the Sunken Garden, we knew this would be one of the highlights of our trip.
In Grand Island, to the west of Lincoln, we came upon the modest house that was once the birthplace of Henry Ford. A little farther west we saw a sign on the highway that advertised the Nebraska State Fair. To our delight, it was taking place right then and there, so we took the exit and headed to Kearney. We saw the award-winning quilt, a man on stilts covered with leaves masquerading as a tree, a tractor pulling a tram that carried fairgoers around the grounds, a flock of sheep, a famous donkey brought from Iraq to Nebraska, and best of all, Nebraska’s Largest Pig. In his own way, he was kind of cute. There was even an award, a blue ribbon, for the biggest watermelon at the fair.
In Kearney, in front of Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, was a huge statue of a buffalo. We were glad we stopped here to see the fabulous interactive exhibits depicting the pioneers’ westward journey. I’m glad I didn’t have to make that trip, given all the hardships the pioneers endured.
Nebraska has a National Forest, so we took a detour to see it, but to be honest, we have more impressive forests in California. At one-point, however, it was the world’s largest man-made forest, but it has now been surpassed by China. A man named Charles Bessey, who thought there was once a forest in Nebraska, wanted to see if forests could be recreated in treeless areas of the Great Plains. The forest’s nursery now supplies 2.5 to 3 million seedlings a year. That is impressive!
We visited Buffalo Bill’s restored home and ranch in North Platte; the house and grounds were beautiful. North Platte is also the home of the Golden Spike Tower which overlooks the world’s largest rail yard. From the observation tower, controllers can add and delete cars to form trains of varying purposes and lengths. There were trains everywhere, coming and going in every direction.
In Ogallala we learned that this small town was once a stop on the Pony Express, and later, on the Transcontinental Railroad. The downtown has been preserved to look like an old-fashioned western town. Once known as the Cowboy Capital, the historic cattle trail known as the Texas Trail, ended here. On Boot Hill there is a horse and rider statue known as Trail Boss. This was once a tough town where gunfire was often heard and many cowboys who ran afoul of the law were buried with their boots on. Just walking around looking at the roughhewn grave markers stimulated our imaginations and took us back to the 1800’s. We bought some sandwiches at a deli and took them to nearby Lake McConaughy Recreation Area, a good place for a picnic.
As we continued west, we came upon Ash Hollow State Historical Park near Lewellen. There were markers showing where both the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail passed through, for a while side by side. This area was once a main thoroughfare of the great western migration. Now, it is wide open plains and probably doesn’t look much different from what it looked like then.
When we arrived at Scott’s Bluff, it was as if we had entered a different state. Suddenly there were hills and views in all directions. The Bluffs are an extension of the Wildcat Mountain Range and are composed of sandstone. The national monument consists of over 3,000 acres of historic overland trail remnants, mixed-grass prairies, rugged badlands, towering bluffs and a riparian area along the North Platte River. We took a trail from the visitor’s center to viewpoints and could see for miles and miles. Several bunnies hopped back and forth across the trail, which was entertaining. There were signs warning us of rattlesnakes, but fortunately we did not encounter any.
Before we went to Nebraska, several people asked what would there possibly be to do or see there? Some Californians think of everything in the middle of the country as “fly-over states.” But as I recall everything we experienced and learned on this trip, I realize that Nebraska has much to offer, and we were very pleased with all the detours (like the State Fair) and side trips (like to see the Mormon Trail and Oregon Trail markers) that we took.