Biscuits On Sunday: Day 4 - Nebraska to Iowa

Saturday, August 9th

Hello, it is so necessary to blog at the end of each day because I am having a really hard time remembering what happened or where I was yesterday....ah....the life of a rock n' roll star. Unfortunately the wireless connection kept cutting out at the hotel I stayed at last night so wasn't able to download my memory, but alas....I have nothing to say after that...I just like that phrase, "but alas". Anyway....back to Nebraska.

First, got to give props to Jeff and Mary, when I stayed with them in Seattle, they suggested I eat something I probably won't be able to get in middle America...so we had Thai food....little did I know that it would be something much more basic that I would crave and not satisfy. At the time of my last blog I was staying in a motel in Ainsworth, Nebraska. Just a little off-the-beaten path town about 40 miles SE of the South Dakota border. I decided to eat dinner at 'Big Johns'...it was the only unique-to-Ainsworth restaurant (my other choices were Pizza Hut and Subway). So, I figured, 'when in Rome, eat where the Romans eat'. It appeared to be a little cafe on the outside, but when I went inside it resembled more of a North's Chuck Wagon, only on a much smaller scale. And, once again, everyone looks at you when you walk in the door. I went to the counter to order something to go...I decided on a ham & cheese sandwich and asked the waitress if that comes with a side? She said 'no', but I could order a side for extra $...no problem. "Can I get a side salad?" "Yah, I'll just get you a to-go container and you can get your salad at the buffet". Oh...cool, they have a buffet salad ( I didn't see that when I walked in). I grabbed my container and went to the buffet, ice berg lettuce was the option...and that was fine, however... that was it! There were no toppings....only dressing. Only dressing and lettuce for the salad....no grated carrots? no shredded cheese? no....anything? It was at that moment I realized salad should have been my last meal.

So back to Saturday morning and the beginnings of Nebraska......

Fields of Grain (ooh good name for a band)

One thing I noticed the last time I got gas (which was in South Dakota just before Mt. Rushmore) was that Unleaded Plus was cheaper than regular unleaded...serious, no lie. So I had been paying attention to all the gas stations along the road to see if maybe it was an isolated event or if I misunderstood the sign??? But, no, it was a common trend thoughout South Dakota and now Nebraska.

I knew I was in farmer culture when I was able to get my gas and then go inside to pay. And once inside, there were about 5 older gents drinking their coffee, standing around the coffee pot talking about the readiness of the sweet corn. Then, another gent came in behind me and one of the coffee posse said to him, "Francis, what do you know?" and extended his hand for a shake. In urban language, that is translated, "yo what up?"

I continued on my merry way, suprisingly enjoying the landscape. I expected it to look like this the whole way.....

but alas...the majority of the land I traveled through is rippled with hills and valleys that are blanketed with varying textures of green.

Driving along the old highways is how I recommend seeing middle America. So far I have 3 regrets on this trip.... 1)I didn't make the effort to take pictures of the State signs....many times they would just sneak up on you and that would mean finding a place to pull over, turn around, go back, find another good place to pull over, get out of the car and take the pic then move on....this always seemed too difficult to accomplish at the time...next time, I will take those pics. 2) I didn't get the picture of the sign that said, "Entering Central Time Zone"...lost an hour on Friday....and 3) not stopping in some of the old highway towns that bare only the skeletons of what once was. There was one town in particular, oh how I wish I had pictures. I would say it was about 2 blocks long of building store fronts lining a cracked, unkempt street and all were vacant. Some had plywood nailed over the windows, some had the paint chipped off the sides and fronts, the brick had chipped away from other structures, broken down rusty vehicles piled in the street corners....it was as though the town suffocated to death. So much gets forgotton when time becomes a factor. Take the time to travel through the forgotten roads and see not only the casualities of interstates and express lanes, but also those towns that overcame and are full of life. Like, one of my favorites.....Stuart

they say" a sense of humor aides in longevity

ode to Sharon
Sharon suggested I pay attention to the yards as I travel back east....they don't have fences. And she is right, lawns just run into each other, no boundaries. It was hard to grasp this with my camera, but I made a few attempts. It also seems everyone must mow their lawn at the same time, rarely did I see a lawn that wasn't mowed to the same height as everyone else in the neighborhood. And the lawns are an entity all their own, they don't like to be kept underground, wherever there is a sidewalk or neglected road (which are many of the old highways I've traveled on), grass is still making a valiant attempt to stay in the ring.

Help, picture needs clever caption.....

The most I could do is laugh out loud and take the picture

I entered Nebraska on Hwy 61 traveling south from Martin, SD and traveled along the northern region along Hwy 20/275. Along this route it is hard not to notice the prevalence of not only wheat but also....

Essential for every back yard in Nebraska

These delapidated barns/storehouses and homes are everywhere. Some don't have form, they are just a pile of wood in the middle of a wheat field, why don't they get rid of them?