Day Five: Into Iowa

Today we began the last of our long drives. We started in Grand Island, Nebraska with coffee at the Blue Moon Cafe: great old building but not such great coffee.
Then we headed to the Stuhr Museum of the Prarie Pioneer. This is a fabulous museum. A large airy building displays the sequence of the settling of Nebraska. Unlike many museums of this kind, the exhibits aim for quality and clarity rather than quantity. I wish that I could have taken pictures, there was too much information to absorb in a short time. However, I did learn that the pioneers pinned blankets underneath the floorboards of their Conostoga wagons to gather chunks of manure to use as fire fuel.....clever those pioneers...strange the things that prick my interest. The museum also embodies a botanical garden, a living history town of carefully refurbished original homes and business places, a railroad museum, a farmstead (this was closed- a big disappointment for me), and a Pawnee earth lodge and teepee. We were there for 2 hours and probably needed a full day, but John's eyes were glazing over as I purred over dumb waiters and cisterns-so we struck a happy medium, saw as much as gave us some good walking excersize, got our cat- fix in the general store with a gray and white long haired darling named Tabitha ("there's nothing cuter than a pink nosed cat") and then hit the road again.

With a late start we were in for a full day of travel from Nebraska to Iowa. We crossed into Iowa around 1 o'clock and then the slow downs began; mile after mile of one lane 55 mile per hour construction zones. A trip that should have taken 3 hours took over 5.

We arrived frayed and road weary in Williamsburg in the middle of a thunder storm and couldn't find our motel: Jane the Navigator let us down for the first time. I had also had an unfortunate perfume explosion in my cosmetics bag and we were reeling and head-achey from too much olfactory stimulation-not a good thing in the cab of a truck when opening the windows means being struck by hail or lightning. We perserverred (actually we used the cell phone, wimps that we are,) and unpacked the truck to nest into our upgraded "hi-tech suite." You should see this: we have an in-room whirlpool bathtub that is surrounded ceiling to tub with mirrors (really at this age I don't want to see that much of myself), neon lit glass blocks around the bed and 50's-ish trendy furniture. We didn't really feel like eating out, but pizza was the only delivery choice, so we got ourselves somewhat together and headed to Meyer's Grill: Food with Attitude. This is a great little diner where the decoration scheme is to have the customers sign the walls. I was really in the mood for something light, so I had the deep-fried catfish (light, my ever-widening bottom!) and John had broasted chicken. We found out that they didn't have wine or beer , so John went across the street, bought a bottle of Gallo (Reserve) and they owners graciously supplied us with a cork screw and a couple of glasses. Dinner, with our "imported" wine, was just over $40.00 with tip and an extra container of brocolli salad for roadside lunch tomorrow. You just gotta love these found treasures along the road!

But, tonight I am tired, John's knee hurts, and wonder of wonders, there is a whirlpool tub whirling at me from just a few feet away.....

Good night to all and we will talk to you tomorrow from Chicago!

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