Day Four: Part the First

It's lunchtime in Nebraska, and I'm sitting in a Phillips 66/Subway. I've done a very good job of avoiding fast food so far, but I thought a semi-healthy turkey sandwich and some apple slices might do my body good. And, lo and behold, Subway offers wifi!

I forgot to take a picture of my humble little camping spot this morning, but it served me well. I did have some trouble falling asleep, however, and just when I thought the Sandman had at last paid his visit, a howling coyote, sounding only several yards from me, brought me back to full consciousness. I did finally get some shut-eye, and I survived uneaten.

Nebraska, so far, is pretty much what you'd expect. Lots and lots and lots of corn and straight roads. Rand McNally's "scenic" I-29 from St. Joseph's, Missouri north into Iowa isn't so scenic, and neither is the Cornhusker State, so far. I've got lots more maize waiting for me along I-80 as well. But, hey, I've never been in this state before, and I'm very happy to be seeing someplace new.

I toodled around Lincoln for a while. It's a pleasant little city that looks healthy and happy. The capitol building is slightly less tall and slightly less impressive than that in Baton Rouge, but I like that it went away from the very expected and overused domed model. (I've been putting together my list of "bests" for capitol buildings, by the way. Maybe I can write about that later. Be patient, gentle reader.) This building is the second tallest capitol in the United States, but it wins for heaviest, so they've got that to brag about.

I then looked around the University of Nebraska campus. As you may know, there is a lot of love for the Cornhusker football team. I poked around their Memorial Stadium a little and found a entrance for athletes and staff only. Naturally I went in to take some pictures and soon found myself on the field. The stadium holds just over 81,000 people and has sold out for every football game since 1962. That means that on roughly every other Saturday in the fall, Memorial Stadium is the third largest city in Nebraska, behind Omaha and Lincoln. (I read that little fact someplace once, and Wikipedia confirmed it for me.)

Looking down the road, I thought long and hard about getting off of I-80 to head forty or so miles south to Red Cloud, Nebraska, the setting for Willa Cather's My Antonia and home of a historic site dedicated to Ms. Cather. But I really need to just put some interstate miles in and get to Wyoming before too late tonight. More to come!