Oct 18 - from North Platte to Lincoln Nebraska

We got an early start this morning because we knew we had a 250 mile drive to Lincoln and we wanted to stop for the Pony Express Station and still get to Lincoln in time for a tour of the state capitol building. We were not disappointed with the Pony Express station. This building is one of the original stations and was used from 1860 to 1861 during the 18 months that the Pony Express riders delivered mail. The building was donated to the town of Gothenburg and was dedicated to all pioneers who “passed this way to win and hold the West.” The building is open from May through October and houses artifacts and a small gift area. One of the highlights of the interior is a mail pouch replica over a 100 year old saddle. If you look closely at the picture you can see the pockets in the pouch with the small locks and you can see how the pouch fits over the saddle horn. As we rode on the interstate toward Lincoln we saw a huge bridge over the interstate. We learned that it was the Great Platte River Archway Monument and was a museum about the development of Nebraska. There was not an exit there and we didn’t stop. After reading more about it on the internet, I wish we had stopped. We went into Lincoln and found the state capitol. Of course with our luck, they were having a footrace today and had the roads closed around the capitol and we had to park several blocks away. This capitol is different than any others that we have seen. It really looks more like an office building than a capitol building. We learned this is the 3rd capitol building on this spot. The other two had to be torn down due to structural deficiencies. (I saw pictures of the first two and they were of a more traditional style.) Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. that only has one legislative body. They only have senators and the elections are non-partisan. There are no political parties in the legislature. I did not like the capitol, although there was one area that was impressive. The Supreme Court room had a ceiling that was put together by hand out of thousands of pieces of walnut. It was beautiful. Other people might like the capitol. It had a lot of abstract paintings (even in the dome-like ceilings) and the tour guide would explain what the artist had intended for us to know about the paintings. The interior hallways were very dark (James said they looked like a dungeon.) The outside hallways had lots of sunlight and these hallways had the busts of member of the Nebraska State Hall of Fame. I recognized Father Flanagan (founder of Boys Town), General Pershing (Army general who was honored by having the Pershing missile named after him) and Buffalo Bill Cody. As we left the capitol we saw a beautiful church which we identified as a Catholic church. Across the street was an ultra modern structure and I told James, “That is probably First Baptist.” IT WAS! We made one more stop in Lincoln, the football stadium of the University of Nebraska. It was hard to get a good picture because it sits immediately off the interstate. As we headed to the hotel, we found a CRACKER BARRELL. That is the first country food we have had in over 5 weeks. It was wonderful! We got the hotel in time to watch the Phillies and the Dodgers baseball game. We are pulling for the Phillies since Sam is now their third base coach. They are really playing well tonight. Another good day.