From there, we moved south, crossing into Nebraska (another new state) and following the eastern edge of the state. We ended up at the Riverside Marina State Park, around Nebraska City. We’ve definitely moved into the humid, mosquito-infested part of the trip. On the plus side, I fell asleep watching fireflies blink in the campground.
It has been interesting to watch my feelings about the rest of the country evolve during this trip. I definitely started with a bias towards California. Where we live has extraordinary proximity to such beautiful mountains, coastside, rivers, lakes, forests, some delightful cities nearby; it really is an amazing place to live. But then we drove up through northern California and into Oregon and I was reminded why I keep visiting Oregon and how much I like that area. Idaho and Wyoming were completely new to me; I was overwhelmed by how gorgeous they were, and I began to feel a little sheepish about my California bias. Now as we move out of the mountains and into the flatlands, I’m definitely beginning to miss the areas we’ve just left. It’s hard not to rhapsodize about stunning mountain vistas, fast-moving water, low humidity, and a dearth of biting insects.
And as we drift towards the east, we’ve begun noticing things like restaurants where they ask “Smoking or Non-smoking?”, and where the “Lighter Fare” portion of the menu leads off with fried foods, and the staggering quantity of anti-abortion billboards on the roadside. I’m seeing a side of the country that brings me closer to understanding how Bush almost got elected in 2000.
Now just to plan how best to go through Missouri over the next couple of days…