A Little of This - A Little of That

Tonight I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking. So here goes...

State Capitol - Lincoln, Nebraska

Its height is 400 feet tall. There is an observation deck at 250 feet. There are 22 floors. It is the 3rd tallest building in the state, and the tallest in Lincoln, NE. This capitol building's height is surpassed only by the Louisiana State Capitol. The Nebraska State Capitol is the heaviest building in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the heaviest state capitol building in North America.

Entry main floor.

We tagged along with a group of old people on the 11am tour. Our guide was an undergraduate history major. His name is Jamison.  He was very good with the older folks, as he spoke loud and slow. (And yes, I am counting myself  in that group).

Hallway looking toward the rotunda. The building was purposely built with dim hallways so that people were naturally drawn to the rotunda area where it is lighter and more open. There are many beautiful murals and tiled designs in the floors, walls, and ceilings. It almost feels as if you are in a cathedral.

These are the doors into the auditorium.

Our guide explained all of the symbolism, but I forgot already.

This is the State Supreme Court room. Unlike many of the state capitol buildings where the Court has outgrown the room, Nebraska's Court still meets here.

The ceiling is a gorgeous combination of wood, tile, and gold leaf.

This is the chamber where the legislature meets. Nebraska's Legislature is unusual in that it is unicameral and nonpartisan. No other state in the U.S. has a single-chamber legislative body. At 49 members it is also the smallest state legislature. There are no formal party alignments or groups within the Legislature. Hopefully, this cuts down on the bickering, and allows some work to get done.

 We were allowed to take the elevator up to the 14th floor viewing deck.

Great views of the city.

  

The Governor's Residence is right across the street from the Capitol. We wanted to tour it as well, but it was only open to the public on Thursdays.

When the tour was finished we wandered through the building on our own. I don't know if there had been a wedding in the building, but the wedding party was having pictures taken in the rotunda.

The Law Library.

The tower is crowned by a golden dome with a 19.5 ft bronze sculpture of "The Sower," by Lee Lawrie, which faces northwest as most of Nebraska is north and west of Lincoln.

When we left Lincoln, we decided to drive west to Hastings, NE. Some of our relative readers will know what significance this small city has in our family. Contest time - first one to email me with the correct answer will receive a congratulatory letter especially signed by me.

Hastings has the distinction of also being the home to the invention of Kool-Aid. Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins and his wife Kitty. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen. Hastings still celebrates a yearly summer festival called Kool-Aid Days on the second weekend in August, in honor of their city's claim to fame. Kool Aid is known as Nebraska's "official soft drink". 

Our next stop was about 55 miles NW of Hastings in a little town called Kearney (pronounced Carney). There we found the only, I believe, museum that straddles a freeway. It is called The Great Platte River Road Archway. It is an interactive adventure that pays tribute to the pioneers who passed through Nebraska on their way West. It is the only common point where the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, the Mormon Trail, and the Pony Express all pass through together.

 

No kidding! Trucks, buses, cars, everything

passes under the museum on I-80.

You start the adventure by riding up this escalator. They give you a audio headset that you use as you travel through the museum.

One of the sets in the museum.

Karen is deciding whether to accept a ride from this good-looking honcho with the convertible. NOT! I made her stand over by the car just so I could get a photo.

  

A window showing traffic speeding by under us. You can barely make out the speed reading on the box, but it shows 81mph.

Another obligatory photo. Pretty cheesy I know, but we had to have something to show that we were there.

And last but not least, the fake bison. We have seen more fake bison on this trip than real.

We will spend the night in Kearney and head for Pierre, SD tomorrow for a tour of that state capitol. It will be about a 5 1/2 hour and 325 mile drive.

So to recap. Short driving day, long touring day. And too much knowledge for me to handle, so it's off to bed for me.