Week 11 of our 48 state, 52 week adventure found us in Nebraska – the land of the Huskers. I’m not sure anything else matters in Nebraska. Everything is red and white. Everyone is wearing red and white. Except us silly folks from Colorado that is.
While we didn’t catch the Husker’s game, we did find out that Nebraska is bigger than just the Huskers. Petroglyphs. Caves. The Underground Railroad. Nebraska has a lot to offer if you look for it!
Memory #1 – Best Night Ever With the Saltdogs
We made our way down from Sioux Falls, South Dakota toward Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Again, I punched in the address and let our phone lead the way. Little did we know that half of our trip would be in Iowa! As we finally got far enough south, we made a right and headed west over the Missouri River into Nebraska. About an hour later we were in Greenwood at Pine Grove Campground. After getting Gipzee of our back, we made our way over to Lincoln to check out their Capitol and take in a baseball game!
The Capitol in Lincoln was amazing. It was huge! Tall and wide. It had a number of great inscriptions and was generally impressive. We spent a bit of time there taking it in and then made the quick drive over to Haymaker Stadium.
We got to the ballpark, picked up our tickets at will call and made our way to the entrance. Where we promptly found out that all you can take int the stadium is your pretty little smile. No open containers. No purses. No backpacks. Nada. Just you. On the upside, we got free dinner with our tickets and had some awesome seats – right behind the home team dugout!
We got there a little early, and as we were watching warm-ups the PR guy yelled over to Scout. He asked Scout if he wanted to come down on the field and help out! At first, Scout didn’t know what to say. We assured him it was a good thing and off he went.
He got to carry out the lineup with the Saltdogs Manager and hand it to the Umpires. Then he got a bag full of goodies including a game ball. He was able to take the ball into the dugout and get it signed by nearly the whole team! As it came closer to game time, he walked out with the team and sung the National Anthem with the team along the 3rd base line. Finally, he stepped up to the mic and proclaimed, “PLAY BALLLL!!!”.
A few innings later, he got to go back on the field and did a race dressed in a stove costume and raced a few other kids from the 3rd base line to second base and back. He won the race and earned 3 dollars to spend at the concession stand! And he wasn’t done yet.
After the game, he got to run the bases and as he got to 3rd base, one of the visiting players handed him another game ball! What an amazing night!
All this led Scout to say that this was the, “best night ever!”!
Memory #2 – Indian Caves State Park
From Lincoln, we headed south to Indian Caves State Park. Yet another oddity we had the pleasure of viewing. The entire drive was alongside either bean or corn fields, even up until the park entrance. Then, out of nowhere, a beautiful, dense forest like place. Some apparently call it the “Nebraska Ozarks”. It really was beautiful. Heavily treed. Lush green everywhere you look. Super-humid. We stumbled upon a gem.
Once we got camp setup and the kids finished school, we took a quick drive over to the park’s namesake, the Indian Caves. While it’s not really a cave, it is pretty interesting.
A large, sandstone rock right along the Missouri River which was apparently a frequent stopping place for Native American tribes as they followed the wild game up and down the Missouri River. One of the gifts they left behind was an array of petroglyphs. Unfortunately, because many people since have also carved their names into the rock, it was hard to make many of them out. But we did find a few and it is one of those places that reminds you of how nearsighted we are. We live our day to day life and never stop to think that life went on in the very places that we do life in everyday. 100s and 1000s of years ago. In a much different way. Perspective.
Memory #3 – A walk through the Nebraska Ozarks
The next day we decided to take a hike. While we got a map when we checked in, it wasn’t the most detailed map we have ever gotten… So we took a chance on a trail a bit to the north. Along the way, we got to check out a cabin, school building and general store that were all used way back. Those are always fun to see.
As we moved on, we found the trail head and marched on. About 5 minutes into the walk, we realized something. It was stupid humid. We were sweating like crazy. And the bugs were eating it up. And by “it”, I mean us. It was a beautiful hike, but we weren’t prepared for the bugs. If we would have been, all the frogs, toads and the amazing greenery would have been that much better. Thankfully, we have pictures and can now look back and remember what a special place we were in!
Memory #4 – Mayhew Cabin
We couldn’t get a spot reserved at Indian Caves State Park through the Labor Day weekend, so we had to find another place to stay. Really, the only place that made any sense at all ended up being Nebraska City. So we made our way back north to Victorian Acres Campground.
This place was really nice. A ton of space and even though there were a lot of campers around, you didn’t feel cramped. They kept everything very clean and there was so much green! And rain! We hadn’t seen rain since we left Colorado. And boy did we get rain.
The thunderstorms in this part of are a bit more dramatic than back home. The thunder is BOOMING! A bit intimidating really. But it was all good.
One of the attractions in the area was the Mayhew Cabin. This cabin was a stop on the Underground Railroad as slaves attempted to flee the surrounding area up into Canada.
The Mayhew wife, Barbara, had a brother named John. John Kagi lived with the Mayhews for a couple years at which time he became acquainted with the famous abolitionist, John Brown. They had much in common and Kagi joined Brown’s Kansas Volunteer Army which eventually came to a head with the raid of Harper’s Ferry.
Long story short, this relationship that was formed was likely the reason that the Mayhew cabin was used as a stop for the Underground Railroad. It is unclear how many slaves passed through the cabin – but even if it was just one it was a blessing. The museum had some great information about the times leading up to the Civil War and was a really great place for all of us, but especially the kids, to take in and appreciate.
Memory #5 – Nebraska City
What a cool place to stumble upon. They have done a lot of work to get the historic main street up and running. It looks great! One of the cooler things there were the murals on the sides of many of the old buildings that bring our minds back to a simpler time. While I am thankful for the era I was born in, it is always intriguing to insert myself back in previous times. This was a fun palce to do just that!
The Wrap
While there is little doubt that the Cornhuskers rule here in Nebraska, we were able to find so much more to explore than just that. Or than we thought we would, really. From the history of the Native Indians to the Underground Railroad with the Mayhew Cabin. The “Nebraska Ozarks”, immense green seemingly in the middle of cornfields. And a pretty cool stop in Nebraska City. Nebraska gave us more that we were expecting and we had a really great time! Off to Kansas, Toto!