Iowa/Nebraska 2017: On the Way
On Thursday afternoon all four of us were gathered in the living room trying to decide what to do about our trip....go, and just hope that the 844 would leave while we were there, or just cancel the whole trip. All four of us were anxious for various reasons. I was sitting with the laptop in my lap and all of a sudden I saw the Facebook message flash onto the screen....and it was Union Pacific telling me that the 844 was going to leave Council Bluffs on Saturday! MUCH CELEBRATION TOOK PLACE!
The next morning Ernie, Leo and I took off; Owen stayed with a friend. We managed to leave 45 minutes late, which is actually ahead of schedule. We usually figure on leaving an hour later than planned no matter what. We headed up through western Illinois and into Iowa. I was trying to stay on schedule as much as possible, but when I saw a sign for the Grant Wood house, what the hell was I supposed to do?
The prairie flowers around the site, and the visitor's center, were gorgeous.
Then, lo and behold, there was a Rock Island engine and caboose in downtown. We admired it, took some pictures and walked down the path to look over the river and the remains of an old bridge.
We left Eldon and trekked on toward Omaha. We decided to stop by Council Bluffs to see where we'd be going tomorrow. We pulled up next to the rail yard and there were a line of UP heritage cars. We were ridiculously excited. We drove across the river into Omaha, and checked into our hotel, which was wonderful. We'd gotten a good deal on the rooms but damn it was nice. Great Art Deco hotel. We left Leo to research roads for following the train the next day and Ernie and I walked down the block and had a drink at Wilson & Washburn. More to follow on that place, but suffice to say we LOVED it. We had a drink and nibbled some of the best beet chips I've ever had...and I DO love a beet chip.
We headed back to our room, I tried to find someplace good to deliver and finally sent Leo and Ernie and Owen down the street to get something. Pretty wretched food but we were happy enough not to care. And good Lord but don't ever leave me in a room after a glass of wine with a mini-bar. Those $6 cashews seemed like SUCH a good idea. Ernie and Leo just shook their heads.
More to follow.