Whats up with this?

We kept seeing these signs all over the midwest.
(http://www.kumandgo.com)
I have no other comment.

Lincoln Nebraska, and on to Iowa

Well. I was so sad about Miss Emily. I knew it was inevitable but I was still so sad. That combined with bad internet luck curtailed my blogging. But, I have time now to share some cool stuff.
I actually got to see one of the buildings that I studied in undergrad and graduate school. The State Capital Building in Lincoln, Nebraska. What a majestic, impressive building. In my lexicon, I put it in the Daily Planet School of Architecture. Sort of Gothic Intimidation meets Depression Modern.
I LOVE THIS BUILDING. I also love the Los Angeles Public Library Building which was designed by the same architect: Bertram Goodhue. He designed some buildings in Balboa Park for the 1915 Pan Pacific Exhibition (beating out my favorite architect of all time Irving Gill.) He even did the master plan for Cal Tech in California. Julie and I were driving down Goodhue Blvd. in Lincoln, and lo and behold we saw this vision. This was the tallest thing on the prairie for miles. I think that was the point. Can't you just imagine Jimmy Olsen running out the door to catch the latest scoop?

We spent the night outside of Des Moines. The next day I was determined to have some Lincoln Highway experiences and dragged Julie to Ames, Iowa to see the Campus of Iowa State,(Sorry Jan), and try a butter burger at Culvers, a mid-western chain. I am compelled to say..Butterburgers are AS GOOD AS IN and OUT BURGERS. Heresy. I know. They have irregular edges, a square shape, and taste really really good. I ordered a double and gave Chumley one patty. He concurred.
We schlepped to Tama, Iowa to see the Ultimate Lincoln Highway relic, and boy was I happy!! Chumley not so much. He really hates being in the car and even though he was on doggie downers he was still stressing. I think that this trip can't be over soon enough for him.
We managed to stay on the Lincoln highway for another 30 miles or so and then in order to avoid Chicago we ditched route 30 and found an alternate two lane road through Illinois and Indiana. More later.

Chumley

"Hmmm.... hope we aren't there yet."

"Maybe there is another BBQ place ahead"

"It is only 9am and I am so tired, someone must have slipped me a mickey"

"Apparently I will be spending the rest of my life in this back seat"

I hope I NEVER have to see these guys on the road again!"

Quick Trip

Dawn over Day's Inn, Evanston, Wyoming

Rawlins, Wyoming, rare skateboarding Pronghorn.

Judy and I judged the Rawlins 2008 Pronghorn art competition, you can see more 2007 Pronghorn art here http://www.rawlins-wyoming.com/Pronghorn/pronghorn2007.htm

Lincoln Nebraska. The Telephone Building, which Julie took a liking to. (see Judy's post about architecture in Lincoln)

If you visit be prepared for one-way streets!

Odd industrial park outside Clinton, Iowa.

We happened upon a several things we were not looking for.

Crossing the Mississippi River at Clinton, Iowa.

Covered Bridge in a stunningly pretty town not too far past Clinton, but in adjoining Illinois, maybe Morrison.

A picture of my favorite sign of the trip (Julie) did not turn out, it was a travel agency in Dan Quayle's hometown which bragged:

"We also know where Not to go"

Rest In Peace Emily Beverly Bemmerstein

Emily passed away today after a long struggle with a liver tumor and complications from Cushings disease. She was adopted on June 23, 1999 and we think she was around 13 or 14. Emily now joins her late brother H. Bones Mahoney and her human boyfriend Mik Mikkelson. She will be greatly missed. Fans of Vivian DeLongpaw can make contributions to Boston Buddies in her memory.

The Wyoming Nebraska Haul

My friend Paul's earliest childhood memories are of driving across the U.S. with his family in 1965 and visiting the World's Fair in New York. He vividly recalled stopping in Little America somewhere in Wyoming. Based on that information, I had to pay homage to Paul's memory. Well. I can say one thing; the carpet is the same one from Paul's memory. Little America was an oasis of banality. That is all I can say. We spent the day zooming across Wyoming and stopped in Laramie for a really good lunch and fruitless quest looking for the Ames Brothers monument designed by HH Richardson and Augustus Saint Gaudens. I hope this will suffice...I did manage to have an A & W rootbeer float. That sort of assuaged my sadness over missing the monument. The A & W is also near the largest statue of Mary in the US. She oversees the dispensing of fried cheese curds which I have yet to try. I wonder if Mary communicates with Mr. Lincoln who is a few miles away from her on interstate 80. He is sort of scary and imposing looking from the Freeway. I always have thought of him as benevolent and kind but this sort of changed my opinion. Maybe he is ticked off that the Lincoln Highway has been replaced by I-80 here in Wyoming.

Wire Less

Our Internet access has been really bad. So I have not been posting nearly enough or as much as I want to. Julie and I are in Nebraska right now, at a restaurant with free Wifi and great salads, so all is right with the world. I wanted to add one thing to Julie's previous post. In the mining town of Eureka, the cast iron storefronts remain, there is a lovely beauty to their decrepit state. I think Chumley agrees. Also a cool burger stand with a GREAT name.