Category Archives: NE

NE

Journey to Chimney Rock

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It was beautiful this morning, waking up by the lake, opening the tent flap and finding the sun shining down on the water! The majority of the human body is water, maybe that is why I am always drawn to be near water. I stare longingly in to its reflection and depth. Water holds so many emotions and feelings, hot or cold, fear, beauty, strength, weakness, anger, romance… The list goes on and on. Novel after novel use it as an analogy for so many things. Water that brings youth, that leads you on adventure, life-giving, healing, freeing, etc etc. Find a natural body of water near you, and just sit there. Close your eyes and listen to the sound the water makes. It is not just the water moving, but the fish swimming, the birds eating. Along with water comes the sounds of thriving life.

This is why I chose to stay where I did last night. It was life, balanced in a way that is easy, natural. Even my tent turned in to a shelter for some bugs who crawled up under my rain cover. I had to shoo off about a dozen daddy long legs when I was packing up the tent. If you ask my friends I’m not a fan of bugs. They typically easily annoy me, specifically when they are in my home. So when I come to their home I have to appreciate and respect that that is where I am… even if those darn spiders don’t even knock before coming in my bathroom or bed while I am in it.

I have landed for the night with my friend Amanda. She lives right off the Oregon Trail in the NE panhandle. It was actually a gorgeous drive off my beaten path to arrive here. I love that I still appear to be following the Oregon Trail theme. So despite the drowned oxen a few weeks back, I have made it to chimney rock without dying of dysentery… which basically means I win the game.

Amanda is so great, I kind of new that from the moment we first spoke on the phone. She is a good down-home country girl and so easy to get along with… unless you cross her… which basically define a country girl. She drives a huge truck and fights fires with the local volunteer crew. We have this natural rhythm in life. I used to be terrible at making female friends, but now it seems to get easier and easier. I have found myself wishing finding a boyfriend/future husband would be that easy… but then again, I have grown to be able to be friends with women, maybe I am still journey toward that achievement with the right guy, whoever he ends up being.

Today was a fun day because I got to check Rocky Mountain Oysters off my bucket list. We went out to the local steakhouse and had a good mid-west meal of meat, potatoes, and rocky mountain oysters. I was a little timid, but they ended up not tasting too bad. They reminded me of chicken gizzards, a little tough. Turns out the preferred dipping sauce is cocktail sauce… and now that I write that… it comes off as ironic. HA!

I’ve stopped here for the night and Amanda and I talked ourselves silly before finally calling it quits. I have an early drive tomorrow and if we don’t stop ourselves I think we could talk for days. I’ll leave you with this interesting bit of information… Did you know that the Mormons had their own trail, basically just on the opposite side of the river from the Oregon trail? I found that out today… thank you for the history lesson, placard at the side of the road!

Signing off Bayard, NE

Lincoln, NE

Wander Deeper into Friendship

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I didn’t go far from Omaha to dig deeper into it with more friends. I hopped over to Lincoln, NE and started with breakfast with an old buddy from Iraq. It’s not often that I catch up with someone from that first deployment. I honestly still don’t have vivid details of that tour, just the bad stuff, the stuff I wish would just go away. So mostly I don’t think of it. As I’ve been working on being a new me I do occasionally find something positive to say. Both JP and I have been back home long enough that we didn’t much talk about the tour. I would say we primarily argued over wherever being a Huskers fan is evil or not, which is our usual back and fourth.

I ran out afterwards to set up my campsite, honestly it couldn’t be prettier here. I encourage all wanderers to venture off the highway when going through Nebraska.Thee people are lovely and it is really pretty. I’m staying at the Pawnee State Park just northwest of Lincoln. The tent site is right on the lake. I just want to shout and giggle about the awesomeness.

My friend, Ricky, asked me to come play with his kids. They were so cute. He is such a good dad, and definitely gives single dad’s a good name. It was really an honor to be invited in to their home. His daughter and I even did each others nails. Ricky had this bicycle that is motorized. I got to ride it… Super weird! But awesome! The more important point is that I got to know Ricky as a person, not just a disaster volunteer. We’ve known each other for a year, but real dug deep and ended up on all sorts of topics.

Then I visited MS, who works crazy long hours. I was so glad he made time for me. The poor kid works himself to death. He knows it, but keeps going. We ended up taking for a long time about what he wants to do in life. I explained my journey to him, and bring the awesome young man he is offered a spot on his for if I ever need space.

It’s funny, both guys tried to insist I stay at their homes instead of alone at a camp ground. I appreciate their chivalry, but so many people don’t want me to camp alone, and that’s all I want. I want to be out here at 1030 at night, blogging on my phone to the chorus of cicadas, bull frogs, and fish jumping. There is no feeling like being with nature. There is also no feeling like not fearing where you are. I could live in fear of being a single white female alone on the road… A lot of my people are afraid enough for me… That would be fear that traps me in a single place. Maybe the world should fear me for once, instead of requiring me to fear them. I’m wandering to an unknown destination, finding adventure and trouble wherever I can… I’m unpredictable, I may not make sense… That can cause fear. I hope people don’t fear me though, I hope they start to understand. I hope I start to understand.

Signing off Pawnee State Park near Lincoln, NE

NE

My Second Home

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Off I wandered this morning  from the Cedar Rapids area, west again. This time I have lined up some journeys in Nebraska. My first stop was Omaha. One of the purposes of this specific adventure is to build deeper friendships with those I have met in TR. In the last year or so I have participated in three disaster relief operations in Nebraska. Through these events I have found the state to be a second home. I have many friends and connections with the state now. One of the beauties of my journey is revisiting and solidifying those friendships.

I took dinner in Omaha with the friends, and we talked about our lives, jobs, TR, and my journey. I get asked what I hope to achieve in wandering. The answer is simple but complex. I hope for many things… To find a new home, to learn more about myself, to meet people and renew relationships, and in the end the answer I give is, I’m not sure yet.

I feel like I’m just beginning the real journey, this last month or so has been disaster relief and responsibilities for the most part. Which I know I will keep doing, but I am searching for more. That secret that lies around the corner, which is not quite tangible yet, but I can taste it, smell it, and know it’s there. I have not however seen it, our held it in my arms for a hug. That is the journey, finding what is around the secret corner.

Do you ever feel that? The mysterious thing in life, yet to be revealed? It’s the weird that is on the top of your tongue, but unable to be spoken. It’s the possible loves of a lifetime waiting to be met. It’s the dream finding reality and becoming true.

After dinner I landed at my Uncle’s, here in Omaha. I got to see some cousins and catch up on life. It is always nice to visit family they even had a water bed for me to sleep on! Overall it was a nice day, one in which not many questions to life were answered, but I was just “being”, not stressing. I felt right sized and all was well in my mind and emotions. I suppose if I learn nothing else from wandering, at least I can learn how to just be, wherever I am.

Signing off Omaha, NE