GTTC: Day 12
Last night, after driving all day down the western edge of Iowa, we spent the night in Omaha, Nebraska.
Karen had learned about McFoster's, a vegetarian restaurant in Omaha, sometime earlier on the trip. We were able to get the address from the web and plugged it into Elza, our trusty GPS receiver. So, when we arrived in Omaha, we were able to find our way across town to the restaurant.
The food was so good! Last night we had a blackened tempeh burger that we split, and then chocolate cheesecake made from tofu. I ordered a second meal to go that I had for lunch today -- blackened tempeh on a bed of rice and curried greens. Very nice.
On our way back to the hotel from McFoster's, we noticed a Breugger Bagels! In our Gnashville days, that used to be one of our favorite places. We stopped and checked out the hours -- they open at 6:00 am.
So guess where we were at 6:05 am this morning? :)
We loaded up on bagels and coffee (I know -- we're slipping) and got on the interstate. (Stress and fatigue undermine will power. Things will get back to normal as soon as we get home and back into our normal rhythm.)
During our travels, we learned some interesting things about Iowa. It has lots of bike paths. Almost all its interstate rest stops offer free internet wireless connectivity. In western Iowa, we saw hillsides terraced almost like in Indonesia to prevent erosion and conserve topsoil. Running north and south along the western border are Iowa's "Loess Hills" (pronounced like "dose" with the "d" replaced with "l") -- 200 to 300 foot high hills composed of fine, fertile soil. It erodes easily if uncovered, but is protected by current enlightened farming practices in the area. At one of the rest stops on the interstate, I took a picture of a series of columns depicting the loss of topsoil between 1850 and 2000. I'll post it tomorrow, along with the few other pictures I took today.
So today we drove across Iowa, passing through Council Bluffs (next to Omaha), Des Moines, Iowa City (Elza said they have a Starbuck's; we stopped by and verified that they do indeed), and Davenport at the very eastern edge of Iowa. Today, Iowa was not so sunshiny -- overcast and mist accompanied us most of the day. We still enjoyed seeing more of Iowa and learning about it. It seems to have lots of colleges and universities. To get to the Starbuck's in Iowa City, we have to drive across campus.
From Davenport, we crossed the Mississippi River and found ourselves in Illinois. Crossing Illinois, we passed through Peoria, Bloomington, and Urbana-Champaign, winding up this evening in Danville on the very eastern edge of Illinois.
The plan for tomorrow is to slip around Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington before coming down I-75 toward Knoxville. We'll get off the interstate at Clinton and follow state route 95 (aka the Turnpike in Oak Ridge) to get on home.
Karen had learned about McFoster's, a vegetarian restaurant in Omaha, sometime earlier on the trip. We were able to get the address from the web and plugged it into Elza, our trusty GPS receiver. So, when we arrived in Omaha, we were able to find our way across town to the restaurant.
The food was so good! Last night we had a blackened tempeh burger that we split, and then chocolate cheesecake made from tofu. I ordered a second meal to go that I had for lunch today -- blackened tempeh on a bed of rice and curried greens. Very nice.
On our way back to the hotel from McFoster's, we noticed a Breugger Bagels! In our Gnashville days, that used to be one of our favorite places. We stopped and checked out the hours -- they open at 6:00 am.
So guess where we were at 6:05 am this morning? :)
We loaded up on bagels and coffee (I know -- we're slipping) and got on the interstate. (Stress and fatigue undermine will power. Things will get back to normal as soon as we get home and back into our normal rhythm.)
During our travels, we learned some interesting things about Iowa. It has lots of bike paths. Almost all its interstate rest stops offer free internet wireless connectivity. In western Iowa, we saw hillsides terraced almost like in Indonesia to prevent erosion and conserve topsoil. Running north and south along the western border are Iowa's "Loess Hills" (pronounced like "dose" with the "d" replaced with "l") -- 200 to 300 foot high hills composed of fine, fertile soil. It erodes easily if uncovered, but is protected by current enlightened farming practices in the area. At one of the rest stops on the interstate, I took a picture of a series of columns depicting the loss of topsoil between 1850 and 2000. I'll post it tomorrow, along with the few other pictures I took today.
So today we drove across Iowa, passing through Council Bluffs (next to Omaha), Des Moines, Iowa City (Elza said they have a Starbuck's; we stopped by and verified that they do indeed), and Davenport at the very eastern edge of Iowa. Today, Iowa was not so sunshiny -- overcast and mist accompanied us most of the day. We still enjoyed seeing more of Iowa and learning about it. It seems to have lots of colleges and universities. To get to the Starbuck's in Iowa City, we have to drive across campus.
From Davenport, we crossed the Mississippi River and found ourselves in Illinois. Crossing Illinois, we passed through Peoria, Bloomington, and Urbana-Champaign, winding up this evening in Danville on the very eastern edge of Illinois.
The plan for tomorrow is to slip around Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington before coming down I-75 toward Knoxville. We'll get off the interstate at Clinton and follow state route 95 (aka the Turnpike in Oak Ridge) to get on home.
Labels: 2008, California
posted by GreenSkink at 6:25 PM
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