Council Bluffs, IA & Omaha, NE

At Council Bluffs there is a historical park for the Oregon trail, California trail, and Mormon trail. It's got lots of info on all of them because it was a big stopping point for people just before crossing the Missouri river into Nebraska. We walked around a bit and then got into Nebraska within 15 minutes.

I was pretty stoked for Omaha. I played Bright Eyes, Cassadaga - even though it's named after a place in Florida I find this one the easiest to listen to with my Dad, and plus I find it a little difficult to listen to too much before Cassadaga when Conor (and I) really reveled in being melancholy and emotional. I'm grateful he embraced the folk so that I couldn't grow out of him. Anyway, I was getting all amped up to see his city.

We stopped at the cite for winter quarters in Omaha where they have a temple, visitors center, and cemetery. I'm fairly certain an ancestor on my mother's side was buried here. The visitors center was really nicely put together and women or Sister Missionaries were in charge of showing us around. They were super nice and interesting to talk to and I was really grateful that neither of them tried to give their testimony or impress much on us. It's always pretty interesting to run into these girls because I'm getting older than the missionary age now; these are young women who are devoting two years of their life to serving a mission and the church only requires that men do it so I'm always kind of impressed when I see women on a mission.

Omaha itself was pretty lame and felt like it was trying to attract tourism. I did scope out a music venue that Conor opened up with his brother but even that wasn't a very cool area; the only things next to it were an American Apparel, a new bike shop, and a new clean-looking bar. A pretty sad attempt and probably where all the hipsters congregate. Other than that it was pretty hot, or the hottest I've been in a while. I've got a pretty nasty sunburn actually.

We stopped in Lincoln as well since it was on the way anyway. It had more potential as an interesting place in the west. We stopped in the Nebraska University bookstore for little sou veneers and I found a thrift store so I got a sweet Nebraska Huskers (for corn husking) sweatshirt for a few dollars.

Then it was moving onward to a place called Ogallala, NE where we were to spend the night. We finished Freakonomics which I've been playing from my computer and Dad didn't enjoy Assassination Vacation so I'm hoping we can just compromise on music because I've already had to listen to three mormon scholars talking about the Devinci Code. Luckily Dad agreed to read to me from an ancestral book produced on his mothers side - this one is able to go back all the way to someone that came on the Mayflower and had English and Danish ties. I also found out, though I can't remember how exactly, that this ancestor is tied with New Brunswick. I kinda feel like a nerd but I'm really enjoying reading all my background history because I'm such a jumbled mix of a bunch of English, Scottish, German, Danish, Irish whatever that I'm feeling good about actually knowing who came to the states when and just what their story was. I'm probably going to make a book of sorts for myself about where and who I come from.

Nauvoo, Illinois

I just watched an uploaded youtube video of my brother in the green man suit attacking my sister: awesome.

Today was jam packed, with lots of driving and mormon stuff.

Dad and I made it to Nauvoo in good time this morning. The town is pretty much one street with one gas station, a few restaurants, and little mom and pop religious stores. The tallest building is the 2002 restored version of the original Nauvoo temple. There are lots of churches there, I was surprised that there were so many different ones in a town that was founded by Mormons and was originally a malaria infested swamp that they were forced into from the Missouri river, but I suppose it makes sense as it is a little community that was founded by highly religious people at the onset.

Dad and I stopped in the visitors center and quickly realized we were on a tour with a the Community of Christ - a church that splintered of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons). It was pretty interesting - I guess when the Mormons moved from continued pressure from the government and mobs and after Joseph Smith's death, his wife Emma decided to stay and her son founded the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; later becoming Community of Christ.

Anyway I saw Joe Smith's house and other sites in Nauvoo that were well preserved. Walk a little further down to and you get onto the property owned by Mormons. It's kind of confusing. Dad really likes gun history and will name firearms while watching a movie. I on the other hand could care less what handgun was manufactured where and who created it but I also never knew that it was a Mormon, John Browning, that created many of the guns that were used in the US wars and still are used today. It was kind of bizarre because we walked in thinking we'd take a quick look around and leave but were were roped into a tour by an elderly Mormon guy who ended the tour with his testimony and handed us a card to fill out so we could send stuff to a friend about the church. Such is the way with Mormons; always being missionaries. I was getting a little irritated with not being allowed to just look at the site from an objective historical view with both these churches giving their testimonies, though the Community of Christ is very intriguing to me as most splinter groups are.

The Nauvoo temple was recently restored from a fire long ago. It's a really pretty simple temple that looks out onto the Mississippi. And as always when you stop at these locations we saw Mormon wedding pictures going on.

We ate in the little town and walked around a bit. Then we took off for Iowa just past the Mississippi where Nauvoo lies on the Illinois side. We stopped in Des Moines to eat and look around. We found a German pub/restaurant and ate there. Des Moines wasn't very interesting so we left pretty quickly after that. Unfortunately it isn't quite corn season so I didn't get to see what Iowa was known for. Dad read me the story of an ancestor from his side: five Robertson brothers and their mother moved from Scotland to join the church sometime after they were already in Salt Lake. The mother died and was buried in an unmarked grave at the location we were heading to spend the night: Council Bluffs, Iowa. It's pretty neat reading about these five and especially the one I'm descended from. The guy even seems to have my dad's cheesy factor as is evident in some "poetry" he wrote.

Mormon Trail

Something likened to the Loch Ness monster mixed with Darth Vader invaded our room last night in Rock Falls, IL; I'm speaking, of course, of my father's snoring, which I'd forgotten about over my eight months time away. I contemplated throwing a pillow at him from across the room but I knew any effort would be fruitless after five minutes. This will be interesting.

Yesterday I ate more Chicago food and went to the art institute (great art museum – lots of Monet). Dad picked me up around seven and we were off after figuring out where we should stop for the night. We picked a place called Rock Falls, based on name and halfway point.

Last night we planned out the next two days. Or I did the organizing while Dad jumped around all excited with stories about our ancestors and what places he had seen on the way to get me. You see we're going back along the Mormon trail. I'll be brief because those who are reading this (maybe just Cameron and Graham, already know what's up): while in Canada I saw a four hour special on the Latter Day Saints and I – quite late in the game – began to show some interest and appreciation for my history. I don't consider myself a member of the church but I certainly have a lot of respect for my heritage and the individuals who crossed from the midwest into Salt Lake City. It's pretty cool to know where my roots are and to be able to trace it right here in my country. So we figured, while Dad was coming to get me, why not make it kind of a dorky semi following of the Mormon trail. Dad's brought a book from his family and my Mom's with recorded journals and we're going to be stopping at important sites, pretty much the same route as the Oregon trail. I'm pretty excited. Maybe not as much as he is, but still.

We start out in Nauvoo, Illinois today; the location of The Saints (what they called themselves) began their trek and we'll end up at Council Bluffs Iowa by the end of the night.

Map here. For now I've got to get on my way and do some driving which is great because I haven't driven in a very long time.