MUCH cooler day today. 70 degrees at 9:00 when I started out. But still very high humidity level. Strong wind from northwest which pushed me while I went east, but was tough when I went north.
Lancaster County
Now, if you look at a Nebraska map, you can't figure out why Lincoln was put where it is. No river. The railroad came to IT, not vice versa, so why right there? Once again, Elisabeth to the rescue (honest, she was excellent): Answer? Salt. There are tremendous underground salt deposits all around Lincoln. Big money. And of course, today Lincoln has to ship its water from the Platte over 35 miles away because its own water table is too salty. But, hey, big money!.
One more time, Elisabeth: Lincoln won state capital rights over Omaha and Ashland by serving ice cream to the selection committee. How did they have ice cream on that hot summer day, the committee wondered??? Salt.
I haven't seen one of these signs for a long, long time
State Capital Building in Lincoln
That's our man from Illinois himself in front, but who's that on top?
The Sower
The Temple
(Hey, do you think it would be possible to actually get on the field? I mean the actual playing field? The Holy of Holies of Nebraska-ism? Nah, impossible. They've got armed guards at every gate, don't they? Forget about it - stupid idea.)
Time to Eat - NOT!!
Time to Eat
(Maybe I could bribe one of those guards. No, what am I thinking? It's HUSKER STADIUM. They'd know I was a soccer coach before I could get my wallet out.)
Prairie Path Nebraska style
Some things you don't want to know
(Maybe I could sneak in through a locker room or something. Mmm, no, that's right, the laser security system.)
No picture, but I wanted to share this experience: Rte. 34 turns north for about 15 miles on its way up to Plattsmouth before crossing the Missouri River into Iowa. I was bucking headwind with my head down, around 5:30. A beat-up pickup truck pulled over on the shoulder ahead of me and a guy got out. I stopped. He introduced himself, said his name was Dave, asked the usual questions. I answered them. It was clear he was envious. He began talking about his personal life, how he needed a change, hated his job, wanted to just stay in bed in the morning, was battling depression, had thought about suicide. We talked by the side of the road there for about a half hour. He said a big reason he was messed up was that his brother had been killed in the Oklahoma City bombing and the federal government still hadn't provided answers; he felt the situation was totally unresolved and he needed resolution. He said he felt like going down there and giving the federal guys hell, but they would probably kill him - that's how the government is working these days. He said the government was hiding information. I asked him why they would do that. He said to keep a social insurrection from happening. I said the economy is good; there won't be any insurrection. We talked spiritual matters, emotions, depression, therapy, 12-step, finding a confidant. I didn't know what to believe and what not to believe in things he was saying. He gave me his name and address. I didn't give him mine. He thanked me profusely for talking with him. I kept my eye on my rearview as I pulled away from him. He made a U-turn and drove off to the south. I headed north.
I just looked up the list of victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. His brother was 46, an agent with an Investigative branch of the federal government. I'll be writing Dave.
Cathy the Toll Collector
Missouri River
The best book ever written about the West? "Across the Wide Missouri" by Bernard DeVoto, 1947(?). Not only is it a scholarly work that stands the test of time, DeVoto could WRITE. The book is a pleasure to read.
As I was battling that discouraging headwind for ten miles northbound on 34 just a mile or two west and parallel to this river, I thought about the Lewis and Clark expedition (If you haven't read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, it's the best description of their incredibly important journey you will find. You'll be a better American for reading it.). Those guys poled their way up this river against the current from the Mississippi River all the way to Montana. I suddenly felt sheepish. Ten miles. On wheels.
(My favorite statistic from that book is the fact that each man on the expedition consumed an average of 8 pounds of meat daily. That's right - 8 POUNDS!)
(I could say I was Bob Devaney.)
Bob the Samaritan
From left to right, that's Amanda Fehlner, Jayme Hatcher, Kresenz Monday (on the phone) holding little Kassidy Monday. Amanda and Jayme will be sophomores this fall at their high school near here.
(Maybe Tom Osborne? Maybe buy a Tom Osborne mask??)
You should know by now
(No, nothing will work. NOBODY gets on that field. Period.)
Random Thought: I have an idea for a new Olympic event. You know the Biathlon, where people cross country ski like mad, then have to hop off the trail and shoot at small targets. Very difficult combination of ingredients. Well, I thought of making a competition out of what I do all day. We'd call it the Photathlon, where people have to ride a loaded-up bicycle for 100 miles, periodically pulling over in their exertions to take artistically-composed pictures. The winner would be determined by a combination of the speed in which the course was completed and the judgment of a panel of professional photographers as to the quality and composition of the pictures. I think I'm onto something big here. Let's do lunch!
What's not to like here?
My single worry about tomorrow's game: If China loses, soccer will be dropped from the national sporting budget. That's an incentive we don't have.
But our women will find a way to win the game. Great teams find a way. If I were talking to them one on one I'd say, "Akers, tomorrow will be your biggest mountain yet. Go lead."
It's amazing to me how, in the best games, so much life can be compressed into 90 minutes. The game starts out almost innocently, naively. At some point, it gets grueling. And at some point in truly great matches, one team blinks. Usually it's one player, some little thing. But the tide turns. That point is often invisible from the stands or via the tv set. And sometimes not.
We'll see tomorrow who blinks.
Mission Accomplished - Don't ask how
Previous Day (7/8)