A Long, Interesting Day, Part 1 - Friday, June 2, 2017

Today we traveled 575 miles, hopefully, the longest travel day this trip. Our temperature while walking the Lincoln Capitol Volksmarch was about 86 degrees. 

When we left Belleville, Kansas, this morning we knew we were packing a lot into one day. Beautiful weather was with us. Our drive to Lincoln, Nebraska took about 2-1/2 hours. We spent a good portion of the drive on U.S. highways through rolling hills dotted with ponds and lakes. Very little traffic was moving about on those roads mid-day. 

In Lincoln, we started the walk at 9:45 a.m. in 81-degree heat. Lincoln impressed us with murals, art, the Capitol building, a beautiful university, and lovely neighborhoods.

A colorful mural near the walk start point

We headed a short distance on their river walk trail

"Groundwater Colossus," by James Tyler (2012)

Lincoln, Nebraska's entry into the creative painting of an object by different people is of hearts. We think why they chose hearts as their city symbol is explained by these signs in people's yards.

Our first view of the Capitol

We meandered through some city streets before our instructions had us enter University of Nebraska--Lincoln. The campus is gorgeous with lots of big trees and plenty of artwork.

A courtyard fountain

The University of Nebraska State Museum is in Morrill Hall. Exhibits looked so interesting, but we didn't have time to delve into them: Paleontology of Nebraska, Mesozoic Gallery, Galapagos, Bizarre Beasts, Hall of Nebraska Wildlife, and Weapons Throughout Time, to name a few. We did, however, take a few minutes to shop in their museum store. (Nice way to get some air conditioning!)

University of Nebraska State Museum

Memorial Stadium

Okay, I thought these were cool.

Sculpture garden outside Sheldon Museum of Art-
University of Nebraska Campus

Architecture Hall

From the campus, we headed to the historic Haymarket District. Years ago, this area was where the railroad came through and it was then a bustling center of commerce. The area is now being revitalized into a trendy, hip restaurant row with breweries, and upscale shops. What they're doing very much reminds me of Northwest Portland Oregon's Pearl District. Yeah, it's like they copied it.

This caboose is part of a restaurant

A brewery

Trendy eating establishment

The building below is interesting because it is one of a number of Haymarket District Buildings that had an extra story added onto it after initial construction. This warehouse is a design example of vertical addition. You can see there is another story added above "The Apothecary." The same architect was involved in both phases of the design which helped the added story blend flawlessly with what was already there.

Example of vertical addition

Also in the Haymarket district, and not to be overlooked, is the Bill Harris Iron Horse Park dedicated to the railroad that used to run through this formerly industrial area of town.

Old clock

Entry to park

Below is the stunning "Iron Horse Legacy: Nebraska Landscape 1871-1872," Copyright 1990 by Jay Tachetter of Yankee Hill Brick. This "mural" is insanely intricate brickwork with some level of 3-D. Awesome!

"Iron Horse Legacy," by Jay Tachetter

"All aboard!"

Our walk was derailed (pun intended) by a number of blocks when our intrepid leader (Susan M.) missed a turn. We soon got back on track and continued through downtown Lincoln.

It was 11:00 a.m. and we were getting hungry. The receptionist in the University's Sheldon Museum of Art recommended that we have lunch at Billy's near the capital. On our way there, we saw this...

Emergency Donut Vehicle

...it's a good thing the line was out the door or we probably would have eaten a dozen doughnuts for lunch. You can't read everything on the truck in the photo. It says: "Emergency Jelly Pump," "Long John Storage," and "Maple Bacon Defibrillator." 

Also on the way to Billy's, we saw a "Lute Bulb," by Greg Holdren. You don't really "get it" until you see the back of the sculpture. This was some kind of art challenge or something in 2015 called "Illuminating Lincoln: Lighthouse 2015."

"Lute Bulb"

See how it looks like a
light bulb from the back?

In a block or two, we made it to Billy's ready to eat lunch. Susan walked up to the door and found a note that they were still closed from the Memorial Day weekend and would reopen for dinner tonight. Really? Arrrgh! It looked like such a cute place.

Billy's (where we DIDN'T eat lunch)

I'll let you know where we DID eat lunch in Part 2. It's late and I MUST get some sleep! There's lots more to tell you about our explorations today, so stay tuned.