Nebraska welcomed but wind did not

 On this adventure of a lifetime I have learned there are good, down to earth, caring people everywhere if I look for them.  

I left my tent in Salem and Trooper and I went for coffee and breakfast and nothing except the gas station was open at 5:30 in Falls City about 15 minutes east of Salem. The police officer suggested Hiawatha, 18 miles south in Kansas. Back to Kansas for my dollar sandwich and senior coffee - no morning university (see blog post about it) was there so I headed back. On the way I had seen a sign for the Sac and Fox Museum. 

I decided to find out what that was about and pulled into a town,  I learned was Reserve, and knew the day was Spirit led because I came upon a beautiful maple tree in the yard of a corner house in town.

Then I found the Sac and Fox museum - turns out Sac and Fox are an Indian trip.

 And Cindy, who grew up on a farm near Reserve,on the right greeted me and asked Janice, a Pueblo, to show me around

Two more good salt of the earth people

Reminds of a PVC pipe Moose Latham played in my physics class 20 years ago.

These are hand carved!

I may get this framed - emotion seeps out of the faded  art

Ceremonial Man’s Outfit

In the course of conversation, I asked if there were still buffalo around since I saw the buffalo head decorated and on a poster.

 

Reminds me of all the parts of the whale that were used as described in Moby Dick

 

Cindy gave me elaborate directions. Of course I got lost and called her and all she would say was I was not supposed to be a the highway.  James at the massive grainery gave me directions.

In case anyone wants to know - here they are.  From the Museum head west and just before the overpass turn left at the road that crosses the tracks. You can see it about 300 yards down the road.  Go east until you see a pile of gravel and then turn left until the T. Go right and go about four miles and you can see them just before the bridge. Of course I went too far and drove up into a farmer’s driveway to aid directions. I was hoping for the best since I saw his politics. 

He and his buddy came out and were very friendly I do not advertise that I am the D word in these parts. His buddy watched as he came toward my truck.

“I am lost. I am looking for the Sac and Fox buffalo.”

“You are not as lost as you think.  Go back down that road and just past the bridge turn right into the open green gate.”

I thanked him and it was exactly as he said.

And the buffalo were at the top of the hill. They were very unimpressed at the stranger from Mississippi, but I had great admiration myself. They did not look like they had the energy of the buffalo stampeding in the movies. This is where the buffalo do not roam.

I cautiously clapped my hands and beeped the truck horn since there was a fence between us and this is all the movement I got.

These are some remote peaceful scenes along the way far from the maddening crowd.

When I got back to town - Falls City - I dropped into the beautiful new library and got set up in a private computer room to work on my blog. However I had trouble keeping focused since I went to bed late after midnight and got up early around 4:30 with it 42 degrees. I went back to Salem to take a nap in my tent.

Wrong I got there and it was gone!!! Yes gone. Trooper is looking around wondering what happened.

After looking around I saw the inhospitable wind blew my tent across the road and into a briar patch. The rain cover was punctured and one of the stake tabs was tore from the tent with the stake - the rest were still in the ground. No more camping for awhile but it was getting cold anyway. 

If you look carefully across the road between the tree and the building, there you will see my  displaced tent.

Notice the air mattress is in tact! Up the hill across the road  between the telephone pole and tree was its original spot.

Nebraska did welcome me but the wind did not so I gave in after 32 nights in a tent and rented a hotel room in Falls City. I met some more great friends. (See post: Coffee brings new and old friends together.)