It's all about the people ...

It's nearly 7PM, we've finished a memorable supper at Rick's Boatyard Cafe on Omaha's riverwalk and the sun is still ablaze high in the sky. Although our distance driving was only about 200 miles, our day in Council Bluffs and Omaha has worn us out! True, we're not as young as we used to be. But, getting off the interstate and having to navigate unfamiliar city terrain also takes a toll. Despite our end-of-the day state, though, we found everything we set out to see -- but did, in the end, have to pick and choose. Half a day can only contain so much. Lewis and Clark was in; railroads and botanical gardens were out. That decision was made while we toured the Western Historic Trails Center (the entrance pictured here). Built into the "safe" side of the levy east of the Missouri River, it features four historic trails -- Lewis & Clark, Mormon, California and Oregon -- which passed through or near Council Bluffs and an amazing amount of detail into the lives of those to walked those trails.

After several hours there, including a long walk from the levy through a grove of huge cottonwoods (which were sending fluff everywhere in a lilting, fanciful way) and a picnic lunch, we made our way to the Lewis & Clark Monument sitting on a high bluff overlooking the river and the Omaha airport. It's a spot offering the visitor both a long-range view and considerable peace, not to mention that it fairly exhudes the power of the long-ago conversations which took place on the site.

In both places the focus was on the people involved -- what they gained, what they lost. Powerful stories all.