Nebraska’s Good Life is not for Everyone

“Nebraska. Honestly, it’s not for everyone”. 

This was the official tourism slogan of Nebraska for the past five years. We really appreciate this. Nebraska would not be such a fun, easy state to explore in an RV if everyone were here. 

Like Nebraska itself, the Platte River is
beautiful, uncrowded and flat

Even though we spent the past week in the most urban areas of the state, we find Nebraska to be pleasantly low key, surprisingly affordable and mostly uncrowded (as long as you avoid the Omaha Zoo on the weekend). 

An astounding 90% of Nebraska is farmland! That seems impossible since it only leaves 10% of the state for cities, roads, forests, lakes and disc golf courses. But I looked it up and all of Mr. Google’s friends seem to agree, the estimates range from 88% to 92%, making Nebraska the most farmed state in the country! The first site we visited in Nebraska gave one explanation for this: The “Homestead National Historical Park” (run by our beloved National Park Service) pays tribute to the ‘Homestead Act’. They make a pretty good point that this law shaped the history of the United States more than any other law before or after.

 

The Homestead National Historical Park sits
on the land of the first homestead in the state
with the largest percentage of homestead land

We knew of the Homestead Act, but we weren’t aware of its scale and impact. Pretty much every number about the Homestead Act surprised me. I am glad we came here before any of this comes up in the next “Wits & Wagers” trivia game:

• 1862 is when the Homestead Act was passed. Yes, right during the Civil War. In fact, Congress could only pass the law because the Southern states, who opposed it, had seceded. 
• 1986 is when the last patent for a homestead was granted…123 years after the law was passed!
• 1.6 million homesteads were distributed for free, a total of 270 million acres; that’s about 10% of the entire land mass of the United States!
• 46% of Nebraska was given away as homesteads. That’s the highest of any state. Surprisingly, there are several states where almost half of the land became homesteads!
• 1/3 of Americans alive today are descendants from homesteaders!

I applaud the National Park Service: It’s not easy to honor the courage and grit of the homesteaders while also pointing out the harm they caused: They created a new way of life, but also helped almost wiping out native cultures. They cultivated the often barren land, growing food for the growing nation, but they also destroyed the natural ecosystem of large parts of the continent. Ironically, a century and a half after the very first homestead was granted here under the condition that the prairie would be turned into farmland, the National Park Service now spends considerable resources to bring back the natural prairie.

We were told that eating a Runza is mandatory when coming to Nebraska by some random guys on YouTube and by my one and only friend from Nebraska….who did not tell me until afterwards that he doesn’t really like Runzas. Well, we ordered the one with mushrooms, so naturally I liked it. But honestly, it’s not for everyone.

The Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln

Of course we had to tour the Nebraska State Capitol since we are on a quest to see all 50. Like most capitols, they offered a great free tour. That’s not surprising anymore, but a lot of what we learned did surprise me:

• Nebraska is the only unicameral legislature in the country. No senate and house of representative, just one house. Obviously more efficient, but also a little less “checks & balancy”.
• Maybe they just enjoy being different… like a century ago when they were the first state to design a capitol as a high rise rather than with the traditional dome. By now, there are four high rise capitol buildings. We appreciate it for the variety and for the views.
• Malcom X is the latest inductee into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. That shocked me since Nebraska is a deep red state. I’m not even sure how I feel about Malcom X myself, but good for them honoring their native son!

A free and thought-provoking art museum followed by a yummy cajun dinner in the Hay Market district rounded up our first day in Lincoln. 

The Robber's Cave under the city of Lincoln

The ‘Robber’s Cave’ tour was the highlight on the second day. Right under the city of Lincoln is a sandstone cave with a colorful history. The cave has had too many uses over the years to name them all, the ones that stuck with me were party cave, mushroom growing, beer brewing, concert venue and daycare facility for little kids. Our tour guide was Joel Green. It almost seems like he gives all the tours at this cave - and there is probably nobody more qualified: He wrote the book on Robber’s Cave, literally. 

The Cornhuskers college football team is probably the most Nebraskan thing of all, even more so than Runzas. We would have loved to see a game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, but even if there had been a game, we might not have been able to: The last 396 (!) home games have been sold out, an NCAA record. But you can look inside the stadium any day. 

Memorial Stadium - Home of the Cornhuskers

Memorial Stadium holds 85,000 people, which makes the stadium the third largest town in Nebraska on game days. Obviously, after 27 years in the US, we know how important college sports are, but it still baffles me that the 14 largest stadiums by capacity in the country are all college sport arenas! 

You can take a Hawaiian out of Hawaii,
but you can't take the Shaka out of a Hawaiian

But overall, I admit we are bigger fans of Hawaii than of college football. That’s why our favorite part of touring the Memorial Stadium was meeting the security guard from Oahu and talking story with him.

Trail Ride at the Mahoney State Park

Before heading to Omaha, we took a little rest at the Mahoney State Park. We enjoyed the observation tower, the disc golf course, a horseback trail ride, a cute little play at a theater and plenty of pathways for me to enjoy my new scooter. Luckily, the Costco in Omaha had one last foldable e-bike left for Sandra so that we can now take trips together. 

Me on a scooter ride in Iowa while Sandra is biking in Nebraska

Not sure why, but Omaha, Nebraska has the best or second best zoo in the country. Best if you ask around here, second best if you ask in San Diego. My favorite part was a cave with thousands (!) of very active bats. I also did not know that pandas come in red. The Omaha Zoo has another distinction, it was hands-down the worst lunch we had on this trip. At least we weren’t there on the weekend, when we would have had to wait in line for undercooked fries and a sad looking thing they called a hamburger.

At the Omaha Zoo
Who knew that Pandas come in color?

We enjoy picking places to move to without ever moving there. In Nebraska, Omaha would be our first choice so far. Maybe one of those two buildings right by the pedestrian bridge to Iowa or something along the pedestrian mall leading from the riverfront park to downtown. 

Pedestrian Mall in Downtown Omaha

It’s a very walkable, bikable and scooterable town. On the first day alone we explored the riverfront, had good food and good beer at a brewery in the Old Market district and saw the very fun ‘Moulin Rouge’ musical at the impressive Orpheum Theater. 

Jocelyn Castle in Lincoln

On the second day we took a tour at the Jocelyn Castle. Apparently printing was a really good business to be in back then. That’s how the Jocelyns made the money that built this castle. We love touring these historical homes, not just because it’s an impressive building and beautifully decorated, mostly for the stories that every house can tell, thanks to an amazing number of dedicated volunteers and professionals preserving and presenting those places. We really appreciate them.

Omaha's majestic Union Station once a busy hub,
now a quiet, but interesting museum

Omaha’s Union Station was the heart of the city during the heydays of train travel during the mid 1900’s. By now it has been a history museum longer than it was a train station. Seeing the beautifully designed and restored grand waiting room and walking through old Pullman train cars can make you feel nostalgic. Even in Europe, I don't remember any train stations this impressive. No airport even comes close to the grandeur. And given the choice, I’d rather take a trip in one of those Pullman trains than in any airplane, even in business class. But let’s not overdo the nostalgia, we love traveling and living in our 2017 home on wheels!

They can probably only afford to offer this lakefront campground
with electric hookups for free because Nebraska is not for everyone...

Now it’s time to Go West…the 2/3 of Nebraska where all residents of any single town would easily fit into Memorial Stadium. After driving west for a couple of days, I start to believe that 90% of Nebraska is farmland. Our first two stops were both at lakefront campgrounds. The one we are currently at is even free, with electric hookups! It used to be that once we settled at a campground, we did not want to leave. But now that we have a scooter and a bike, we are looking for any reason why we might need to go somewhere. We enjoy riding nine miles to town and back just to buy some olive oil.

Earlier this year, Nebraska got rid of their slogan that it might not be for everyone. The slogan they already use on the welcome signs “Nebraska…the Good Life” should be appealing to most, but apparently they are still looking for something catchier. Hopefully, they don’t find a slogan that actually makes everyone come here. It could ruin this beautiful, affordable, uncrowded state. 

Aloha from Nebraska,

Chris, Sandra & Joy

PS: I loved all the comments and responses to the last blog, even or especially the ones from 'Anonymous'. Keep them coming!