ANDREW JACKSON HIGGINS MEMORIAL - WEST PAWNEE PARK, COLUMBUS-NEBRASKA

The Higgins Memorial in Columbus, Nebraska began as a class research project for the Columbus High School to honor a native son who changed history and all veterans who have served and sacrified their lives defending our nation.

Andrew Jackson Higgins was born in 1886 in Columbus, Nebraska. His experience with the shallow rivers in the area gave him a vision to design and produce the shallow-draft boats which allowed the military the ability to transport men and equipment safely to beaches during emphibious landings in the war.

Higgins Industries was based in New Orleans. During World War II, the company produced 20,094 boats that allowed the US military to land over open beaches.

The memorial includes a full-size replica of the famous Higgins Boat (photo below). The soldiers, from the three wars in which Higgins Boats served, were sculpted by Fred Hoppe.

Around the boat are sand samples from landing beaches across the world where Higgins Boats carried soldiers ashore. (My father-in-law used to collect soil/sand/dirt from places he visited. After he passed away, we would obtain the ground wherever we travel and when we visit his grave, we would scatter around Pa's resting place.)

WORLD TRADE CENTER STATUE - COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA

World Trade Center Statue located in West Pawnee Park in Columbus, Nebraska.

"After 9/11, the Memorial was created to honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day and those who continue the fight against terrorism."

"A large bronze eagle sculpted by Fred Hoppe sits atop a steel sculpture made from steel taken from the fallen World Trade Center towers."

A GOOD DAY IN NEBRASKA (BUT ENDED NOT TOO GOOD IN SIDNEY)

Reading the Visitors Guide, I found out about Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial and the World Trade Center Statue, both located in West Pawnee Park (Columbus, Nebraska). After Mass, we went to the park and took these photos. You could read more about Higgins at www.higginsmemorial.com.

The above sculpture was made with steel taken from the fallen World Trade Center towers. The artist Fred Hoppe sculpted a large bronze eagle sits atop symbolizes the American spirit as we continue to fight against terrorism.

There was a cars show in Silver Creek and my husband was in high heaven when the organizers kept asking CP to enter his Mustang in the show. We explained that we were from out of town and just wanted to walk around. A nice man removed the orange cone to let CP park his Pony by the registration area to attract people to the show. CP was very pleased.

We almost missed the above Lincoln Highway signs and had to circle around Pioneer Park a few times because the good people of Grand Island forgot to trim the tree that covered up the sign with overgrown branches.

After passing thru Clarks, Central City, Chapman, Grand Island, Alda, it was time for lunch at Ma's Diner in Wood River. The small dining room has only five 4-person tables and it felt like sitting in Ma's kitchen. The server wore a shirt that read "Branson, Missouri". She told us that she visited Branson a few weeks ago and had a great time. From the car with Missouri license plate at Preston's Station in Belle Plaine to the lady in Colo whose son works for the City of St. Louis and now this waitress wearing a Branson shirt, we felt as if we never left St. Louis. After Wood River, we continued on US30 thru Shelton, Gibbon, Kearney, Odessa, Elm Creek, Overton and spent an hour or so at Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington.

The above Covered Wagon west of Kearney used to be a souvenir stand. The building behind it was supposed to be renovated in 2007 and turned into a cafe but all we saw was plywood covered windows.

In Nebraska, Lincoln Highway parallels I-80 and Platte River. After Lexington, we drove thru Darr, Cozad, Gothenburg, Brady, Maxwell, North Platte, Sutherland, Paxton, Roscoe, stopped for gas in Ogallala (I remember seeing a town also named Ogallala in Oklahoma), Brule, Big Springs, Chappel, Lodgepole, Sunol and Sidney. It was getting late, almost 8:00 p.m. so we decided to stop for dinner and spend the night in Sidney. That was when it happened .....

YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A TOWN CALLED COLO IN IOWA

After Belle Plaine, we went thru Chelsea, Tama, Montour, Le Grand, Marshalltown, State Center and took a break in Colo for pie and coffee.

The sky started to get dark when we got to King Tower Cafe in Tama. The neon Indian head sign was still there but the notice on the door informed us that "due to the changes and road closing" the cafe has gone out of business. Perhaps someone would re-open the cafe in the future so we could sit in the comfy booth and have a piece of the famous rhubarb pie. I hope the waitress who knew everyone by name and called the guests "honey" will also come back.

This concrete bridge, built in 1915, on the east end of Tama has "Lincoln Highway" in both of its side rails.

Here at Rube's Steakhouse & Lounge on Elm Street in Montour, Iowa, customers get to grill their own steaks. Glen Rubenbauer (where the name "Rube" came from) opened the tavern in 1973. To make sure the tavern never ran out of steaks, a meat store was opened across the street in 1992. Visit www.rubesmeat.com if you wish to have the steaks shipped to your home.

Inside Niland's Cafe were decoration on the history of Lincoln Highway and other highways. The cafe and gas station were from 1920 and the motel was added in 1940. The lady who worked at the cafe told us that her son works for the street department in the City of St. Louis. It sure is a small world.

It started raining again when we were leaving Colo. We continued to follow US30 thru Nevada, Ames, Boone, Ogden, Beaver, Grand Junction (we stopped to take photos of the trio of concrete bridges), Jefferson, Scranton (we only found one of the pair of Lincoln busts), Ralston, Glidden, Carroll, Westside, Denison (Donna Reed's hometown), Logan, Missouri Valley and crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska around 5:25 p.m.

We were getting tired and decided to spend the night in Columbus, Nebraska. I called my sister CH to touch base. CH and QQ were somewhere in North Carolina. They were on their way to Atlanta, Georgia. My Dad used to say, "Cai nha co chung no cung di", if the house has legs, it would probably be on a trip too :)

PRESTON'S STATION - BELLE PLAINE, IOWA

George Preston and his vintage gas station, bought for $100, was a historical site on Lincoln Highway. George himself was a celebrity when he was invited to be on the Johnny Carson show on March 21, 1990.

After George passed away in 1993, his son Ron continued to reserve and maintained the Station.

There was a vehicle with a Missouri license plate parking in front of the building when we got to the station. A nice gentleman came out from the house and we told him that we are from St. Louis, Missouri and about our adventure on Lincoln Highway. He introduced himself as the son-in-law of Ron Preston. He informed us that Ron passed away a few weeks ago. The visitation was in Gladstone, Missouri and burial was in Belle Plaine.

We hope the family will continue to maintain Preston's Station as it is a historial site and a treasure on Lincoln Highway.

LINCOLN CAFE - BELLE PLAINE, IOWA

Saturday, September 3rd - It was cloudy in the morning and after we got on the road the rain came down so hard that we could not get out to take photos of the Youngville Station and Cafe in Watkins, Iowa.

Youngville Station and Cafe was an excellent example of restoration. It was listed on the National Register in 2007. The town of Youngville does not exist, only a nice name, fitting for this 1931 rural station on Lincoln Highway. It was drizzling when we got to Belle Plaine.

It was already 10:30 am and perfect time to stop at Lincoln Cafe for breakfast. Everyone looked up and smiled at us when we walked in. They probably watched us taking photos outside. Or the way my husband kept moving his Mustang to get in the exact good parking spot, away from the puddle.

The small dining room at Lincoln Cafe was cozy and so welcome. The server was so kind to explain to us about all the murals around town. We joined in when a table next to us talked about the Iowa v. Illinois football game that night.

There were a lot of street improvement as Belle Plaine was getting ready for its Centennial celebration in 2012.

I did not take photos of all the murals around town. I thought the above 3-D was special and interesting.

After watching the train went by at a nearby depot, we were back on the road.

(Saturday, October 1st - This is the first weekend that we have no scheduled activities. We were out of town the first three weekends in September. It is nice just to relax and do nothing, well almost nothing. It is sunny and in the upper 50's so we decided to steamed clean the carpet in the kitchen and the family room. The other rooms will be cleaned in the Spring.)

2011 WESTWARD ROAD TRIP

(In a blink of an eye, the month of September flew by. It is Friday, September 30th and here I am trying to catch up with postings that will be in reverse chronological. To all my adoring fans and faithful readers, thank you for your concern. I am fine, just got off the blogging tracks and it took awhile for geezer like me to get back - haa haa.) Our 2011 Westward road trip began when we left St. Louis around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2nd. We stopped for an early dinner in Hannibal, Missouri. After checking in at a hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we walked across the street to a local diner for homemade pies. The next day, Saturday, September 3rd we drove a fairly straight line across the vast land of cornfields of Iowa. At around 5:00 p.m. we crossed the state line into Nebraska.

Sunday, September 4th - we woke up to a beautiful day in downtown Columbus, Nebraska. After 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Bonaventure Church, we got back on the road continued following Lincoln Highway. Exactly as written in the Lincoln Highway Companion guidebook by Brian Butko, trains were a constant companion as we drove across Nebraska. Giant grain silos, cows and horses dominated the landscape. On Monday, September 5th, we could not wait to get on the road to get out of Nebraska. Nothing against the good people of Nebraska or the State, just a negative experience in Sidney, NE that almost ruined our vacation. I promise I will explain later what happened. We cross the state line into South Dakota at 10:50 a.m. After visited Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore, we drove to Sturgis. I was tempted to get a tattoo and a Harley to drive around town with the boys! After dinner at Easyriders Saloon, we were ready for a night of rest in a room with clean bed and no extra charge for soap and towels - haa haa.

Tuesday, September 6th - It was a sunny but a bit cool morning when we arrived in Aladdin, Wyoming. After a good breakfast at Cindy's Diner, we felt strong and ready to face Devils Tower National Monument. After Devils Tower, we took I-90 straight into Montana. It was a nice surprise and a learning opportunity at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. We arrived in Gardiner, Montana around 9:30 p.m. only to be told that our room reservation was cancelled. Fortunately, we were able to find another hotel nearby. Another not-too-pleasant experience but when we spoke to that hotel the next day, the matter was resolved to our satisfaction. I promise to share the details in future post. We spent the following day, Wednesday, September 7th, at Yellowstone National Park. It was most memorable and definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Old Faithful was as young and energetic as ever!

Thursday, September 8th - We drove thru the Grand Teton National Park. After exited the South Entrance, we proceed on US-191 and stopped for a night in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The next day, Friday, September 9th, after breakfast we decided to visit Dagget County, Utah before heading toward Vail, Colorado for a niece's wedding on Saturday, September 10th. JP was one of the flower girl at our wedding 23+ years ago!

Sunday, September 11th - We did not leave Beaver Creek, Colorado until after a 10:00 a.m. brunch. I did most of the driving heading east on I-70. CP took over when it was getting dark. We stopped for the night in Hays, Kansas. The next day, Monday, September 12th we got up around 6:30 a.m. eager to get on the road. We had a wonderful time but after 10 days on the road, we were happy to be home.

We pulled into our driveway around 5:30 p.m. After we unloaded everything from the Mustang, I took off to a city council meeting scheduled at 7:00 p.m.

I spent the next two weeks washing, cleaning, putting together a spreadsheet of expenditure, organizing items we collected from places we visited and sorting thru all the photos. Then my home laptop was attacked by virus. The "computer guy" was busy so it took a few days before I got my laptop back. Fortunately I saved all my correspondence and photos on the flash drives. I only had to put back all the favorites websites and re-connect the printer. It feels good to return to normal routines. I look forward to sharing photos and stories from our trip. Thank you for visiting and please come back again soon.

WE REMEMBER - NEW YORK IS IN MY HEART