Day 61 Council Bluffs, Iowa

I am sitting in a nice modern library in Council Bluffs. It is a beautiful cool fall day out with wispy clouds in the sky. Went for a walk around the park and enjoyed the huge fountain they have there while waiting for the library to open. One of the nice perks of school being in session is that the libraries are now open on Sunday afternoons.

Night before last I tried to find the Pawnee Lake Recreation area but when the GPS said I was there, I saw nothing of that nature. So I pulled into an access to a cornfield off a dirt road and stayed there that night. I have discovered if I bundle my feet up good so they stay warm, I will sleep comfortably, so I applied several layers to my feet and zipped up my sleeping bag and was soon drowzy. I did not expect the temperature to go too low as the sky was overcast. The wind was still gusting so strongly that it rocked the car sometimes though. During the night the wind finally died out.

Yesterday I spent in Omaha and for an hour of that time I tramped around the Forest Lawn cemetery looking for the graves of Wilfred, Josephine and Robert Douglass. In spite of having a map from the internet I did not find them. I don't know how the cemetery staff draws their maps, but once in the car and searching, nothing looks like what they have drawn. I was disappointed, but it was Saturday so the office was not open.

This morning, I woke in the residential area of Council Bluffs to the chattering of birds overhead. I had unknowingly parked directly under a tree whose branches were loaded with a berry that the birds were rapidly devouring. They even landed on the roof of my car (and I am sure left various deposits there). I was so warm and cozy in my cocoon, with no reason or inclination to get out, that I drifted off to sleep again and woke at 9:45!! Since it was Sunday I treated myself to a waffle combo at the Village Inn and then read in my car for an hour and a half while the sun warmed it up nicely. (I could find no UU church in the area)

Tomorrow I will visit a few small towns in SW Iowa, then on to Des Moines and Iowa City. Those will be my last research stops of my trip.

Day 29 Onawa, Iowa

Woke up this morning feeling great! I love sleeping in the van at a campsite and being able to look up through my back window at the stars. Last night was not as cold as it had been the past two nights, 10 degrees warmer when I woke this morning and I slept all night without waking. For the first time I had a camp wash house with enough light so I could actually put on my make-up there after I washed up.

Then quirky things began to happen. I spilled some of my coffee in the car and had to mop that up. (Amazing that I have not had more spills along the way.) I went in to McDonald's to use the restroom and was sitting there when I heard a father and son talking. He was frustrated with his son.."you went a whole hour before you had to pee"... etc. and he kept asking the boy if he was done yet. I could not believe I could hear them so clearly but there was a vent right over my head. And then the boy finished and went to the sink to wash up and I realized they were right outside my door!! I kept my head down til they left. I was almost afraid to leave in case I had walked into the wrong restroom!! But I squared my shoulders and sallied forth, very happy to see that the door across the hall said MEN.

Spent the morning in the Courthouse, most of it standing up, and my tummy began to feel uneasy. By the time I left, I realized I could not keep going at my usual pace and would just have to take time to rest. So I laid down in the car for an hour and read. After that I felt some better and decided to spend the afternoon in the library where I could have peace and quiet and use internet access. It turned out to be a good decision. Got information here that I did not get at the courthouse. My stomach is still kind of unsettled and I am beginning to feel hungry because I did not eat any lunch. This is the first time on my trip that I have not felt well. Considering all the different water I've drunk and the places I've eaten, that is pretty good. I am sure I will be all better in the morning. Meanwhile, I will stay here instead of going back to Sioux City as I had planned. I need all my wits about me to drive in a strange city.

Got my car washed and found out where there is a laundromat. And I'm hoping for a nice restaurant tonight.