The highlight of the day came as we arrived in downtown Omaha where the first portions of a pioneer wagon train, all in greater than life size bronze are on display; the work of sculptor Edward J. Fraughton of Utah. Ed Fraughton is the father of our dear daughter in law, Kristi. His work is of such immense significance and represents such meaning that as we got out of the car and stood there in the cold and the wind, Linda began to cry. She knows this man and she knows something of the remarkable skill, labor and dedication he has invested to create such a work. It is the largest work in bronze existing anywhere, with more yet to come before it is completed. It covers an entire city block. Hours would be needed to properly view and appreciate it all in its entirety.

This establishment is in one of the small farming villages we passed through after leaving Maryville, Missouri this morning. We had to turn around and go back and take of picture of the sign over the door for Steve Williams and any of you others who have lived for a time in the Southern or midwestern states. (This is real down-home, rural America!) "Kiss My Grits."

Today, we awoke to falling temperatures, a cold wind and threat of rain. Just about the perfect day as far as Linda is concerned.

We headed out from Maryville, Missouri, west and then north on I-29 for Council Bluffs and Omaha, some 80 miles away. The countryside continued to look much as we have traveled through since leaving the Mississippi, but more to cultivated fields of corn and other crops and less of woodland.

This picture was taken just north of Maryville on US 136 going west toward the Missouri River.

Day 49, Mon, Oct 20, Keokuk, IA to Maryville, MO

We don't know much about the city of Maryville, Missouri where we have stopped for the night, but as we drove through the old downtown area we stopped to take this picture of the County Court House.

We found suitable lodging at a Comfort Inn on the south end of town, not in the direction we need to go, but not that far out of our way. It is remarkable, really, how we have been blessed to find clean and comfortable places to stay, day after day, at reasonable rates, when we have no reservations ahead of time or any real assurance of exactly where we will be. Most people wouldn't be conducting themselves this way but it has worked remarkably well for us now, in our 49th day of travel.

What a truly unforgetable experience!

On the eastern outskirts of Maryville, MO we found these wind machines scattered along the hillsides, close to our highway. So, we turned onto a farm road and drove up quite close to one of them and took this rather poor picture. Because of the wind they were all in operation. It was rather awsome to stand just beneath one of these machines as its huge blades are turning. While they seem to turn slowly they stir the air with a most unusual sound! I can't quite describe it, but it is a very powerful and strange feeling to be this close to one of them. We need more of these alternatives to our dependence upon fossil fuels for our energy. Harnessing the wind! It is exciting!

US 136 has been our friend for so many miles across Indiana and Illinois that we continued to use it as our highway toward the Missouri River as we resumed our journey this morning from the west banks of the Mississippi at Keokuk, Iowa.

If you look at the map you see that Keokuk is at the extreme southeast border of Iowa, just above Missouri and just across the river from Illinois. US. 136 traverses Missouri from east to west, just below the Iowa border.

This picture, taken as we proceeded west on US 136, is typical of much of the terrain we passed through today in northern Missouri. We were surprised to find it to be quite hilly, with lots of trees, broken by small farms and pasture lands; not the broad, flat expanses of farms and fields we had expected.

This is the Keokuk (Iowa) Branch meeting house where we attended Sacrament meeting yesterday.

We took this picture before departing from Keokuk this morning on our way toward Omaha and Council Bluffs (Winters Quarters).