Day 4 – Omaha to Wausau

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Today I drove through four states! I’m pretty sure that’s the largest number of full-sized states I’ve driven through in one day. I’m not counting the micro-states of New England. In New England you can go around the block to get a Dunkin’ Doughnuts coffee and find you’ve driven through four states, so it’s not really a fair comparison.

You may be surprised by this, but Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin all look very similar, at least they do in winter. They all have prairies, lakes, farms, and forest, just in different ratios.

Nebraska definitely wins with the largest volume of open prairie land, although Iowa is a close runner up. The biggest distinction I could see is that Iowa’s prairie land was much more “civilized” with farm after farm covering those rolling hills.  Also, Iowa takes the windmill game to the next level.  Old, new, big, small, broken, functioning…you name the windmill and Iowa has it!

Minnesota also has a lot of farm land, but the natural features that really stood out were the lakes. Every time I turned a corner there was another lake. To be fair, some of them were probably better classified as ponds, but as a Californian, even a little pond is more lake than I typically get to see.

Then there’s Wisconsin. The minute I crossed into Wisconsin I was immediately surrounded by forest! Wisconsin still has its fair share of lakes and farms, but the number of trees made me really wonder what happened to all the trees in those other states?

Terrain and scenery aside, there was another consistent feature dominating the landscape during today’s drive.

Beautifully dilapidated barns.

Now, you may be surprised at my description of ‘beautiful,’ but you see, I find melancholy beautiful. The gray gloom of a winter day. The sorrowful stories told on gravestones, some so faded with time the story can no longer be read. The broken walls of an abandoned home. A place where someone once lived a life, had moments of joy and moments of sorrow, now quiet except for the sounds of nature that have taken over the space.

So today, seeing the skeletal frames of abandoned barns scattered across the landscape filled me with wonder. Those crippled buildings oozed with history and ached to tell their story, all while straining against the invisible force endlessly trying to pull them to the earth.

It’s the bitter sweet. It’s the story that goes untold, but that you know exists.

So, as I traveled along side open prairie, frozen lakes and rivers, and windswept farmland, I thought about all of those stories. I may not know what the stories were, but I can’t help but think simply acknowledging the existence of a story somehow shows respect to those who once occupied the space.

Another story that will be told is the one about my big day tomorrow! Tomorrow I pick up my trailer. I get to see her for the first time and take her off on her first adventure. I’ve been trying to pick a name for her, but I’m hoping it will come to me when we meet for the first time.

I can’t wait to share her with you!  Until then, here’s a picture of Dingo being adorable.

5 Replies to “Day 4 – Omaha to Wausau”

  1. I love all the old abandoned houses and barns too. I think of the families who built them and raised families and how and why they were left – it makes me a little sad, but it’s beautiful and you described it perfectly.

  2. When I was traveling around the United States, in my other life, as I passed so many interesting and diverse barns, I thought they should be documented in a book. Barns and fences, so beautiful and different across the country. Enjoy the ride .

    Cant wait to hear about the trailer.

  3. Dingo is adorable. Thanks for the dingo picture. I grew up in the Midwest…your descriptions are just as I remember. Now I’m eager to meet your trailer.

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