I don't usually eat breakfast because most motels just serve some old sweet rolls, doughnuts, cereals, orange juice, and coffee, but this one had eggs and sausages too, so all three of us went to breakfast. There were the three boys that befriended Aron the day before, along with their sister and their grandparents. They were just returning to their home in Katy, Texas, after taking part in a gymnastics meet where two of the boys got first and second prizes in their age group. Nice kids! Their grandmother, who used to be a teacher, home-schools them.
We drove to a lookout over the Missouri north of Council Bluffs.
On to Fort Atkinson, We walked around the buildings inside the palisades. Most of them were locked, but we went into the jail, hospital, and officer's quarters. In the jail Aron and Arthur put on the “Drunkard” and “I Stand For Thievery” placards and posed.
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Council Bluffs, Iowa: Arthur Luehrmann and Aron Cowen at lookout over the Missouri
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Council Bluffs, Iowa: lookout over the Missouri
Dear Journal,
Today we had breakfast and went to a fort called Ft. Atkinson. We saw the Hospital, Jail, and Powder Magazine. I learned that Powder Magazines are built in the center to keep them far away from an enemy's burning arrows. Then we went to Sgt. Floyd's grave. It looked like Cleopatra's Needle. After that, we went to and interpretive center. You could fill out a mini-journal. I did, and chose Lewis as my person. Then we went to our cabin. The view is beautiful. Then we had dinner and fell asleep.
Aron
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Council Bluffs, Iowa: monument honoring the meeting of the chiefs with L&C
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geese near Ft. Atkinson, Nebraska
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Ft. Atkinson, NE: model of the old Fort
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Ft. Atkinson, NE: Aron Cowen looks like he is taking part in the first great Chiefs Meeting near Sioux City, Iowa
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Ft. Atkinson, NE: Aron Cowen
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Ft. Atkinson, NE: Aron Cowen in the stocks
We stopped at Sergeant Floyd's monument. He was the only person to die on the expedition, and he died early on the trail, probably of appendicitis.
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Floyd's Monument near Sioux City, Iowa: Aron Cowen and Arthur Luehrmann
We stopped for a long time at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa. They had a lot of their exhibits featuring Seaman, Lewis' Newfoundland dog, who went with them on the expedition. The Indians had seen dogs before, and, in fact, kept them for food, but such a large black hairy dog was probably very exotic.
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Sioux City, Iowa, Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center: Aron Cowen, Lewis, Clark, and Seaman
We drove on to Niobrara State Park in Niobrara, Nebraska. By the way we got caught behind a new pre-fab house that was being moved. Our cabin is GORGEOUS! The cabins are far apart, so you don't feel like you have near neighbors. They have two bedrooms, a bath, and a big living-dining-kitchen room. One of the bedrooms has a double bed and the other has two sets of bunk beds. Aron chose the top bunk. The cabin also has a screen porch and a patio where you can cook outside. The views from anywhere are astounding: the Missouri river below, and grasslands up higher. There were also horses, but they weren't for hire until Wednesday, when we are leaving. We had some wine, veged out, went into town at the Riverside Saloon to have dinner (Aron had a buffalo-burger), watched a Wallace & Grommit video, and went to sleep.
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Niobrara State Park, NE: horses