Prairie Passion - Homestead National Monument & Western Trails Heritage Center 10/30-11/1/10

1200 miles to see one small, little-known monument over one weekend may seem like a frivilous pursuit, but Homestead NM was one that we knew we had to get to due to the proximity. We started the day with the leisurely drive to Omaha, NE, where we spent our evening driving around Council Bluffs, IA searching in vain for "Teen Mom"'s Farrah and Sopppphhhiiiiia. Omaha is not exactly known for the excitement and downtown fun that Denver has, but it did have the Harrah's Casino welcome mat we like to search for on our vacation. $40 loss after an hour, we turned in.

The next morning, our stratgically placed Holiday Inn Express (The ONLY hotel of choice for the Cale's) took us almost to the doorstep of our first location of the day: The Western Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs. It was there that the Crime of the Century Part 8676786 occurred.........THE MESSED UP PASSPORT STAMP INCIDENT

MOVE ALONG PEOPLE - NOTHING TO SEE HERE

In this obsession, the too-light, too-dark, smudged, wrong placement, upside-down stamping issue forever clouds the passport book according to Matt. Although he is too chicken to stamp the book himself, anyone must pity Brooke if the stamp is not absolutely perfect. The conversation will never end and the stamp will forever be looked at as the red-headed step-child of all its perfect brothers and sisters it lays beside.

(Now since Brooke is the one typing this entry - I FIRMLY proclaim my innocence!! Too many sites have bum ink-pads or bad stamps and I am tired, TIRED of bearing the brunt of the non-perfect passport page...However, this one was completely my fault). We will chronicle the perils of stamping in its own separate post.

Back to the sites - The Western Trails Heritage Center was built in 1998, apparently by Mike Brady, because the building was firmly stuck in the 1970's. The exhibits were underwhelming, the film a non-sensical Super-8 memories film of kids looking bored on a road trip their parents forced them into, and the whole place just smelled and looked like Grandma. So, as with our own grandparents, we got the hell out as quickly as possible.

The drive to Beatrice, NE was lovely taking the backroads through the Nebraska countryside. Homestead is one of those sites that if you are not going on purpose, you will never drive through it on purpose. That being said......we were welcomed with a gorgeous, brand-new visitor center shaped like a plow to echo the past of the settlers land tool.

Inside the (HOT - Brooke's words) Park Ranger met us with a brief overview of the site along with the center itself to which he proclaimed it to be "His Pride and Joy". Indeed. The film was one to be proud of and the exhibits outstanding.

Brooke sadly bid adieu to the hot-stuff NPS ranger (Bye, Blake......<sniff>) and we went out the door. The original Freeman cabin still stands as well as the restored Tallgrass Prairie the NPS did a great job on. The stamp was perfect and our trip after a drive to Lincoln, NE to get our State Capitol Stamp (more on THAT obsession later) and this quick jaunt was complete.

FINAL RATINGS:

Western Trails Heritage Center - 4/10
Homestead National Monument - 7/10
Hot Park Ranger - 10/10