October 1, 2021
Just Saying…
By Q.C. Jones
Thank Goodness the Quad-Cities aren’t in Nebraska
Speaking in the most general of terms, your pal QC Jones doesn’t have anything against Nebraska or the fine people who live there. In many ways, Iowa and most of downstate Illinois are close cousins to the lands just over the Missouri River. We share the same kind of people, similar economies, and a connection to one of America’s first and most important interstate highways, I-80.
Thinking more about Interstate-80. This slab of concrete has been my constant companion for the past 44 years. I-80 runs from Teaneck, New Jersey (Metro New York City) to San Francisco and is the second longest highway in the United States. While it was originally conceived in 1956, construction was continued until 1986. Some readers may still recall the pre-Interstate days in Iowa as the final stretch of this road were not completed in Iowa until 1972.
Taking a historical perspective, I-80 closely approximates historic travel routes in our country. The first transcontinental railroad roughly followed the same route across the Western States. One of the tourist attractions along the route is the “Golden Spike Tower” in North Platte, Nebraska which offers visitors “the very best view of the world’s largest railyard.” Pushing back further in time, I-80 follows along the “Oregon Trail” whose fame reached a new generation by way of a popular computer game bearing the same name. Wikipedia says this about the Oregon Trail:
“The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and trappers from about 1811 to 1840, and was only passable on foot or by horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho. Wagon trails were cleared increasingly farther west, and eventually reached all the way to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, at which point what came to be called the Oregon Trail was complete, even as almost annual improvements were made in the form of bridges, cutoffs, ferries, and roads, which made the trip faster and safer. From various starting points in Iowa, Missouri, or Nebraska Territory, the routes converged along the lower Platte River Valley near Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory, and led to rich farmlands west of the Rocky Mountains.”
There were many famous groups traveling on the Oregon Trail. One such group shares a personal connection with your humble correspondent, QC Jones. This group of 87 started their journey from Central Illinois, not far from my ancestral home of Taylorville. Like, many travelers they decided to take a poorly marked shortcut and ended up stranded in some remote area. It is rumored that some members of this party had remarkably good taste. As weeks and months of starvation hit, this group became famous for cannibalism – eating the bodies of dead or dying members. As word leaked out of this practice, the Donner Party became synonymous with cannibalism. Their name spread like wildfire. To the best of my knowledge, they failed to publish a cookbook. To pay tribute to this infamous group, every time I visit a restaurant with a long waiting time and a public address system to call the next group forward for seating, I am tempted to pay tribute to these lost souls by telling the hostess my name is Donner. I just love hearing these words coming over the PA, “Donner Party of four your table is ready.”
Note to editor: I know, I know… Trust me I will get to the point. Pushing my Donner Party tale to the point of nauseum, sometimes it takes a while to properly set the table for a story.
During a long weekend in Taos, New Mexico at Michael Hearne’s Big Barn Dance Music Festival, I had the opportunity to personally experience once again experience a massive chunk of Interstate-80. As near as I can tell, about 750 miles of each leg of this 1,100-mile trip were spent on I-80. Even for the most ardent driving that is a grueling day in a car.
The miles in Nebraska were extra tough. Unlike the rolling hills and river valleys of Iowa, Nebraska appears to be 99 percent hill free. The highway follows the Platte River, which is long but not much of a river. The average person could easily wade across in without getting much more than their knees wet. Due to sporadic rain and sandy soil, irrigation is used to make the crops grow. Nebraska corn doesn’t look quite the same as the tall stalks of Iowa or Illinois.
The road is straight, very straight. Somebody made the comment you might be able to tie the steering wheel, take an hour nap and still find yourself in the proper lane when you woke up. I wondered about the comment for several hours before research uncovered this factoid:
“The longest straight stretch of Interstate anywhere in the Interstate Highway System is the approximately 72 miles (116 km) of I-80 occurring between exit 318 in the Grand Island area and mile marker 390 near Lincoln. Along this length, the road does not vary from an ideally straight line by more than a few yards.”
That is a very and boring drive. However, I did discover a great restaurant. The Donner Party should have stopped at Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse in Paxton, Nebraska. Just Saying…
