8 July 2006: Omaha, NE to (almost) Coralville, IAFirst, before we begin, we have a wedding today (the "real" today, 8 July)! Please extend your congratulations and blessings to Cyndil and Tony as they turn towards their new lives together. The very best!Back to the road. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish photography today before twilight due to a couple of detours I took (one for a well-marked old alignment of US 6 and another because Dad would never forgive me if I missed this ... read on), so this doesn't get quite all the way to Coralville. I'll do it in the morning early after first light. Today's odometer start was 95902 with 177 pictures taken.
Picking back up on the US 6 freeway in Omaha, which is not quite finished and breaks back down into expressway at this (I think) rather arresting point with the new bridgework snaking overhead.
Well, Marlin, I'm here with a fascinating species, the male Roadgeeka ushighwayus. Now, Marlin, these strange creatures are tool users and habitually carry devices to capture their surroundings. Ah, yes, there's a GPS in his burrow and a Palm Pilot, and typical of the genus, this one also has a camera. Let's take it from him and ... er, ... oh my ... he seems to be a bit perturbed. Jim, I don't think that was such a good idea. Well, Marlin, I think he'll get used to it soo ... no, that's just him smiling. He does have pretty big teeth though, but we'll show the viewers what pictures he's shoOOW! That was my hand! grRRRRRR RRRRRRRRR Get off of me! Get him OFF! RRRROAAAAAAAARRRR AGHRAGHRPAHTPTHTH! Help me! RRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRR!!! Thanks for that, Jim. Let's take a commercial break.
This rest area along Interstate 80/US 6 seems more plush than the hotels I've been staying at. Maybe I should just sleep in the car?
John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in this house in Winterset, on 26 May 1907. His family moved to Glendale, CA in 1911 where his neighbours christened him "Duke" for his size, a nickname he preferred much over Marion. Though his early life was impoverished, he was able to get a football scholarship to USC which fell apart when he was injured in an accident. By then, however, he had already built a relationship with some of the local studios and started appearing in bit parts and as a prop man. Making his lead debut in "The Big Trail" (1930), it was director Raoul Walsh who christened him John Wayne. Though this film was a flop, he went on to others, notably John Ford's "Stagecoach" (1939) which was his first breakout role. Ford and Wayne, of course, had a prolific relationship and Wayne started in over twenty of his films over a 35-year period. The star of literally hundreds of films, commercial success and artistic recognition never seemed to occur together for him. Nevertheless, he was beloved by millions of fans, and his death of stomach cancer in 1979 left a great hole in the hearts of his admirers.
The Des Moines River, a tributary of the mighty Mississippi, flows through the city. This is from the US 6 bridge as it crosses it.
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