South to Iowa City

This is the first time on this tour we have actually backtracked, right down the same track, I-35.  And I find I don't mind.The town of Albert Lea stuck in my head anyway, or actually the Albert Lea rest stop on I-35 N, and I am happy to pass by it again.
When did you last learn something at a rest stop? Well, at Albert Lea rest stop I learned that all this part of the prairie was Dry Oak Savanna. Now I what I see out the window I look at differently.

This name, Blooming Prairie? It's a misnomer. This cleared land, whatever is grown on it and god bless the work, is a replacement for a magnificent oak forest that bloomed across the prairie as far as the eye could see.

I have always been intrigued by these little islands of domesticity in these vast fields. In the Winter they are even more touching.
Thanks to Albert Lea rest stop, I am seeing something new.

 These are islands of original prairie, with their Dry Oak forests. Think about that. Original prairie. And the are marked with little dots on a map at the Albert Lea rest stop.

We cross the Cedar River into Cedar Rapids, en route to Mount Vernon.

Why Mount Vernon? Because the Lincoln Cafe has such a great reputation? No, because my nephew Marco is entering Cornell College, Mount Vernon Iowa this Fall. Stay for a short tour of the campus.

Could we have visited on a more beautiful day? We took a back road from Mount Vernon to Iowa City, through Solon, and the area reminded John and me so much of upstate New York. It makes sense since New York State's heyday was the 1850's when Cornell was started.
Now I'll be able to picture you, Marco!

How's this for fancy? Iowa City!? Hotel Vetro. Fabulous decor, huge bathtub, lackluster Reception.
A short walk around the block in the third city to be designated a City of Literature by UNESCO.
(the other three?http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2008/november/112008unesco.html).
Prairie Lights shines in this context. a beautiful store that managed to turn out a lot of Sayles fans even after the Exodus: Iowa University just went on vacation.

They only have that one Prairie Lights sign in the window.

I always feel bad for the worker who has to man the cash register when the reading is going on in another part of the store.

The reading space is in a bright upstairs room and Paul does a passionate, funny introduction. He is a great John Sayles fan and is not afraid one little bit of John's politics. John reads "Wild Ride" which about Hogan's Army, the Western arm of Coxey's Army. Lost? Read the book!

 It was sweet-bittersweet to meet Mary, sister of Cora Bennett who was our pal Adam Lefevre's wife.

 And this lady (Barbara?) has been reading my blog, this blog, so of course I include her picture.

Nick from the Iowa Review wants to publish something of John's. Paul and John are being funny.
At dinner after I wished I was back at Lucia's. I am starting to remember how well-and healthily- we eat at home.

Minneapolis

I know I have been to Minneapolis in Spring and even Summer, but it's those cold Winter visits I remember, so this green drive is really a pleasure. We have so many friends from Minnesota and we list them and talk about them all.
This must be the 5th time we have seen a wind turbine propeller (are those the right words?) go by on a giant carrier.

 There are so many windmills here.

Giant fields of them. I still think they are beautiful.

I could tell you this was the Mississippi or the North Racoon or the South Skunk and you'd never know. Almost all my river photos look the same, I know. Blame the Highway Department for those concrete walls. All of them are full up and into the trees.

I never have anything nice to say about these fast food chains, but here I say to so many of them,
"THANK YOU". They have the best, cleanest restrooms and we stop at them often, just for that purpose. Look how colorful this one is.
Faulkner makes the miles fly by: Keith Carradine reads "Spotted Horses", Debra Winger reads "Barn Burning", and Arliss Howard reads "Wash". All read well and I am a Faulkner convert.
Suddenly, after hours of prairie, the Big Smoke.

The Normany is a classic 60's hotel in a neighborhood that has a confused identity now. Look at the pool in the atrium.

The hallways are paved with multicolored slate, shellacked, and the exterior looks the same as the walls in the pool room. It's French.

And Lucia's is American. American food at its best which means seasonal, fresh, and local. And a GREAT cocktail called a Vesper (equal parts gin and vodka, with Lillet, made like a martini). I found Lucia's on Tripadvisor by looking for a restaurant close to Magers &Quinn where John is reading tonight. Boy were we lucky.
Just a note on the AAA Travel Guide tips for restaurants: they may be recommending places where Americans go to stay fat.

Magers & Quinn is another fantastic bookstore. Smaller-much smaller-than Powell's but it reminds me of Powell's long ago. Shelves and shelves of books, new and used mixed and not too carefully filed so you do a little more looking somehow. Dave Enyeart is the event coordinator and he and his crew are happy to have us there.

John reads "Tramps" in a slightly different edit, tending towards the Ojibway character Big Ten. The audience loves it and loves him. They buy a lot of books and I see a couple of fans ordering THINKING IN PICTURES to learn more about how John thinks and writes.

Here is John with Al Milgrom. If John is the godfather of US Independents, Al is the grandfather of the US Art House. Talking with Al was a nice way to end a great night.

Good night, Minneapolis.

I-80 Nebraska

That is the name of the first short story John ever had published, by Atlantic Monthly in, what, 1975? It was about a renegade trucker, going crazy on too many pills, riding with a load of rotting beef.  Most of the talk is on CB radios. Remember CB radios?
Now we are in our rented Prius, listening in out little capsule to Faulkner on an ipod. 

We arrive at our hotel in downtown Omaha in mid-afternoon on Memorial Day. I love this hotel. I love an old downtown hotel that has done a good job of renovating. Can you tell these are wonderful chandeliers in the lobby?

It's a space-age shape, all described in crystals. And look at this wonderful courtyard. You could have a good party here.

All hotels should have free wireless internet, as the Magnolia does. Seldom do you get free internet in the high-end hotels which is nuts when you are paying all that money. The Magnolia and all the other hotels we are staying in have free wireless. That's one of my criteria.
We both do some work, then go down to the bar for free happy hour (another bonus at the Magnolia) and then out for a look around.
This area is halfway through transition to trendy, I guess.
Plenty of old buildings preserved thoughtfully.

Somebody thought of a cool old-new way to advertise the new businesses.

And there are funky stores and some Art

And a lot of plaques for what used to be. This tells us this building had a swimming pool in its basement.

"Pave paradise, put up a parking lot". I complain to John a lot about that here in Omaha. Big chunky parking garages ruining every corner. Joni Mitchell had no idea...
It's incredibly windy. We left North Platte a little concerned about storms in Minnesota reaching as far west as Omaha.
Can you see the wind in this picture?

Our nice waiter at Magnolia assures us we will be safe in this strong, old building. Maybe we'll have thunderstorms. We are tucked so deep in the Magnolia that we don't hear a thing.

I think the architect was thinking of Paris.
We sleep like tops and have a quick breakfast in the groovy bar. These free breakfasts are a nice feature of American hotels, one that has finally caught on.

And we're off to Minneapolis. It's been nice to have a day off.

10 minutes at the Normandy Hotel in Minneapolis

John is finishing the laundry and I'm catching up while listening to NPR.
Our pal Glenda Carino from Seattle just sent me a great photo from the reading at Elliott Bay, Seattle.

Here's John with Steve Earle. Steve is a triple threat these days, touring with the book and then with the music, and we just heard Treme is renewed for another season so he'll be back on TV as HARLEY.
You can learn all about him at http://steveearle.com/. Good luck, Steve Earle.