Everything fell in place for me to visit again last month. And so, on the Saturday morning of March 23, I got into Avila, and made my way westward. It was kind of like on that Saturday, March 2, 2013, when I was with my group making our way westward, mostly along I-80, through Illinois and Iowa toward Missouri River country into the Siouxland.
This part of the country is often referred to as the Heartland of the United States.
As part of embracing the places of my travels enroute, I made a point to patronize local businesses. There are many chain restaurants that concentrate around interstate exits, so when I saw a sign for Rip's Chicken, I figured it was a good time to pull off for lunch.
I ended up in Ladd, IL, a small town, as reflected by how the public library is about the size of the workroom at the library where I work. Apparently, Rip's is a notable place to get some fried chicken in Ladd, and my sandwich was pretty good, even though I didn't' realize it was a restaurant that was actually called Rip's Tavern, which made it challenging for me to find at first, nor did it have the atmosphere I was expecting.
I crossed over the Mississippi River, a prominent geographical feature in the central US. The river was pretty swollen, overflowing its banks significantly, but not affecting I-80.
Continuing along, I saw signs along I-80 noting the location of plenty of chain restaurants and hotels, but also the interesting, unique sights in towns along the way, like a Bill of Rights Monument in Montezuma, IA, and the Herbert Hoover birth sites in West Branch.
In the far west of Iowa, I left I-80 to head west on the I-680 bypass, and then turned northward onto I-29. There were signs along the side of I-29 marking it as the approximate path of the Lewis and Clark National Trail. Notably, March 23 was the day the expedition started heading back east from their camp near the Pacific Ocean.
It was a fairly wide open road as I headed north. Upon reaching Onawa, I exited, and headed west, and then crossed the Missouri River. It looked a bit swollen, but again, did not affect my ability to cross over it, unlike areas to the south that were still pretty flooded--in fact, signs along I-80 indicated detours for I-29 south of I-680. On the other side of the Missouri, I was in Nebraska, and upon reaching US 75 in the heart of the locality of Decatur, I headed north. Driving on that road really stirred something in my soul as I recalled how significant of a week I had in the hills of eastern Nebraska.
I finally reached the St. Augustine rectory around 8 PM, nearly 10 hours after I left Oak Park. Even at that hour, because of its location so near the western edge of the Central Time Zone, it was still fairly light out. Father Mark offered to take me to dinner at a truck stop restaurant called Crystal Cafe. We had a nice time visiting during the drive and over dinner. It was also great patronizing a local place, and to take in local fare: I had a hot hamburger sandwich with mashed potatoes and covered in gravy, and on the side, hamburger soup, which was basically ground beef in beef broth--please see the photo below. (And please note, all photos in this post are mine, unless otherwise noted.)
Both items seemed evocative of Nebraska as cattle country, the state of Omaha Steaks.
The next morning, I went to Walthill to visit the inside of St. Joseph. I noted was how well refurbished the washrooms were. One of the projects our group had there was demolition work, removing the wooden walls in the washrooms, which have since been made up with a fine white paint job.
Then it was back to Winnebago for 10 AM Mass at St. Augustine Church. March 24 in this year 2019 was the 3rd Sunday of Lent, and when I went there 6 years ago, Sunday, March 3, was the 3rd Sunday of Lent, and I heard the same set of readings then as were proclaimed on this day I was there visiting.
In his homily, Father Mark had us reflect on those big questions about who God is, whether He is distant or close, and whether or not we believe that He loves us. It is these kinds of questions that help us grow in faith. This reflection helped me think about how my relationship with God grew during that week in 2013, helping me solidify what I believe as I put faith into action, making the ground of St. Augustine holy by serving in the same spirit as St. Katharine Drexel who founded this mission and walked these grounds.
For lunch, I went to South Sioux City to a restaurant called Mi Familia, in company with Lynnette, a friend from my days at ValpU. We had a great time sharing about things going on in our lives. It was particularly fascinating to hear about what Lynnette has been up to as a TV meteorologist for a local station.
Following lunch, I took a joy drive into the southeastern tip of South Dakota to the North Sioux City Public Library. I then turned around and went back into Sioux City, IA, and spent some time visiting the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center and the Betty Strong Encounter Center. I was intrigued to see photos from this year's St. Augustine calendar on display in a gallery there. I also spend time looking at the exhibits, which even explained some of the finer day-to-day details of the expedition.
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| A model of the expedition's keelboat, made out of Lego pieces |
When I inquired about postcards for purchase, the friendly woman at the museum directed me to the boat museum/visitors' center a short walk away. It was fascinating to look at the exhibits in the boat, once used on the Missouri River, about the river and the boat.
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| Inside the boat |
And I found postcards among the many great offerings of merchandise pertaining to the three states that meet at Sioux City, IA.
After a while, I headed back south to Winnebago to Jesus Our Savior Lutheran Church for an Ecumenical Prayer Service for churches in Eastern Thurston County. At first, I didn't see the church right away, because it was in a trailer building (please see photo below) nestled among other trailer buildings nearby.
It was amazing that a small space could be used so well for our prayer and then our fellowship, which you can see in the photo below.
Pastor Ricky offered a great message about the cup of God's wrath, which we deserved on account of our sins, that Jesus took on our behalf so that we could one day enter into His presence in the fullness of Life. We had a wonderful time of prayer and singing, followed by a meal with a good time of fellowship. I was glad that I had the chance to participate in this prayer service, and join with other Christians in celebrating those principles of faith that we share in common during this season of Lent that leads us to the days of the Triduum at the heart of our one Christian faith.
I left the Lutheran church and drove south to visit Rosalie, to reconnect with the place where I had the extraordinarily profound experience of participating in the sweat lodge ceremony.
Then I went back to St. Augustine to settle in for the night.
I was up shortly before 6 AM the following morning. While I got myself ready, I tuned in to the morning news program and saw Lynnette give the weather broadcast.
Then, in the night-like darkness, I walked to the Church for 6:30 Mass, for the very special Solemnity of the Annunciation. I had been thinking a lot about the themes of that story owing to the theme of World Youth Day 2019, another profound faith experience in my life, and it was fitting to attend Mass this day and celebrate this feast while renewing myself in my commitment to following Mary's example of saying "Yes" to God, as I did when I came to St. Augustine in 2013. (At a place where I had such an incredible experience of faith, it was amazing to take stock of how God keeps providing me yet another amazing experience of faith on top of what I've already had, as the St. Augustine service trip was followed by other great times, including World Youth Day.)
After Mass concluded, Father Mark offered me the chance to join him and the associate pastor Father Mark for breakfast at Crystal Cafe. It was, again, another great time of visiting while we shared our meal.
Following our meal, we took associate pastor Father Mark to his appointment in Sioux City, IA, and then crossed back into Nebraska, and then back to Winnebago.
I got myself packed and then began my journey back home just before 10 AM, stopping at the local post office to mail postcards.
Heading eastward, it was wonderful soaking in the beauty of the American heartland through those wide open fields.
Upon reaching the Des Moines Metro Area, I decided not to follow I-80, but drive on I-235, which took me into central Des Moines, with a stunning view of the Iowa State Capitol. Once I had rejoined I-80, I started looking out for a place to eat lunch.
I ended up at a place called Bianchi Boys Pizza and Pasta, in the east suburb of Altoona, another fine local place, where I enjoyed a tasty salad and South of the Border pizza, which was basically like taco filling on a pizza--similar to the pizza I ordered at Harris Pizza in the Quad Cities last summer.
Near the end of my meal, as I conversed with the waitress, I ended up belting out the lyrics of the "Ioway" song from State Fair.
From there, I continued my easterly trek soaking in the wide open fields and the signs for the unique local attractions. Near Walcott, I exited and went to gas up at the BP Station at the World's Largest Truck Stop--please see photo below.
From there, it was a short distance to crossing the Mississippi River and returning to Illinois. The sun shone brightly on the Illinois fields as it continued its trek westward, while I headed eastward. I arrived home right around 7 PM. The odometer, which I had running continously since I left, showed nearly 1159 miles, for my trip there and back, as well as in driving around in the Siouxland.
I certainly count my service week in Winnebago as one of the most significant experiences of my life, because it touched the heart of my life in such profound ways.
That's why it was so special to go back there and reconnect with that week, and feel my heart and soul stirred again. And throughout my time on this trip, I was able to probe into the heart of the United States and the particulars of various localities that speak to the heart of the people who call them home. And there were other great opportunities during the trip, too, seeing the sights and other visits I had with people.
In all that I experienced, I came in tune with various aspects of who I am, and I was reminded that who I am is so connected with all that surrounds me.
All my relations.
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| Father Mark Beran photographed me in the St. Augustine Church following the conclusion of Mass on March 25. |
