“Stuck” in Iowa City (but got to Chicago)
Chicago, Illinois
Foto Story
First the camera now the car… what’s going on???
The truck seemed to have some problems so Patrick thought to be wise to wait (until the next day) until a mechanic fixed what needed to be fixed to continue the trip… and he was right on doing that…
We had to stay in Iowa City so we desided to go to explore it and we found a major Avenue named : “Mormon Trail Blvd.”
After that hiden behind some trees we found an mormon pioneer camp.
It was pretty exciting.
Next day we got to Chicago, the city of Alcapone.
A city with beautiful, beautiful buildings…
The must do thig in Chicago is The Bean.
and nothing else but The Bean.
We got really creative with The Bean
Winter Quarters (Omaha, NE)
We woke up with the news that a tornado did some damage in Council Bluffs’ neighboring city, Omaha (Nebraska)
We went to check it out but by the time we got there it was all cleaned up.
Winter Quarters
It’s common to hear at church that it was easier to have faith in the pioneer times (having the prophet with them an all)
I never understood that believe. I mean, Mormons were kicked out from every single place they went or tried to settle. And when they found a place to build their own community people came to destroy it.
Their leaders were killed and they were force to keep looking a place where they could live according to their faith: Zion.
In the way they found more intolerance and suffering.
A memorial to that is Winter Quarters in Omaha. A place the pioneers used to wait for the cold winter to pass.
Seeing the temple behind the cemetery broke my heart, it made me feel proud of my faith and helped me to understand better the sacrifice that those strangers did for me.
The graveyards were truly a symbol of strong faith.
I believe that the pioneers made easier to have faith now days.
Council Bluffs’ Tragedy
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Tragedy
My camara broke!!!! I was so sad… after 4 years it finally desided to say good bye to me.
So many memories I froze in pictures with it. I already miss it.
Honestly i wanted to go home rigth after that. (There was not point to keep seeing places if i can not take pitures)
If you know me you know how sad I was for my lost. (The following was its last picture)
I am too sad to keep writing so… i guess nobody can descrive better what happened in Council Buffs than Patrick(So I stole what he posted in his blog)
I give you Brandi Carlile…(by Patrick F.)
For me priority one on this road trip was getting to Council Bluffs, IA to see Brandi Carlile. All else was planned around the concert. This meant that we had to rush through Yellowstone to be at Rapid City, WY by night. Well, trying to drive through Yellowstone in half a day is like Stephanie only doing one thing at a time in her life… impossible.
We didn’t make it to Rapid City until 12:30 am and we had difficulty finding a motel to stay in. Finally, around 1 am I found a room for $130. I woke Hernan up at 6:30 and we were out the door at 7 (basically I was paying for a shower and Hernan gets very grumpy if he doesn’t sleep in a bed, pansy).
After driving up a windy road we made it Mt. Rushmore. The heads, I thought, were surprisingly small. However, it’s nice and after a half hour we were ready to continue the drive to Council Bluffs, IA.
The concert started at 8 but the doors opened at 6:30 and I wanted to get there at 5 so that we could eat and drop our stuff at the hotel. Speeding the entire way, I managed to get us there at 5:30. We got a room next to the casino where Brandi was going to play. After get a very quick bite, I went and got us a table at the bar as that was the best place for a view that was left.
As I sat there, waiting for Hernan to finish eating and join me I looked around and it only took a few seconds to realize that not only was I surrounded by women but that most of them were a little too affectionate with each other, if you get my drift! Apparently, Brandi Carlile has a large lesbian following *(I’ll expound more later). I didn’t really care… I knew almost nothing about Brandi Carlile the person but her music I have listen to regularly since last summer and I LOVE it!!! After a guy named Tim Wildsmith opened and took way too long Brandi came out.
Oh my goodness, it was amazing. The whole evening she talked and sang and I was surprised that she sang just as well if not better than her albums. She really has a remarkable voice. I could understand how some may not like it but to me it sound honest and unpretentious. As if she holds nothing back and through her music channels the emotions that we all feel at times in our lives.
Later, as people were leaving I decided to look at the shirts and stuff they were selling. Most people were just leaving or had already bought things. There Hernan and I were standing almost in the front of the line and then I see, as if out of nowhere, Brandi in front of me. Like three feet. I nudged Hernan who stared for a while before it sunk in who was right there. I fought my way to stay in my spot. I bought two albums and she signed both them, then I asked her for a picture. I had only space for one picture on my camera. She put her arm around me and I put mine around her (oh yeah). As we posed the camera seemed to take for ever to go off. So part of that expression you see on my face is the thought running through my head, “OH, PLEASE camera do not fail me, NOT NOW!!!”
In short, the road trip would have been worth it just to experience that night. Here is her most famous song “The Story” as recorded by my camera. I love the way she screams it. You just feel it.
* I looked up later to find out Brandi Carlile’s sexual preference and there isn’t any real evidence one way or another. She does not talk at all about it. But she does dress kinda weird. In my head this is what I think… she looks like she was not the best looking girl when she was younger. So maybe she was a little lesbian or something. But now that she’s kinda hot she’s straight. That’s at least what I keep telling myself.
