Day 3 (part 2) - The great Jubilee/Benedictine/48-state Pilgrimage of 2025!

 As I said, Day 3 was a pretty long day...we began in the Northwest corner of Missouri and ended in the Northwest corner of Nebraska...lots of miles (with some fun mixed in).

We passed through Iowa briefly so that DH could collect his state then onto Nebraska, which he also needed. Our destination was the very corner...Nebraska City, NE. First stop, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive center. This was the second time for 6 of us, although it may have seemed like the first for the little two. You can check out our first visit HERE. 

It's always fun for me when we go back to a place that we've been to years prior. Still, it had to be quick, there were many more miles to go.

We stopped down the road at St. Benedict church (also a revisit and a Jubilee site because it's the oldest Catholic church in Nebraska!). Moving on, we headed to Holy Family Shrine in Gretna, NE. It was a Jubilee site and a pretty beautiful shrine, up on the hill. The odd thing was the water that was purposefully channeled down the sidewalk from the visitor's center, into and through the chapel (look for the rectangles at the end of the pews) and resting below the altar which, basically, floated above the pool. Odd, but interesting. 

By now, everyone was hungry so, in search of true "Nebraska" food, we stopped by a Runza shop. 

A runza is a savory, pocket-like sandwich with a yeasted bread dough encasing a filling of seasoned ground beef, onion, and cabbage. 

• .

  Runzas are a variation of the bierock, a traditional pastry brought to the United States by German-Russian immigrants who settled in the Midwest in the late 19th century.
• Nebraska Staple:

  .

  The first Runza Drive Inn opened in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1949, and the sandwich has since become a beloved, unofficial state food.

I'm not sure about the final vote. I know one of the kids didn't even try it. It was ok...a bit like a cheesesteak but different because of the cabbage.

We pressed on to Schuyler, NE, home of the Christ the King Priory. In this retreat center, there are many interesting pieces of artwork and, the big draw, the Illuminated St. John's bible. Very beautiful things. 

We also stopped across the road at the small Benedictine monastery to say some prayers. One of the monks stopped us on the way in to say that the Prior was visiting from Germany but we were welcome to make use of the chapel. It was small, beautiful, peaceful (and it had candles!!!).

The door to the chapel

The exterior door of the monastery

Someone was kind enough to take a snap of the GPS from here - 5 hrs, 4 min to rest. It would prove to be the most trying drive...lousy, tiny, slow roads. The sunset, however, was unlike any I'd ever seen. Simply stunning. 

We arrived slightly after sunset,  started the laundry and settled into our new home. The best part of this place is the guy we shared it with :0)

We knew the owners were ranchers but I had to ask about this guy. The response:

☺️ So yes it is a longhorn steer. My husband used to go to the Ogallala NE sale barn as a kid and they would sell longhorns. He always wanted one for his wall, which isn't odd wall decor for sandhill ranches🤷‍♀️😂 so we took in that steer as a calf for some friends of ours. When they were ready for the meat, we got to keep the head. He was quite a nuisance for 7 years, jumping fences like a gazelle. He would just roam around wherever he wanted to go. And he became gigantic. We traded a deer hunt to a guy that did the taxidermy work. He didn't have a mold big enough and had to improvise. It took him 2 years and he said never again 😂 it is definitely a conversation piece and sometimes people walk right under it and don't notice him.

Traveling is always an adventure - you never know what you'll find! Until Day 4...we are blessed!