Tuesday (6/23)  We went to the Strategic Air and Space Museum which has about 50 planes from WWII and forward.  The diamond of the collection is the SR-71 Reconnaissance  plane.   This plane travels so fast and creates so much heat that it is made out of 80% titanium and 20% black high-heat intensity paint. It can reach a speed of Mach III and fly 80,000 feet high.   None of the planes were airworthy and most were on loan from the military. The museum relies very heavily on volunteers and it is very obvious that the volunteers love being around these planes.  

From there we drove to Lincoln, NE, which is the capitol.  We visited The Museum of Nebraska History.  There was a special exhibit "What Did You Do in the War?  Nebraskans in WWII" The exhibit included an extensive collection of personal recollections, letters, military clothing, photos, and everyday items of the period.  Seeing all those personal artifacts that these people had saved all these years and now were sharing with others gave a high level of intimacy to the exhibit. The balance of the museum was dedicated to the history of Nebraska since becoming a state.  

We then walked over to the State Capitol Building.   Built in the from 1922 to 1932 at a cost of nine million dollars.  It is full of mosaic tile artwork and many vaulted ceilings.  There is symbolism throughout the entire building.  There were sections of the art work that were not completed until the 1960s because they stopped the art work in the building in the 1930s due to the depression.   Sometimes a tour is just a tour, but this tour was given by a young man who knew this building inside and out - he really added to the experience.

We have now moved on to Grand Island, NE, which is further west for a couple of days.   There are numerous attractions we want to see in this area.