Saturday, April 23
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Once named Kanesville, this was a site of early Mormon settlement. It was here that the Twelve Apostles organized the heiracy of the church to include the First Presidency. Here, also, Oliver Cowdrey, witness to Joseph Smith’s revelations, rejoined the membership and provided his testimony to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
Omaha, Nebraska
Across the Missouri River, connected by the Mormon Memorial Pioneer Bridge, lies Omaha. The Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel in Omaha is providing an opulent respite to those of us pioneers following the Trail,. Ha Ha.
Stopping on the way to the hotel to do my laundry was a fun experience. I have always loved laundromats. The Oasis, on Hurley Ave near me in Sacramento, is one of my favorite places. Laundroworld in Omaha is the World’s Largest Laundromat! It has washing machines that hold 10 loads. The dryers are quite ordinary, a real disappointment. The clientele was primarily American Indian who were so lovely with their children and who found me quite amusing.
The Cottonwood Bar in the basement is providing me shelter this afternoon from a tornado warning. The storm started late afternoon with severe thunderstorm warnings. The sky was black, waves of heavy rain and hail. The ceiling in the lobby was of glass -the rain and hail pounded on it and caused quite a roar. We were told to leave the lobby and go to the basement. Little did I know that there was a cosy bar here which filled with people all excitedly yammering.
Christian, aged 8, from New York , is sitting next to me. He told me that the storm was very rough, very strong, very dirty and brutal. The family was outside when it hit- rain hurt when it hit skin, like nothing he had ever seen. It was weird- both dry and wet. His family was screaming. His parents are a young, attractive friendly couple with two children. They flew to Omaha for Spring Break. After about 30 minutes, we were released from our shelter. I loved every minute of this potential tornado.
Today I visited the Winter Quarters Visitor Center, the Temple Grounds and the Mormon cemetery containing the unmarked remains of hundreds of the pioneers. When they arrived in Winter Quarters, they were in very bad shape. The trip across Iowa was the hardest part of the entire journey- incessant rain, deep mud, swollen rivers, broken wagon wheels- pure misery. The leaders negotiated with the local Pottawattamie to stay for two years for rest and recuperation. Many died, or were sick, of cholera, scurvy, respiratory problems, and exhaustion. It was apparent that their organizational methods were poor, as was, perhaps, their discipline. It was here that Joseph Smith was elected by the Twelve Apostles to become President and Prophet. He put his efforts into a massive reorganization of logistics to make the future trip to the Salt Lake Valley safer and easier.
Sitting at the bar with a Reuben sandwich for dinner, I entered into a conversation with a woman , Amber, who was there for a company(?) meeting. We got talking about writing, and, to my shock and dismay, she explained that her daughter, Karly, had been killed in a mass murder attempt in 2022 at a party there in Omaha. She talked of the lengthy, horrific legal battles that ensued and of her efforts to get laws clarified that would more adequately punish repeat felon offenders. Her website is KarlyRain.com. The website documents a mother’s efforts to get some justice for her daughter. It would be worth your time to have a look at it. Amber gave me a bracelet that says REMEMBERRT KARLY RAIN LOVE LIFE. LOVE YOURSELF. I shall wear it.
After Amber rejoined her group, the bartender told me that she lost two daughters- one was stillborn, the other with severe head trauma when the military jeep she was in turned over.
The thunder was unlike thunder I have heard before. Not a big clap. Instead, a steady rumble that seemed to come from behind me, over my head, forward, and then to both sides and back again. It went on for several minutes. Sometimes it sounded like peals, other times like rolls and rumbles. This was perhaps a supercell thunderstorm, which is responsible for significant tornado production. This tornado was rated EF-3 with wind gusts up to 140 mph. It lasted 20 minutes and impacted several homes and businesses. It skirted about north Omaha, exactly where I was.