Nomad Life - Day 156

Somehow, I woke up at 0530 without needing my alarm!  I was teleworking by 0600 and only took one short break to pick up breakfast in the lobby of the Rodeway Inn (Lincoln).  This time, the lady at the front desk was very nice and let me have several additional granola bars (making my meal more substantial).  Otherwise, I kept working for the rest of the morning and, at noon, made lunch in the room.  My telework day ended at 1500 and I then spent time doing some Thanksgiving planning, making business phone calls, etc. As a result, I didn't leave my hotel room until much later than I'd planned.  This (intentional) delay caused me to miss out on the best weather day of the week - temps were in the mid 30s and there was some good sunlight.  Even more indicative of the great conditions: ice melted in the parking lot and I could see the parking spot lines for the first time!  Finally, at 1645, I left the hotel and drove east (via US-6), searching for a place to park at University of Nebraska Lincoln.  This goal was much harder to achieve than I'd hoped - there were so many rules, so many strange directional signs and so many restrictions!  It wasn't until just before 1700 when I gave up on parking on the camps and got out of my car at the lot next to the Amtrak Station (near the Pinnacle Bank Arena) again.  I'd thought that parking was free there after 5 PM but, unfortunately, the signs indicated it wouldn't be free until an hour later - dang!  From there, I resumed my search for parking closer to the center of "UNL".  Along the way, I drove through the area of town called the Historic Haystack District and realized this provided a reason for the name of the baseball field I'd passed earlier.  Actually, I'd been in this area the previous night (while looking for a way back to my hotel) but hadn't realized what it was.  The zone was filled with bars, shopping and an old-town vibe.  Not wanting to give up on learning about the campus, though, I ignored the urge to try out another Brewery...  Finally (1715), I decided to park in spots reserved for guests to the Natural History Museum.  Hoping to follow the rules on the signage, I walked around nearby, looking for the actual building.  Along the way, I was able to walk inside the College of Business building - it was very fancy.  Also in this area, I got up-close views of the Memorial (Football) Stadium.  Eventually, I spied a statue of a giant mammoth and realized I'd found the museum in question.  At the front door of the building, I discovered that they had just closed.  However, one member of the staff came outside to talk with me.  In addition to telling me not to worry about the parking enforcement, Adam (who was originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland), was a wealth of knowledge about fossil hunting in Nebraska.  He told me about the mammoth, affectionately named "Archie", and explained that "90 of 93 counties in Nebraska have fossils and the rest may too".  I was particularly fascinated to learn that one site (with prehistoric rhinoceros) was still being excavated and was open to the public during the summer.  This conversation was so true to my Nomad Life experiences that it definitely raised my spirts high!  After saying goodbye to Adam (1730), I wandered around the campus for the next  90 minutes.  Along the way, I visited the Nebraska Union and bought some dinner at Chick-fil-A (1750).  In addition, I passed several historical buildings, walked through the Sports Hall of Fame gateway and even watched classes taking place in buildings nearby.  One of these was clearly a classics or religion class because the monitor behind the professor showed diagrams of cathedrals.  Almost everyone I encountered was (at least) three decades younger than me - the campus was actually very busy and it was nice to see such active young people.  In the end (1850), I discovered that I had walked over four miles!  Overall, I felt good about what I'd seen.  Like last night, I had some trouble getting out of the area again and, even though I briefly considered stopping for a drink at the Kinkaider Brewing Company again and another place I passed ("Top Hat Pub"), I decided against staying out later.  Instead, I made my way (via I-180 and the Cornhusker Highway) towards I-80/US-77 and was back at my hotel by 1900.  I spent the rest of the evening catching up on eBird, Duolingo and reading.  Later, I watched one movie until bed time (2230).  Very glad that I was able to get a personal feel for one of the big features of Lincoln!