On the way from Canton, MO, to Lincoln, NE, we passed through St. Joseph again, prompting a strange and intense deja vu. We ate at Culver’s. We pressed on.

After touring for over a week, Lincoln was the first real city we visited. Our client, Nebraska Wesleyan University, put us up at the Cornhusker Marriott downtown, which by far the nicest, swankiest hotel of the tour. Of course, that also meant no continental breakfast. Oh, well.

We encountered more hotel problems at The Cornhusker. Apparently the hotel hadn’t gotten a direct-bill document from the school or whatever, so they couldn’t let us in. They said that we could put down a credit card, and they would take the charge off when the school came through. Bethany had no credit card, the only one I had in my wallet didn’t have enough room, ditto for Amber, and Sam didn’t bring his. Bethany called our agent. We waited.

After a while, Sam hopped up and checked his bags with the front desk. He wanted to walk around downtown and get some air. Amber and I followed suit while Bethany waited in the lobby.

Amber, Sam, and I made our way to a Starbucks where Amber, a former Starbucks employee, counseled Sam on which beverages he might enjoy. The weather was wonderful, and we were grateful to be able to wander. While we were out, Bethany called Amber to let us know that the school came through, and we could get into our hotel rooms.

Nebraska Wesleyan enjoyed a performance of “Strange Like Me.” In a video that Ben (my counterpart) shot of their tour last year (which is basically our tour this year), he identified our contact Andy as a close talker. He was absolutely correct. After the show, we raced back downtown for dinner. We ventured into the bar-and-restaurant-saturated district of downtown Lincoln called Haymarket Square, where we ate at Lazlo’s. It was a brewery, and we ordered beer samplers in honor of Michael, our absent boss. Even Amber got a beer sampler, which we thought was very out of character.

We feasted on more Omaha steaks. I had a prime rib, a baked potato, and a Caesar salad. The food was amazing, the beer was great, our waitstaff was wonderful, and we agreed that it was far and away the best meal of the tour. Sam and I were overstuffed and groaned about it the whole walk back to the hotel.

The next morning, I woke up early, tossed my luggage in the car, and wandered Lincoln with my camera. I returned to the Starbucks for a frappucino, and the middle-aged barista stared conspicuously at the “Are You Strange Like Me?” button on my camera strap while I ordered. The sun was shining and the air was cool as I walked alone through the streets of downtown Lincoln, which were much quieter than they had been the night before. The only thing that could’ve made the morning better would’ve been free breakfast, but oh, well.

Next stop: Dubuque, Iowa.