ARBOR DAY FARM EXPEDITION!

One definition of the word arbor is "a leafy, shady recess formed by tree branches and shrubs."  With that in mind, this photo could illustrate an arbor, with a paved path passing through it.    If you want to see multiple examples of arbors, I would encourage you to visit Arbor Day Farm (www.ArborDayFarm.org).

On road trips out west, I have repeatedly driven by the sign in Nebraska City (www.nebraskacity.com), pointing to the Arbor Day Farm, and the Lied Lodge at Arbor Day Farm.  In 2023, I finally had the opportunity to stop and explore the property on my return trip between California and Arkansas.  To be clear, this is not a hotel for people who have told fibs, or "lied".  If that were the case, there would never, ever be any vacancies, because everyone has told some sort of lie during their lifetime!  Rather, it was named after Ernst F. Lied, a successful Omaha automobile dealer who made millions by investing in Las Vegas real estate.  He established the private, nonprofit Lied Foundation Trust, in 1972, and today the Lied name has come to symbolize philanthropic generosity nationwide.  

Instead of a place for liars, Lied Lodge, is a place for those who support conservation.  It is located on the 260-acre Arbor Day Farm (www.ArborDayFarm.org).  Every dime the travelers spend here, goes toward the foundation's mission of planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees.  The lodge has 140 guest rooms, including two suites.  The decor in the rooms is nature-inspired, with the views throughout being scenic and soothing.

The different types of wood used in the interior are all identified, as is the wood used in the guest room decor.  The Timber Dining Room is made from butternut trees.

The upper section of the two-story lobby is made from pecan .  

One can enjoy the ambiance of a fireplace on either the lobby level, or the lower level.

      

The lofty lobby is a perfect space to highlight these beautiful chandeliers:

The souvenir items in the gift shop utilize wood and sustainable materials, as opposed to the items one usually sees in a hotel gift shop:

Wherever your eye looks, one sees creative use of wood in the decor, such as these stackable wood chairs seen in the Conference room. 

Each chair is a work of excellent wood craftsmanship.

Although Arbor Day is a secular holiday, there is no denying that trees are indeed "The Gift of God".  

The Lied Lodge has a sustainable type of heating and cooling system, called biomass. The biomass used here, utilizes wood chips sourced from old wooden shipping pallets.     Guests can take a self-guided tour of the plant, which is open until 7 pm every day.  In addition to that tour,  the Fuelwood Energy Plant Gallery is a walk-through interactive exhibit, to learn about the process of turning trees into energy.

Some visitors have described their visit to Lied Lodge, as having a "camp" feeling.  It could be that singing campfire songs and sitting around an outdoor firepit enhances those feelings! The shrub-like planting between the firepit and the taller trees in the background is a 16-acre hazelnut grove.  It is an experimental plot where researchers are trying to develop a hybrid hazelnut variety that can adapt to a variety of harsh environmental conditions.  Hazelnuts are a good crop to study, because they are eaten by both wildlife and humans. 

Likewise, outdoor dining and picnicking can be enjoyed on the spacious upper porch at the Lied Lodge.

The white house that can be seen across the lawn and within the adjacent woods, is the original home of the Morton Family.  It was here in 1872 that the idea for the first Arbor Day began.  It was started as a way to encourage people everywhere to plant trees.  On the very first Arbor Day. nearly one million trees were planted in Nebraska.  The Morton home is now part of the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Mansion, and is under the direction of the Arbor Day Foundation.  It consists of 72 acres and includes the 52-room historic mansion (designed to look like the White House in Washington, D.C.).  Also one can visit an arboretum, Italian terraced garden, log cabin, carriage house, walking trails, plus more than 200 varieties of lilacs. It is possible to follow trails and sidewalks from Lied Lodge over to the state historical park.  J. Sterling Morton came to Nebraska City in 1855.  He and his wife, Caroline, were lovers of nature, and Morton served as Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland's administration.  It was in 1872 that he was instrumental in establishing the annual tree planting day, Arbor Day.  The name for the Morton Salt Company, also relates to a descendant of the same family.

A VARIETY of walkways are available, and most are wheelchair accessible.

One of the connecting trails between the Lied Lodge and the historic Morton mansion, has many types of surfaces, and passes through a variety of habitats.

 

This boardwalk goes through a wetlands area,and using the provided hand rail, the rail would even be suitable for guiding a blind person.  The photo below with the railing,  is the image I am using for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses, that says, "We walk by faith, not by sight." from 2 Corinthians 5:7. 

Another Scripture verse that came to mind as I was strolling through this forest, was Isaiah 61:3 that says, "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD, to display His splendor."  The "oaks of righteousness" phrase, is a metaphor for living in a way, that pleases God.

This visit to the Nebraska City Arbor Day Farm, increased my desire to live my life so I can be counted among the "Oaks of Righteousness", and it gave me MILES OF SMLES!  Tricia