Heritage Gateways

Osamu Sekiguchi Journals

May 27, 1997

Location: Lisco, Nebraska - Location: 41:29:50N 102:37:11W

Summary: Tuesday, May 27 (Cloudy sometimes rain) Lisco - [Chicken, anyone?]

Journal entry: [Translated by Tomoko Nakayama]

Latitude: 41 degrees 29.356" Longtitude: 102 degrees 35.401"

Lisco's camping place was awful. It was a meadow filled with dung. Moreover, there was a Union Pacific rail line 60 feet from the other side of the road. We secured a place for our tent by kicking the dung around us, but the strange smell filled our tent. Furthermore, it was obvious that the dung scattered on the damp ground would stick our Dunlop tent. Worse that this was a rooster. I don't know whose rooster is was, but someone had brought the rooster from the beginning of the trail.

People are uncomfortable with stink, noise and being wet. I can get used to the stink and being wet, but the whistle of the Union Pacific train which passes in the middle of the night and a rooster that starts crowing around 4 a.m.rubs me the wrong way.

"Do Japanese eat chicken?"

Heber asked me. Immediately I understand what he wants to say. Heber has a lot of power, and it seemed like he was a football player. There maybe no person who is stronger than he among people who are participating in the pioneer trek. His eyes are always bloodshot, but he is very nice to my children, so I feel secure about him. Heber is gazing at the rooster. I want him to do it so that everybody can sleep. If he doesn't do it, I will have to cut the rope of a big dog named Egore that Kimbary keeps. Either way, both are very reliable ways of getting rid of the rooster.