Omaha, NE - Music Lessons, Horseback Riding, Fishing

Day #9-13 (August 9, 2022): It was bittersweet saying good-bye to Kansas City. The heat of the Midwest was intense and hard to describe even for a Florida-native as Emily, but KC’s BBQ and its emphasis on brisket (Emily’s personal favorite) ….mmm….so good!! Off to Nebraska! We drove along the western borders of Missouri and then Iowa into Nebraska, seeing miles after miles of fields of corn and soybeans, then soybeans and corn. We stayed at Eugene Mahoney State Park in Ashland, NE, which is in between Omaha and Lincoln.

We got our fill of city life in St Louis & Kansas City, and we were ready for some shade, recreation, and a slower pace. After parking the RV, we headed straight to the Activity Center, where the kids laughed and laughed while they slid down the slides.

Day #10 (August 10, 2022): After school work and virtual music lessons, Emily and the girls went to nearby Platte River State Park to ride horses.

We had a great time. It was a more shaded trail than Eugene Mahoney’s and worth the 10 minute drive down the road for a cooler ride. We had an ideal spot on the lake at Eugene Mahoney, so after dinner, Chris got out a fishing pole and bought a small cup of worms. We all got a kick at how fast the catch-and-release brim bite the bait! Cast your hook in the water, watch your bobber, and within seconds, you’ve got a bite! The kids raced to see who could catch a fish and reel it in the fastest. Timer started when the hook hit the water, and it stopped when the fish was raised out of the water. Only one pole at a time. Ready, set, go! Bethany was repeatedly the winner every.single.round! Neil gave up when he hadn’t caught a fish by the end of a whole 2 minutes after seeing the others catch them so quickly. I think he was the only one that took more than 60 seconds. LOL! Best time of the night: Bethany at 11.9 seconds! Impressive!

Day #11 (August 11, 2022): Knowing we were headed for more state parks in South Dakota where full hook-ups were not available and unable to secure a full hook-up spot at Eugene Mahoney, we decided to pack up after 2 nights and move down the road to the newer RV campground at Platte River State Park. Chris’s new favorite words: “Pull through, full hookups.” LOL! Thank you, Platte River! After moving spots and finishing schoolwork, the kids and Emily left for the afternoon to give Chris a quiet office to work. We ventured off to nearby Louisville State Park to enjoy their sandy beach on their lake. It definitely wasn’t the snow-white sand or clear waters of the Gulf Coast, but the kids didn’t care. This was their first time to swim since leaving Nashville. They spent hours wrestling in the lake, thankful for a cool place to get wet and to get a break from the Midwest’s intense heat.

Day #12 (August 12, 2022): The kids were less than impressed with the waterfall hike at Platte River after going on so many waterfall hikes in Middle Tennessee with Uncle Jay. LOL! We quickly got our fill of paddle boats after trying to race across the pond. Wow! We are all out of shape! Paddle Boats will wear you out fast if you try to sprint across a lake! Not recommended. Slow and steady if you want to get your full time’s worth. Thankfully, we only paid for 30 minutes! LOL!

Exhausted, we loaded up in the truck and drove back down the road so the kids could swim again at the lake at Louisville State Park. Later that afternoon, we drove through the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park and admired the elk, bison, black bear, pelicans, cranes, and raccoons. We were disappointed that we could not spot the wolves in their area, but we still had a good time, nonetheless.

Day #13 (August 13, 2022): It is amazing how much Nebraskans use and enjoy their state parks. The vast majority of license plates that we saw in the 3 state parks we visited were from Nebraska. Because it was past peak season, the pool and water slides had been closed all week at Eugene Mahoney State Park, only weekend hours. We arrived at the pool at 11 am, not realizing the pool didn’t open ‘til noon. We were surprised that there was a handful of people already waiting at the gate, but we didn’t think too much about it. Just thought they too had the time wrong and would rather sit and wait. We decided to go back to the Activity Center so this time the kids could try out the rock walls and bouldering while we waited on the pool to open. At 12:45, we got back in the truck and headed back to the pool. We were shocked to see the line of people waiting to pay their admission fee and go swim! It was unbelievable! For us, it was a quick change in plans. No thank you! As we continued to drive by, we noticed that the inside of the fence was lined with peoples’ bags as there were not any available chairs or tables left to put their stuff. What few chairs were there were already full. I don’t know where all the people fit and where everyone outside the gate was going to go. It isn’t that big of a complex! And where did all these people come from?!? I don’t think they were all campers. There must not be too many pools in that part of the country! Back to the murky, sandy beach we went. Unfortunately, that place was packed too. The kids got wet but were out pretty fast since it was so crowded. LOL! That evening, the girls and Emily decided to go to the Cass County Fair.

August is Fair season after all! We watched the parade (and collected loads of candy), walked through the exhibits, ate snow cones and funnel cake, and walked through the Funny Farm. It was very small compared to Williamson County’s Fair back home, but it was still fun to experience and to see Nebraskans enjoying their Fair.

No doubt, the girls’ (and Mac’s) favorite thing about Nebraska was the awesome dog park at Platte River State Park. They absolutely loved it and spent every spare minute there. They loved working with Mac on its dog obstacle course. They say Mac’s favorite element was the ramp.