Heading Home ~ Omaha

August 18 ~ 20



This is a very, very long drive. Today is the first all day drive in deadheading home. Stop in North Platte, NE whose claim to fame is the 500,000 sand cranes that descend on town each year during their April migration. We’re descending for one night only at the Holiday RV Park (holidayparkne.com).

Never been to Omaha; and while reading up on it, find it is billed as the eighth wealthiest per capita city in the country….guess when you throw Warren Buffet in the mix, it gets a bit skewed!

We’ll spend our rest day poking around town….I’ve plotted some sights that I think should keep us occupied for the day....we had a hard time keeping busy for just the afternoon.

The Chamber of Commerce or somebody has come with a really cute way to identify points of interest. Giant pushpins mark the spot.






Went to the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge that connects Nebraska with Iowa across the Missouri River. It’s visually striking.

Rick is most intrigued, though, with the pretty substantial vibrations on the suspension wires. It’s not very windy, but the bridge is noticeably vibrating. Walk halfway across and figure we must have made it to Iowa.

The Old Market District is supposed to be “Omaha’s Jewel”. It’s a small attractive area with shops lining cobble stone streets. Find the shops surprisingly bohemian; nothing really interesting to us.

It’s too late to go to the zoo which I understand is very good. It’s too early to go to dinner, so we stop at the Upstream Brewing Company (upstreambrewing.com) for their happy hour; nicely priced drinks and a very good coconut shrimp appetizer.



The one thing we’ve really been looking forward to, is a great steak house. Two books, “1,000 Places to See…” and “Roadfood”, both recommende Johnny’s Café (johnnyscafe.com), supposedly an Omaha institution since 1922 located in the old stockyards. It was truly the worst meal I have ever eaten. Every single thing including the Chateaubriand was inedible. Not surprisingly, the waitress never asked us how it was, since our plates were nearly as full when we were finished.

Stayed at the "West Omaha" KOA (koa.com).  Not a fan of these places, but there are very few choices....at least this one had some premium sites that offered a nicer patio and furniture.  But to call this "Omaha" is a real stretch.....it's in Gretna and 23 miles from town.

Thank heavens we’re stopping outside Chicago tomorrow. Ready for some fun!