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!

Boulder Threedux

August 11~17

It will take us two days to get to Boulder….two very, long, boring days. We stayed in Rawlins, WY on the way west and opt to do that again……Western Hills Campground (westernhillscampground.com) is bare bones, but it’s a bearable one night stand and at least we know what to expect. Can’t stand some of the surprises we encounter.

Make it to Boulder in time for cocktails…..that is, after getting Tor in Jim and Linda’s driveway…..always a nail biting feat which Rick is getting amazingly good at.

We’re very comfortable in Tor….we don’t seem to notice how limited the space is….until you arrive at a home where you can walk more than a few feet and not run into a wall! Feels so good to have room, a garden where you can eat outside and a shower that feels absolutely huge!

We always have such a good time at the Boulder Cunninghams’….party hearty! And it’s so good to spend more time with "Big Jim".

Rick occupies most of the daylight hours working on Tor….big surprise! He takes Tor to the spa for an oil change and tire rotation, but the bigger deal is putting in a new kitchen vent and fan.

We had a minor episode on the way to Park City. One of the hatches on the ceiling decided to open itself while we were driving…..I cranked it down, but not too long later, it not only opened, but pieces of the cover ripped open leaving us with a hazard that could blow off completely and land on someone’s windshield. There was nowhere to pull over, so we were forced to drive the rest of the way to Park City with our fingers crossed. No one got hurt! Made it to the RV resort where it promptly blew off in a gust of wind. Rick configured a temporary fix with towels, cardboard and duct tape! Unattractive, but functional! We picked up a new cover and this time added a fan to help with the kitchen heat…..better than new!

Mostly caught up with family and life chores during our week in Boulder, but got out a few times. Ate at a neat restaurant, Bacco Boulder (baccoboulder.com), a trattoria and mozzarella bar…..never heard of that one before.

To an Asian/Pacific festival on the mall.

Followed by margaritas on a roof deck.

Took a picnic to Chautauqua (chautauqua.com), a National Historic Landmark built in 1898, to hear a Neville Brothers Concert.

We didn’t have tickets so we were just going to sit outside. Then nephew Jason, walks in with four tickets in hand that he scored from a radio station doing a promotional feed. Tres cool.

Leaving in the morning….1973 miles to go until we reach Newport, RI. Fashioned a route where we drive two days, then rest for a day or so. If all goes as planned, we’ll arrive Newport September 1.

Park City Redux

August 6 ~ 9

It always astonishes me how far Boulder is....seems so far west when you're in the east....so much further east when you're coming from the west!  It will take us four pretty long driving days to get there, so we decide to stop in Park City again for a couple of days respite.

The long drive proved more interesting than we anticipated.  We drove through stark mountains.












And the Bonneville Salt Flats, which were really interesting.  Rick needed to feel the sand and reported it was as hard as concrete.  Must be fascinating to see the speed races there.

Saw some fascinating rock formations.

And drove the highway that essentially splits The Great Salt Lake.

We came to Park City mostly because some of the things we wanted to see at Olympic Park weren't open when we were here in May.

The facilities have developed into a fantastic sports camp and training center.  Ski jumps now land in a pool and kids as young as six are doing flips and aerial rotations.  We sat and watched for an hour.

 Over the ski jumps where winter practice takes place, there's now a couple of ziplines.

There are professional shows on the pool jumps every Saturday during the season at 1pm.  Would have loved to have seen that.

It's so interesting to return to a city where you've spent just a little amount of time.  We stayed at Park City RV Resort  (parkcityrvresort.com) again because we knew it and found the facilities and people very nice. The "E" row offers a pleasant view of a hilltop in the front and Olympic park behind you....other sites not so much.  Going to the Whole Foods was funny because we knew exactly where everything was....the same with the liquor store. 

The only disturbing thing about this little visit was a little visit from a mouse!  Think he must have come up  the tire through the steering wheel or pedal floor openings.  It was the morning we were leaving and I freaked out!  Ran to the grocery and bought traps....Rick set them and we went out to breakfast.....came back and they were untouched....sat in the car a bit as we thought the quiet in the coach might bring him out.....half hour later, nothing.  Rick finally convinced me to get in Gigantor, which I very unwillingly did.  We left and never saw it again....must've left through the same opening when he heard me scream!

Two more days of driving to get to Boulder where we will spend some time with Rick's family.