Apr 25, 2012 - To Gretna, NE

It is decision time. If we get on the Interstate, it is two hours to Omaha. On the other hand, we can cross the Missouri River into Kansas and head north on the state roads. It is no contest. We head to the river. I wonder aloud if I have crossed the Missouri River before. I was south of it in St. Louis. I was north of it when we crossed Montana. John reminds me of the time we spent in North Dakota. He is right. I guess his geography lessons are paying off. This is a much better drive. We travel north on scenic Route 7. It is as if they...

Sep 29, 2011 - Gretna, NE - The Sergeant Floyd Memorial

(Ron Writing) Before leaving Sioux City we stopped by the Sargent Floyd Memorial just a couple miles south of where we were parked. Sergeant Floyd was a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition and died at this location where a small river empties into the Missouri River. He was the only member of the expedition that didn’t make it back alive – quite amazing considering the nature of their bold adventure into the uncharted lands of the west. He died of appendicitis. He was buried at this location and the little river was named the Floyd River...

Oct 26, 2010 - Boys' Town

We started the day with lunch at a local diner in Gretna. The food was okay and certainly reasonable. Iced tea was eighty cents and coffee was seventy. Meals were around $5.95. After lunch, we drove to Boys Town, which is now called Boys and Girls Town. We stopped at the Visitor Center and spoke with the lady at the desk. She told us that most of the children still come from Court referrals. They have an 85% success rate which they, of course, would like to see at 100%. There are now fourteen Boys Town locations throughout the country. The...

Oct 25, 2010 - Downtown and Vala's Pumpkin Patch

Today we decided to go to one of the Diner, Drive-ins and Dives but when we got there, we found that it was closed on Mondays and so we went on to another. This one, California Tacos and More, specializes in, what else, California Tacos. These are made with a bread rather than corn tortilla, which is deep fried then filled with the normal taco fillings. It was very good and large enough that one was plenty. After lunch, we went on downtown to a spot where bronze statues have been spread between two parks a couple of blocks apart. They tell...

Oct 24, 2010 - Church and Day of Rest

We started our day and a beautiful Episcopal Church just north of here. The priest gave a very inspiring sermon about humility and humbleness. After church, we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. They were having their harvest specials and we both had Apple Bread French Toast with an apple cinnamon glaze instead of syrup. It was served with two eggs and bacon. We went away stuffed and happy. When we got back to the RV, we decided to just take a day to hang out and watch football games. It was a nice relaxing day.

Oct 23, 2010 - Old Market Omaha and the Wide Missouri

We started the day going to Amato's, one of the Diner, Drive-in and Dive places. We were there for lunch but were told that on Saturday they only served breakfast. This diner is known for its homemade Italian Sausage, so we both ordered the Italian Omelet. It was pretty good but was heavy on peppers and light on the (really good) Italian Sausage. The toast was a nice bread but the best part of the meal was the blackberry jelly. Maybe we would have liked the sausage sandwich better if we could have had lunch. Leaving Amato's, we drove down...

Oct 22, 2010 - On to Gretna, Nebraska

Beginning Mileage 98181 Ending Mileage 98484 West Omaha KOA 14601 US Hwy 6, Gretna, NE 68028 402-332-3010 9/9.5/8 $41/nt We got a very early start this morning. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast and were on the road by 9:30am. We drove through many small Nebraska towns many of which had a Pizza Hut, a Subway and a Dollar General. We stopped in Norfolk, NE for fuel and arrived in Gretna around 2:30pm. We have a very nice site with a wooden patio furnished with an iron table and chairs and a nice fire pit. After setting up, we...

Apr 27, 2010 - Preparing for takeoff but first, we interrupt this with a brief...

Just 2 days until we leave for OKC East KOA Kampground. Excitement, skeerdness, wonder, and more fill our days. I wonder how the kids here will do with someone else at the helm. I have been church to many of them for the past 5 years. I haven't really missed any sick Sundays or Wednesdays, other than times at the beginning when we were off to visit Scott once a month. I have been there, but sadly I never really got to know the kids. I know their names but I should have gotten to know their likes and dislikes, their lovely and unlovely...

Apr 25, 2010 - A Few good byes

Good bye is so final it seems. Saying goodbye to loved ones, to friends, to little ones, to a home for the past five years, to everything we have known for the past 6 years, to safety in paychecks and in our secure positions. Having family around is pretty incredible, but the time has come where they see the dream God has placed on our hearts and let go. Saying goodbye to our church friends, our little guys has been hard too. Some see our dream, some are still trying to grasp it, some we have really loved over the past few years and...

Apr 21, 2010 - One week, one month, one year

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