The Busy RV Life

As you recall from the last blog post, Michigan was a whirlwind of activity, and it took us more of that week to recover from leaving San Diego. Well, last Saturday, September 16th, we left Michigan and drove over six and a half hours to our site in Iowa. We only were able to stay in Iowa for one night before we left for Nebraska. I have a few things to share with you about Iowa and then all about Nebraska.

After crossing the Mississippi River, we were in Iowa. We were excited to be in Iowa and looked forward to the rest of our two-hour drive, but mostly to park at our site. 

Fun fact: known today as O'l Man River, The Big Muddy, Old Blue, The Gathering of Waters

 and other nicknames, the "Mississippi" comes from either the Ojibwe or Algonquin 

word "misi-ziibi," meaning Great River. The Mississippi River, beginning in 

Lake Itasca, MN runs 2,341 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

We did feel welcomed.

Our site for the night.

Iowa picture for the map.

When we crossed over into Iowa, it was once again Central Time. We had been in Eastern Time for six months. It felt good to be back in Central Time. 

 

Another new state! Here are the state bird, tree, flower and motto for Iowa.

 
*Iowa: American Goldfinch (Bird), Bur Oak (Tree), Prairie Rose (Flower), " Our Liberties We Prize, and Our Rights We Will Maintain" (Motto). 

American Goldfinch.

Bur Oak.

Prairie Rose.

We left early Sunday morning, mostly because I forgot to set my clock to Central Time, and I woke up a little after 6:00am thinking it was after 7:00am. I fixed my clock to the correct time right away. This trip was a much easier drive as it only took three hours and fifteen minutes. Hubby was amazing driving Saturday and Sunday. We were able to get into our spot early, which was good, because we set up a little bit and then hopped back into the truck to go to Good Life Sports Bar so I could watch the 49ers. They were amazing and beat the Rams! 

 Joe Montana, of course he doesn't play any longer, but I got to see him on a recent commercial. 

Picture by Getty Images.

Welcome to Nebraska and the good life.

Our site for six days. As you can see, it was windy, flags down!

We stayed at the West Omaha/NE Lincoln KOA in Gretna, Nebraska. Gretna started shortly after the Burlington Railroad was built in 1886. It was a short line between Omaha and Ashland. Before the beginning of the Village of Gretna, this new laid rail line was the downfall of the nearby trading post Forest City, which had existed since 1856. In its day, Forest City (located 2.5 miles southwest of where Gretna now stands) was a flourishing and busy place, but it was doomed by the railroad which passed it by. The only marker that exists today to show the site of old Forest City is the cemetery (Holy Sepulcher) which is located a little east of what was the center of activity in the settlement.

The Lincoln Land Company, recognizing the potential of the site, surveyed and plotted the town site of Gretna in 1887. The village was incorporated by July 10, 1889. The name suggests Scotland's Gretna Green (a village in Scotland), the ancestral county of some of the earliest settlers.

The Meat Market in Gretna.

Monday was our usual errand day; it is nice to get the groceries for the week and not worry about what to fix. I also like it when I find good deals on packs of meat, I have three packages of pork chops in the freezer as I am writing this blog.

It was buy one get one free, so hubby helped me pack them up in zip-locs and

we already had one package. Pork fried rice one week and then pork stir-fry Tuesday night.

I must say, I also love Central Time because hubby is off work at 3:00pm. So, Tuesday, we went to the Outlet Mall for a few items, and they had a Chinese Restaurant there, so we picked up some egg rolls and crab ragoon to go along with the pork stir-fry. We got home before 4:30 and I was able to chop all my veggies and make rice. I like to eat around 6:00pm (of course when we go out to eat, we eat early - like we are old or something).

 

Wednesday, we were able to site see and then we found a very interesting place to eat. Hubby had been to Omaha earlier in our marriage for business trips, they would eat at this one steak place, but we could not find it. First, let me show you all the wonderful pictures from Heartland America Park.

Believe it or not, I am standing in Nebraska and looking across the Missouri River to Iowa.

Downtown Omaha.

The beautiful fountain.

This is actually our Nebraska picture for the map.

Another fun fountain. If you look close enough,  you will see a face 

and this is where the bottom water is flowing from.

The bridge walkway.

This is looking at the spot in the river where Lewis and Clark landed.

They call this the Urban Beach.

The beautiful American flag and my handsome hubby.

Now, on to dinner. We went to Brother Sebastian's Steak House and Winery. It was a fun place, no windows to look out and you are served by servers dressed in a monk outfit. They had a lovely salad bar, different rooms that were named. One was the Brother's Study and another one was the Brother's Chapel. The restrooms were named Sister and Brother. The food was good, and I was able to bring mine back home. It was enough for lunch on Thursday and Friday.

If you are ever in Omaha, I recommend this place.

See, no windows.

It was a fun night.

Brother's Chapel.

I think it was the lightest room in the entire restaurant.

The video isn't the best as I am the one that took it, not hubby. If you don't have your sound on, 

now is the time to turn it on. This music was playing outside the restaurant.

I so enjoy God's creativity. Can you see the 

rays shining through the clouds?

“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in the early spring.” Hosea 6:3 (NLT)

So, Thursday was another 49er game and fortunately we have Amazon Prime so we can watch Thursday Night Football (TNF). I put on my 49er earrings in the morning but didn't put on my jersey until game time.

Game night!

We won!!!! 30 to 12 - go 9ers!!!!

Friday, we went out to eat as we normally do on our last night in town. Heavy Brewery was our choice for the evening. 

Gotta love the logo!

Saturday, we hit the open road once again and made it to Worlds of Fun RV Park in Kansas City, Missouri our 47th state. More on Worlds of Fun on the next blog. Speaking about states, we are almost done with the lower 48. So, I wanted to show you what the map looks like now. I am so excited and this week we will find our Missouri picture and then only Kansas will be left.

We have come a long way in two years and nine months.

"Keeping it real" well, I did clean out the pantry and the freezer and refrigerator. Man, it felt good to have that done. This week I will work on the cabinets. It is so interesting what you think you might need when you first start out living in an RV. Many things were given away or thrown away. Feels good to clean. I also must tell you, as I am keeping it real, that since we have been home from California we haven't walked like we did before we left. Yes, it has been hot, yes, we have encountered rain, but in all honesty, I am just feeling lazy. I did organize, but man, I need to get back out there and walk.

Pantry. Be excited that there isn't a before picture, you had

to know where and what the items were behind bigger items.

Freezer. I love my magnets, I am missing one for Virginia and Iowa.

Fridge. You can't really see the magnets on the freezer, but there are more on that side. 

One day I will take a picture of all of them. I will need to order some magnets 

off of Amazon to complete the lower 48 states.

"For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned". Anonymous

Another new state! Here are the state bird, tree, flower and motto for Nebraska.

 
*Nebraska: Western Meadowlark (Bird), Eastern Cottonwood (Tree), Goldenrod (Flower), " Equality Before the Law" (Motto). 

Western Meadowlark.

Eastern Cottonwood.

Goldenrod.

Today, we head over to visit some friends that I probably haven't seen in at least 48 years. It is so much fun keeping up with people via Facebook. It has also been wonderful to be in the same area that they live in. This week we will also meet up with some of hubby's co-workers that he has never met in person. For more pictures and information on that stayed tuned for the next blog post.

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
 
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.
 
God, the RV & me...