Nebraska and Iowa...back to the Midwest

After leaving CO we made it to Ogallala, NE and the Sleepy Sunflower RV park. Nice little park but very,very close quarters. Fortunately it was only a 2 night stay and the rigs around us would leave each day opening up some space.

Just a little close don't you think?

We took a drive the one day we were there to Lake McConaughey about 10-15 miles north of Ogallala. We had to pay a $10 park day pass fee and then drove around the lake looking at their campgrounds. We weren't that impressed with the layouts and amenities other than the lake itself.

Overall it was a good place to stop as we continued to move into the Midwest. Our next stop was Nebraska City, NE. We found a nice park there over the July 4th weekend. We had a nice pull through on gravel which as pretty level. Again somewhat close but it's a typical RV park.

We had plans to visit some folks there who I used to ride my Harley with. I met Roger(Skibo) and Jane through a mutual friend a few years ago and we had some great rides in IL, WI and IA. The weekend was somewhat of a bust due to rain. We finally got together on July 3rd and had dinner at Parker's Smokehouse. We had a great dinner and then went back to our park and watched the fireworks display that the park put on. Nice cool evening after the rain from the day before. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of them before they left. We had a fun time reminiscing about our rides together and catching up since then. We look forward to getting back that way again in the future. Thanks to Roger and Jane for making the trip from Omaha to see us.

We moved on to IA on July 4th and had a reservation at Walnut Woods SP in West Des Moines, IA. Beautiful park with lots of shade and great spacing of sites. The park is close to restaurants and shops.

We found a great bike path near Grays Lake Park that connected to the Great Western Trail path too.

Of course the weather was very humid after raining the day before and the first night. I forgot how humid the Midwest can be. We got directions to the park, loaded the bikes and found the park and lake. The path goes around the lake and follows the Des Moines River downtown. We could even see the State Capitol Building in the distance.

State Capitol Building in the distance...gold dome

We had been challenged by our friends Steve and Debbie of Down the Road to get some Geocaches in IA so along the way as we rode I came across a few caches and had a fun time finding and recording my finds in IA.

The next day we returned to the Grays Lake Park area and rode on the Great Western Trail out into the country near Martensville, IA. We found a few more caches and enjoyed the Midwest countryside. I still miss the mountains but it's still fun to be back in familiar terrain too.

Our next stop was Mount Pleasant, IA. We chose Crossroads RV Park due to the convenience and the lack of parks closer to Burlington, IA. Burlington is our hometown. Born and raised on the Mississippi River. Glenda and I wanted to visit her brother, Bryan and his wife, Ann. I also have a lifelong friend, Darrell and his wife Sue that still live in Burlington and Glenda has a lifelong friend Pam still living there.

We got to tgether with Pam on our first night at a Friday Fest down by the river. They had music and refreshments. Pam had other family members there that Glenda hadn't seen in years. As a matter of fact, one of Pam's sisters and her husband were just starting Full Time RVing and we had a nice conversation about their decision and questions about RV related topics.

Burlington Bridge

Fountain by the Memorial Auditorium

We contacted Bryan and Ann the next day and they wanted to come out to our park to see our rig and have lunch with us. We had a great visit and the weather cooperated so we could eat outside. So good to catch up.

We also took a drive to visit some to Glenda and Bryans family. The cemeteries and well maintained and peaceful.

Next I called my friend Darrell and he said he played Pickleball at the YMCA in town and I should come the next day and play. Oh alright....you twisted my arm. HaHa. I hadn't played since our time in Gold Canyon, AZ so of course I drove to Burlington the next day and picked up Darrell. He has a great group of guys and gals to play on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Playing indoors is a little different than outdoors. I was sore the next two days.

We also got together with Pam again at her cabin on Lake Odessa north of Burlington. She has a couple kayaks and we borrowed another from a friend of hers and took a paddle on the lake. The lake is nice a calm with many inlets and islands to paddle between. So much fun and so good to get out on the water.

We enjoyed seeing Pam's cabin and getting some much needed exercise. We thanked her and said our goodbyes as we had to get back to town and she had an event to attend that evening. It was so fun to see Glenda and Pam as they talked. It was like they had never been apart. That's a lifelong friend for sure.

The last night in SE Iowa we planned dinner with Darrell and Sue and another friend Mark. Darrell and I have been friends since we were 4 years old. Our families boated together and we have been like brothers all these years.

We drove to Gator's Restaurant and met Mark, Darrell and Sue. We were able to get a table right away and ordered our meal. The conversation was lively and we always have a good time. Darrell and Sue had been down to AZ for a week visit our first winter there. That's when we got to know Mark too. He had a park model home in Apache Junction and spent winters there.

We still enjoy this lifestyle because it gives us the opportunity to travel to see friends and spend quality time.

Darrell, Sue and Mark

Brothers

We said our goodbyes and see you later's. We hope they are able to make a trip to AZ this winter.

We've moved on to IL and are set up at Kamp Komfort near Bloomington, IL. Plans to visit Dad, my brother and friends in the area. That's next.