Nancy East

Hiker | Author | Outdoor Educator

Omaha…somewhere in middle America

by

***I have no idea why the text is highlighted in this post but I can’t seem to get rid of it….still learning on this new app for our iPad!

You know that Counting Crows song? I must have sung it in my head a hundred times after we arrived in Omaha! I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this city so much. In my planning it felt as if it was going to be something more of a rest stop but not a day that I’ll probably count as one of the best of this trip. It wasn’t as if we did anything very exciting, in fact, it was really a very ordinary day as far as vacations go.

We arrived in Omaha at lunchtime and discovered the most picturesque park on the edge of the city (Heartland of America Park) to picnic. Funny how something as ordinary as a family lunch at a park can be so memorable. We converted L to a geocaching fan (if you don’t know about this hobby just google geocaching and prepare to be amazed at how many “treasures”are hidden all over the world, just waiting for you and your navigational skills…super fun family activity). We walked around the lake in the middle of the park, the kids spotting every critter both in and out of the water.

We left the park and ventured down to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge which crosses the Missouri River. You can stand in both Iowa and Nebraska while you’re walking across! On the walk back across the bridge the kids decided they wanted to have a foot race with their mom and so we took off. They decided to sprint and the two littles quickly ran out of steam, although Jones eventually rallied and I was very impressed with his overall drive and time and L and I decided we may have an elite runner on our hands one day ;). Aidan surprised me with his stamina as he couldn’t stand the thought of his old mother beating him and he ran hard the entire way back and won the race!
There were fountains for the kids to play in at the base of the bridge and L took off on the prowl for another geocache that neither of us could ever find.

We loved downtown Omaha and had a great dinner and local ice cream afterwards. It was such a simple and relaxing day and I think it was just what we needed after all the action packed days we’d just experienced.

This morning we hit the Omaha Zoo and loved every bit of it (thanks Jules for the recommendation!). We then made the two and a half hour drive to Sioux Falls, SD where we had dinner at a fun diner downtown and then walked the streets looking at all the sculptures on display (it’s a yearly event where sculptors from around the country send in their work). Lou especially enjoyed reading the description of each piece and my favorite was a sculpture of a pig with a little girl riding on his back. It was entitled “Girls Can Do Anything.”

We headed over to Sioux Falls Park and it was just as beautiful as the travel brochures promised. The kids played on the rocks near the river and then we waited for the sun to set so we could watch the laser show. It was a very interesting production that told the history of the city. L and I enjoyed the history lesson but the kids started getting tired and fidgety towards the end. They are now all currently asleep as I do laundry. On a trip this long you eventually run out of clean clothes!