We’ve spent a lot of time in the car over the past two and a half days! We spent Wednesday driving Highway 20 across Nebraska, stopping at Helen’s Pancake and Steak House, in Chadron, for brunch and The Hay Barn, in Beemer, for dinner. Obviously, we choose our roadside restaurants based on their intriguing names… The seven hours between meals were spent driving through miles and miles of rolling hills, farmland, and small towns. Our goal was to get away from the cold and the precipitation sweeping westward!
After dinner, we drove another hour and then spent a cozy night in a clean and friendly La Quinta Inn on the outskirts of Omaha, Nebraska. It started pouring rain shortly after we checked in, and we were rattled by thunder throughout the night. I was glad to be securely bundled up in a motel room rather than out in the pop-up!
Thursday morning, we had breakfast at the motel and then headed towards Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the river. Based on the weather forecast, we adjusted our plan for the next few nights. We planned to visit the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, then drive as far as possible eastward, across Iowa, for another motel night. I figured that, if we got to the Great Lakes region more quickly, we would enjoy better weather and also get the chance to camp multiple nights in a single location. I checked the weather, got us a reservation at Warren Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan, and we planned to just start heading that direction to get there by Friday evening.
While rainy days aren’t best for camping or sight seeing, we did manage to get some errands done in Council Bluffs! We had successful trips to JC Penny for some warmer clothing items, Boot Barn for a belt for Jon, and Camping World for a few necessities for the pop-up. Then, we made our way to the museum. I settled in to work in a public library across the street while Jon and the girls explored the railway museum for a couple of hours. We enjoyed a late lunch at Barley’s Bar and Grill, which served great food (spicy, thin cut, buffalo onion rings anyone?), and then hit the road to travel across Iowa.
We drove for a few hours, doing work and singing in the car, while it rained outside. Our second straight motel night was at Bay Inn and Suites outside of Iowa City, which was much nicer than expected for the price. Once we got out of California, none of our motel rooms have cost us more than $80 a night. Using booking.com, some rooms in well-reviewed motels have been as low as $60! Oh, and gas is around $2.50 per gallon out here. I am quite pleased to be away from California prices!
Last night, dinner from the cooler was motel gourmet- a specialty of ours. French camembert from Canada, spread with cherry-hot pepper jam from a stand at Seattle’s Pike’s Place Market, served with a side of Rold Gold pretzel twists and Tropicana orange juice! This feast was enjoyed on styrofoam serve wear because, apparently, Iowa doesn’t turn its nose up on that stuff the way we do in California. Mickie is doing her best not to freak out over the different conservation standards we find in other states; she LOVED Canada’s earth-friendly practices.
After our fancy dinner, we got a good night’s sleep and, this morning, we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast in the dining room. We checked out and then got on the road to visit the nearby Toolesboro Mounds, a National Historic Landmark. We read about and discussed the mound builders’ history on the hourlong drive there. From the mound site, we met with Lighthouse students via FaceTime for a brief check in. We were intrigued by the mounds, but it was so cold and windy that we couldn’t stay long!
We’re now driving across Illinois, through the rain, to pass Chicago and get to our Lake Michigan campsite in Sawyer, Michigan. If we can believe Apple Weather, the rain will be subsiding in that area sometime this evening, and we’re in for some cool but sunny days this weekend!
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