Homeward Bound Part 2
We woke up in Sidney, Nebraska, a charming small town. Interestingly, there was a big sign at the gas station that said "You are Nowhere." We decided to move on rather than explore because the water park in Grand Island, Nebraska was calling our name.
When you're driving the great plains, a city named "Grand Island" is a curiosity. That being said, the drive through Nebraska is much different than I thought it would be - different than the vast, beautiful, and picturesque S Dakota to the north and the equally vast, sparsely populated, and inhospitable Kansas to the south. Nebraska had signs of life throughout the I-80 corridor, probably because this is the same corridor that the Oregon Trail and the pony express followed. We saw the same South Platte, and Platte Rivers that the early travelers saw. Because people have been traveling through this area for so long, many communities had a chance to spring up along the way, and unlike I-90 and I-70, there was a river paralleling much of our drive. Makes sense that the early travelers would have preferred this route.
The water park (Island Oasis) in Grand Island was a hit. Grand Island was actually a decent size town with a significant downtown . . . a far cry from other plains towns we had seen before. This city is invisible to those that pass by just a couple of miles to the south on I-80.
** I, Donna, have to chime in here on Runcie's post. Often I joke that husband Runcie is my 5th child... 3 Times!! Thrice!! He had life guards blow whistles at him for clowning around .... He almost got kicked out... That being said, I wouldn't change him for the world. Crimes at Island Water Park? Trying to throw the kids in the wave pool twice and attempting to ride the lazy river without a float... Thankfully, he didn't get kicked out.. lol
After the water park, we drove another hour and a half to Lincoln, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the capital of the State. It was as expected - a mid-sized state capital city. We are spending the night here and look forward to hitting St Louis late tomorrow afternoon.
When you're driving the great plains, a city named "Grand Island" is a curiosity. That being said, the drive through Nebraska is much different than I thought it would be - different than the vast, beautiful, and picturesque S Dakota to the north and the equally vast, sparsely populated, and inhospitable Kansas to the south. Nebraska had signs of life throughout the I-80 corridor, probably because this is the same corridor that the Oregon Trail and the pony express followed. We saw the same South Platte, and Platte Rivers that the early travelers saw. Because people have been traveling through this area for so long, many communities had a chance to spring up along the way, and unlike I-90 and I-70, there was a river paralleling much of our drive. Makes sense that the early travelers would have preferred this route.
The water park (Island Oasis) in Grand Island was a hit. Grand Island was actually a decent size town with a significant downtown . . . a far cry from other plains towns we had seen before. This city is invisible to those that pass by just a couple of miles to the south on I-80.
** I, Donna, have to chime in here on Runcie's post. Often I joke that husband Runcie is my 5th child... 3 Times!! Thrice!! He had life guards blow whistles at him for clowning around .... He almost got kicked out... That being said, I wouldn't change him for the world. Crimes at Island Water Park? Trying to throw the kids in the wave pool twice and attempting to ride the lazy river without a float... Thankfully, he didn't get kicked out.. lol
After the water park, we drove another hour and a half to Lincoln, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the capital of the State. It was as expected - a mid-sized state capital city. We are spending the night here and look forward to hitting St Louis late tomorrow afternoon.
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