Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois (July 19 - July 27, 2021)
“Nebraska: Honestly, it’s not for everyone.” - Nebraska Tourism Commission
After recharging our batteries in South Dakota, Charley and I continued our trek east, actually, in this case, a little southeast to the very eastern part of Nebraska. So many times on this trip we’ve been pleasantly surprised by a location that we visit, that we end up feeling a little guilty about not having higher expectations or in this case no real expectations at all. Quite frankly neither Charley nor I had ever really thought much about Nebraska, pro or con. We had no idea that the eastern part of Nebraska would have so much to offer. These are the kind of surprises that we love and that have made this trip so much more than we expected it to be.
For starters, the campground we stayed at, Ashland RV Campground was gorgeous! Brand new last year, the sites were huge, completely level, and concrete. The campground was right on the edge of the sweet little town of Ashland and midway between Omaha and the capital city of Lincoln. Charley and I were both surprised that this area of Nebraska wasn’t flat like we assumed it would be. It was also very green, with lots of trees and grass, and for the first time in a while, we felt like we could be camping at home. After our arrival, we quickly decided that we’d spend one day exploring Omaha and one day exploring Lincoln with stops at a few local Ashland locations in between.
We started our day in Lincoln by visiting the Sunken Gardens. Built as a depression-era project, the gardens were planted on an old neighborhood dumpsite in 1930. After several years of decline, a renovation project was completed in 2005 which breathed new life into the gardens. The gardens weren’t very big but they were meticulously landscaped. After spending so much time in the desert, it was wonderful to see and smell so many blooming flowers. Of course, we can’t visit a capital city without visiting the state capital building. We arrived at the Nebraska State Capitol just in time for a free guided tour. We were surprised to learn from our guide that Nebraska’s state legislature is what’s known as unicameral, meaning it is a single-house system and recognizes no party affiliation. All other state legislatures in the US are bicameral (two branches or chambers). The Nebraska state legislature is also the smallest in the country. Likewise, the Capitol building was small so our tour was quick but informative.
Shortly after we arrived in Ashland, I got a message from a friend suggesting that we visit Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Charley and I don’t usually seek out zoos but a few other locals also recommended it and so we decided that’s how we would spend our day in Omaha. We were so glad we took the advice because it really was a wonderful zoo! We quickly realized why the Omaha Zoo is considered amongst the top five in the world. It was clean, beautifully landscaped and the animal habitats seemed spacious and natural. My favorite part was definitely the aquarium!
While in the area, we also visited The Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum which was located in Ashland only a few miles from our campground. During the cold war, the nation’s nuclear arsenal was under the control of the Strategic Air Command and this museum is home to several restored and preserved US military aircraft used during that time. Charley and I spent several hours admiring the restorations. We also paid a visit to Cellar 426 Winery in Ashland. If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were visiting a Finger Lakes winery both in wine quality and landscape. We sampled eight wines total and had trouble picking a favorite. We ended up choosing a bottle to enjoy that evening and one to add to our collection of souvenir wines to enjoy after we get home.
One way we’ve been able to keep our expenses in check on this trip is to be very strategic in eating out. We tend to eat in unless we want to try a local specialty. In this case, we really wanted to find a good steakhouse in the Omaha area. Once again, a few locals gave us wonderful advice and directed us to Round The Bend Steakhouse just outside Ashland. There’s nothing we dislike more than spending good money on a bad meal but that definitely wasn’t the case at Round The Bend. They are a small family-owned restaurant and my goodness, their Ribeyes were amazing!
From Nebraska, we traveled completely across the state of Iowa to visit the Quad-cities area of Iowa (Davenport/Bettendorf) and Illinois (Moline/Rock Island). We traveled via Interstate 80 and along the way, made a stop at Iowa 80 – The World’s Largest Truck Stop. What a fun and interesting place that was! In addition to all of the regular truck stop amenities, if you needed to get your hair cut, see a dentist, or have something custom embroidered, you could do it at Iowa 80. We also checked out the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum adjacent to the truck stop which reminded us a lot of the truck and tractor museum we visited in Virginia on day two of this trip.
Our campground was actually in Rock Island, Illinois but we hopped back and forth over the Mississippi River and spent most of our time in Iowa. The Quad-Cities area wasn’t exactly new to us as we had visited very briefly a few years ago when we helped move our daughter to Bettendorf for a temporary job assignment. She gave us a list of things we could see and do while we were there which was very helpful. We were glad to be in the area on a weekend which enabled us to take advantage of Davenport’s wonderful farmer’s market. Hooray for fresh vegetables! Also in Davenport, we visited the German American Heritage Center and Museum. There we were surprised to learn that many German immigrants settled in Davenport, reaching the quad cities area via the Mississippi River. The museum houses a wealth of information on German history, culture, dress, and food. Our only complaint was that there wasn’t also a German Restaurant in the neighborhood. We were both craving a good German meal after our visit!
Our daughter suggested that we visit Le Claire Iowa, a quaint little town located right on the banks of the Mississippi River. We spent a wonderful afternoon window shopping, watching the boaters on the river and also stopped for a beer and (since I don’t like beer) a craft seltzer at a wonderful brewery called Green Tree Brewery. We couldn’t believe how inexpensive their drinks were compared to the quality. This is definitely a place we will visit again if we’re ever in the area. Before leaving Le Claire, we walked a few blocks to the home of Antique Archeology which is the set for the History channel show American Pickers. We arrived just after closing but it was fun to see the building from the outside and take a few photos before leaving town.
We left the Quad-Cities on the morning of July 27th and headed in the direction of Elkhart, Indiana. We were excited about this final leg of our trip as we’d be spending it with Charley’s parents. These visitors would be a little different than the others we’ve had though. They brought their own accommodations with them – their fifth wheel camper. They must have heard that sleeping on our dinette turned bed isn’t exactly comfortable J
