Day nine was a very special day! As we continued our journey, I achieved two goals that I have been working towards for more than a decade! The first was visiting all 50 states and the second was visiting all of the Presidential Homes. Thanks to Nebraska and Gerald Ford, I am done with both!
We left Sioux Falls, SD this morning and headed south on I-29 to Omaha, Nebraska. As we made our way to Omaha, the interstate snaked through Iowa and into Council Bluffs. This was great because the kids were able to get two new states today. We stopped first in Iowa to tour the Sargent Floyd Riverboat at the Iowa Welcome Center. From there, we crossed the river into South Sioux City, Nebraska. That is where I officially met my 50 states goal!
Arriving in Omaha, our first priority was visiting the Gerald Ford Birthplace. Even though the original home burned down many years ago, a memorial and information center was built on the same property to commemorate the birthplace of our 38th president. Visiting this historical site marked the last of the Presidential Homes on my list. I have officially visited all 45! I started this challenge with my older sons about 11 or 12 years ago. I hate that they weren’t with me to finish the challenge, but my younger kids seemed to enjoy filling in for them.
From there, we drove to the Riverfront area. Here we found the Lewis & Clark Landing National Park and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. We started with the Lewis & Clark National Park as it would be closing at 5:00 pm. The kids were able to complete their 5th Junior Ranger program of the week. It is interesting to me that each one of these programs is different. Not only do they learn about different events or geographical areas, each National Park has its own distinct Junior Ranger program requirements and oath after completing it. These programs are great supplemental educational activities for kids….and most of them are FREE!
After the kids finished their Junior Ranger program, we took a walk across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, also known as Bob’s Bridge. This bridge connects Omaha, NE and Council Bluffs, IA. As visitors walk across the bridge, they will find the state line at the center of the bridge. It’s a great photo op to stand in two states at once!
By this time, the kiddos were getting hungry and ready for some not so educational activities. Since they have been such troopers through all the car travels and educational activities, I decided to find some extra fun activities for the evening. First up was dinner at Quaker Steak & Lube. This Nascar themed restaurant was made to look like an oil change station on the outside and had Nascar and Harley Davidson themed items on the inside. While the food was mostly your standard sports bar items, the decor and environment made for a fun dinner. After dinner, I surprised them with a trip to Papio Fun Park in Papillion, NE. The Papio Fun Park offers mini golf, go-carts, batting cages, laser tag, and trampolines. All of these were crowd pleasers for my little traveling companions. To make it even better, they have a special unlimited wrist band for just $16 after 6:00 pm. The kids definitely got their money’s worth with the special tonight!
Now to get a good night’s sleep before we start our trip home tomorrow!
