over hill over dale we will hit the soggy trail

Hmmmm I loaded these photos several days ago, when the loading was good ... sometimes our satellite connection is not opportune to loading photos, so I load what I think might be worthy of a blog post then play catch up when I can (honesty is the best policy right?).  Trouble is, my "mind" then has to back track and try like hell to remember where the photos were taken and WHY I thought they might have been blog worthy (like now, trying to figure it out).  

Thankfully I did give this a title so that helps the "memory" (that and the book I keep that lists the campgrounds we've stayed at.... when was it that I got so anal?).  

This photo (above) was taken as we were leaving the campground just outside Kansas City (MO) where we were for ten days.  Well Rick was there for ten days, I was gone for six of those days.  Look at these great rolling rolling rolling hills ~ great motorcycling roads or what!  Hopefully we will pass this way again, like I believe I mentioned in a previous post, in October, November or April.  The few days I was here were gross, absolutely gross, can you say   s-a-u-n-a, but it was so pretty and a nice campground to boot!

Not sure why, but King Richard thought I should take a photo of this wreck.  Sure put a damper on someones day I'd imagine and I'm not a big fan of finding entertainment in someone elses distress, but here's the photo he requested!  And my side note - this was a straight road so not sure how it all came to be, with no "jack knife" apparent...

As we traveled into Nebraska - where we were for three nights, just west of Omaha, we traveled through some great farm country - corn corn corn ~ acres upon acres of corn.

Sadly, there have been horrific rains in these parts, and, as you can see in the photos below, vast amounts of crops have been lost.  Where you see water is where corn was planted - 

The yellow along the edges of the water are dying plants ... how does one recoup these losses of an entire crop Kimberly or John?  We've seen this over and over and over through Nebraska, Iowa and into South Dakota and it is really distressing (Kim is this what you deal with in your job?)  These farms have what seems to be hundreds ~ if not thousands ~ of acres.  

Then as we crossed into Nebraska we passed this county park (below) with a campground totally submerged ...

Seemed like it would be a great place for Sir Arlo to play and swim, but it would have been a better place to pitch a tent, or connect a motorhome and enjoy the area .... such devastation.

So we did arrive in Gretna, NE at a KOA there, that thankfully had room for us without disconnecting the trailer, and going into a holiday weekend to boot!  Typical KOA pricing but there just wasn't anything else around and I wanted Rick to see Omaha.  I'd been there two years ago with my baby sister (aka Kim, Kimberly or Kimmerly) and really enjoyed it and thought Rick would as well.

Maureen this photo is for you!  Taken at the Spaghetti Works in the Old Market area of Omaha .... Kim and I ate there two years ago and of course the Weymouth sign was a great photo op for himself, King Richard ....

Below just some random photos of this terrific old market area of Omaha ~ what a beautiful beautiful area.  As Rick said, so many cities have tried to rehab such areas and Omaha was truly successful in their endeavor.  Just outstanding how they've done it ~ rehabbed these fabulous buildings, kept the brick streets and the area is thriving with commercial and residential spaces.  Kudos to the powers that be in Omaha.  Unfortunately we only spent one afternoon here ~ I think this area deserves several afternoons, but it just wasn't to be for us this time through.

Check out those window boxes on the ancient roofs ~ aren't they great.  

Here's lookin' at you King Richard!

With all that said, we arrived back in our beloved Sioux Falls yesterday afternoon.  We'll be here for at least a week and perhaps two, although we are both anxious to get moving north and west to parts we've never seen - Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.  There are some things we need to attend to while we are here though ~ hopefully some modifications to the trailer, some new eyeglasses, I need a doctors appointment, Sir Arlo needs a doctors appointment and to have his tag renewed .... yada yada yada and on it goes ....

We are here at the Fairgrounds, where we stayed for a month and a half when we were here two years ago.  What a terrific fourth of July celebration they put on (although Sir certainly didn't enjoy it - much too much noise and activity for our tough guy!).