(2019 Grand Teton Ep 5)
We decided our travels across Nebraska should include a visit to Omaha.
Omaha is a city of nearly a half million located on the western banks of the Missouri River. The city is the home of Warren Buffett, cake mix, butter brickle ice cream and TV dinners. It is clean and inviting for out-of-towners.
We camped a few miles away and after a 30-minute drive, we arrived in the city in the early evening.
We stopped at Pioneer Courage Park. The park has numerous bronze and stainless steel sculptures dedicated to the pioneers. Our visit was cut short when it started to rain and there were several too-close-for-comfort lightning flashes. We QUICKLY (!) returned to our truck.
We drove a few blocks to the Old Market, a historical part of the city that has been renovated to include restaurants and shops. Horse drawn carriages shared brick paved streets with cars and trucks, and street performers entertained curious bystanders and families. We enjoyed dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant.
Many people were wearing Nebraska Cornhusker t-shirts and despite the college football team’s overtime loss to the Colorado Buffaloes, everyone was in a good mood.
After dinner, we visited the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The 3000-foot suspension bridge crosses the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa. We enjoyed a sunset walk across the S-shaped bridge and marveled at the changing red and blue lights that illuminated the bridge towers as well as the Omaha skyline in the distance.
Because we were ‘catching up’ with our original trip itinerary, we had to cut our Omaha visit short and move on the next morning. Had we stayed longer, we would have visited the world class Henry Doorly Zoo and renowned Durham Museum. Might have even stopped by to visit Warren Buffet.
Perhaps next time…
Take the LONG Road... 