Leaving South Dakota was difficult, as it has so much to offer and I completely enjoyed our time there. I admit it, I miss the prairies where you are able to see from horizon to horizon and this time of year, with plenty of rain, the grasslands are like a giant green carpet.
 After driving through part of Sioux City, we turned west into Nebraska . Our route allowed us to be in three states in about ten minutes: South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. We generally followed a southern route on Nebraska Federal Highway 77 towards Seward. The only interesting thing (other than the well kept farmsteads) was evidence of recent widespread tornadoes where several buildings were scattered along the landscape and numerous trees downed and branches broken off.
 We arrived in Seward (about 25 miles northwest of Lincoln) at about 4:30 and checked into a campground on the edge of the town. At about 7 or so, I got a call from Brian, my oldest son, who said he was on his way home from work, and to come on over. We did, and he talked us into staying with them, as the mosquitoes were particularly thirsty.
 We had a wonderful visit in Seward and took in some of the local sights. Brian, Julie and Mark were wonderful hosts and we caught up on their lives and shared some of the highlights of our trip. We also took Brian up on his invitation for lunch at South East Community College where Brian is the Dining Facility Manager for Aramark .  
 From Seward, we jumped on Interstate 80 and headed toward Omaha. While in Omaha, we visited a large park, Heartland of America, on the east side of the city with a small lake and a huge fountain system. Continuing eastward we passed through Des Moines and arrived in my hometown of Muscatine in mid afternoon.
 My sister, Tisha, and her husband Floyd live in Muscatine and we arrived at their home a few miles outside of town. On Thursday night, about two dozen former high school classmates had planned a mini-reunion and we stopped by. Our "Class of 67" has remained very close and its always a pleasure and great fun to be with them. Also, most had not met Dolly and she had a great time meeting people who I had only talked about before. The next day, Friday, was one of those days to pray for with abundant sun, highs in the 70's and light winds. About mid afternoon we went to one of the local waterholes, Hubbles (my first time there) then over to Boonie's on the Avenue. 
 Saturday was planned for an outing on the Mississippi River . Floyd and Tisha have a large boat and we planned an afternoon ride up the river to a beach about 30 miles upriver. Other than Dolly and I, my sister and Floyd, Josh Wilson and Josh Lueth and Mandi (my niece) climbed aboard the boat to set out on our voyage north. While it was a sunny day, the winds were strong, which made white caps on the river and the ride a bit bumpy. I didn't mind, its all part of the fun. Dolly on the other hand, kept her life jacket close at hand...OK, she wore it any time the boat was moving. We had a minor problem shorty after we took off, one of the engines heated up, but Floyd with years of experience in mechanics and owning/running a trucking company quickly solved the problem by removing the thermostat. Up the river we went. While I had been raised on the Mississippi, I had only been on fishing boats, so this trip was especially fun as we routinely hit speeds of nearly 50 mph and went through two lock and dams where in the locks, you pulled in grabbed on some ropes along the sides of the chute and water was pumped in to raise the boat about 8 feet to the level above the dam. I had never experienced this before. We reached our northernmost destination - Princeton Beach about 3 pm, spent about an hour on the beach then started heading back down river.
 For the late afternoon lunch, we stopped at a restaurant on the river, and had an outstanding meal at the "Captain's Table."   

What a day!
 
 Thanks for reading!

Love ya,

Cheers,

Jan, Dolly and Chi Chi