Fort Robinson, Nebraska

If you like open space, then Nebraska is for you.

When we left Minnesota, Steve really wanted to make it all the way to Fort Robinson in Nebraska, but alas, his driving limit is about 500 miles, and we were all running on empty from so much serious fun with family and friends.  We were all exhausted, so much so that for the very first time in all our adventuring, all four kids slept in the truck at the same exact time!!  Wow!!  They were so tired that when we blew a tire on the interstate, they mostly slept through the whole changing process.  That makes two blown tires on the rig in the last 14 months spent on the road.  They're always a little scary, but fortunately, we've caught it immediately when it happens.

We felt compelled to stop at the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Unfortunately they don't sell tires, so this was a rather hasty stop. ;)

Needless to say, we just couldn't make it all the way to Fort Robinson, so we ended up staying at Fishberry RV park in Valentine, Nebraska.  It was a super quiet little RV park, nothing special, but the kids didn't care.  They were just delighted to be out of the truck and run around and burn energy!

The sunflowers were at their peak, so many spectacular fields of gold alongside the road.

They next day, we drove the rest of the way to Fort Robinson State Park.  Steve really wanted to go last year, but it just didn't work out.  There were plenty of sites, and they were easy to get into and plenty long enough for us.  You do have to fill your tanks with water before you park as there is electric only at the sites.

Honestly, we ended up not doing anything while we were here except just decompress and enjoy a chance to relax.  It looks like there are a lot of pretty cool things to do here, but most of them cost money, and since we didn't even have a full day to explore, we just hung out.  That was enough, considering how busy the last week has been!  The kids had fun scootering around, and they also had an absolute blast at the playground.  The slides were super tall, but that didn't bother Jake; he kept going over and over and over again!

I enjoyed petting this horse while I was out for my short bike ride around Fort Robinson.

Right now, he is thinking "Please don't go, can't you see that I am lonely in here."

It felt strange to be in the West again after spending so much time in the Eastern US.

This is where they trained dogs to serve in WWII.