Four States: Four Hours

Rows & Rows of Corn
Omaha Nebraska Icecream Stop

No, we weren't at Four Corners, USA, but we did get to be in four different US states today. We left Minnesota and crossed into South Dakota where the corn fields looked amazing. Then into Iowa and still acres and acres of corn fields followed the roads. By the time we crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska it was getting quite hot (30C/86F) and we put the dash aircon on which is a rare occurrence. We were entering into Omaha on Hwy 75 from the north when Murray said we would stop at the first icecream store we saw and blow me down if he didn't immediately see one and he slowed down to go back around the block. I must admit it turned out to be the less classier end of town, but even so, we were surprised to see that the road one block back and parallel to the main hwy was a dirt road. The icecream shop was a drive through and had windows at each corner, which allows for either cars or pedestrians to place an order. We needed to peruse the unfamiliar menu, so parked the RV and wandered over to the small building. We bought a cone with a 3" head of icecream dipped in chocolate and nuts for $1.45. Cheap but yummy. There are so many businesses that operate out of such a small building...we often see a drive through coffee stop which is just like a one room building in the middle of a vacant area. Cars just drive in and get their donuts and coffee and keep driving.

Anyway, as we continued on our way, the streets and houses improved and Omaha ended up being much bigger than we expected. It is actually the largest city in Nebraska and has a population of 430,000. The name Omaha means 'Gateway to the West' as it was a very important hub for US transportation in the mid 1800's. Off to Kansas City, Missouri tomorrow, but for now, its back to watching the Olympics. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi!