This is a large country, with a wide and flat middle that gives us all the corn and wheat we can eat. But it makes for a long drive. If it were just the two of us, we would drive a full day to the Rockies, but with the kids along, that’s not kind or even realistic, so we needed to break it up. Chicago had a lot to see, and so do the Rockies, but what was there to see in the middle, in those places that are dismissively called “the flyover states?” You’d be surprised!
To start the trip, we got on the highway, and back into traffic. Also, back to tolls. I have never seen so many tolls in a month as we saw that morning in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Get an EZ Pass, and add well over $100 to your account to avoid scary yellow toll booth lights.
Once we escape the traffic, it was wide open highway past cornfields. WE found it lovely! In the afternoon, we rolled into Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha is a lovely little city! I could honestly see myself living here. I know, like Jack Donaghy said on 30 Rock, “every great getaway has that moment where you want to pack it all in and stay,” but this is a really nice place. Rolling hills, wide-open roads, little traffic, and good stores. The city streets were designed in 1889 to provide a constant flow of trees and grass, like a linear park throughout the city (in your face, Frederick Law Olmstead! [JK, love his work!]). We were so happy to find a Whole Foods again! And a Cheesecake Factory!
Omaha is the 40th largest US city, but ranks 8th in per-capita billionaires and fortune 500 companies (i.e., The Illuminati love it here). It has a growing economy, a Performing Arts Center, a world-class zoo, a riverwalk, and a revitalized downtown. It has ethnic diversity, a median age of 33.5, and a vibrant running culture. It has a low crime rate, good infrastructure, a good university, and was ranked 3rd best US city to live, plan, and work by Kiplinger’s and is in the top third of healthiest US cities, according to WalletHub.
I know I am not likely to sway anyone to spend their next vacation in Omaha, but if you are driving across country, stop here (no offense to KC and Des Moines, I only know what we saw).
And when you do, have I got a place for you to stay!
Aksarben Suites
Unpronounceable, but unparalleled, the Aksarben Suites were by far the best hotel we stayed at on this whole trip. Named after its part of town, Aksarben Suites has a six-story soaring atrium with wraparound interior balconies. The complimentary breakfast buffet was served down in the atrium, surrounded by palm trees. Palm trees in Omaha!
I thought we were just getting a three-star hotel room, but as the name implies, every room is a suite, with a front sitting room, a kitchenette, and a bedroom. The kitchen had pots and pans! We could cook dinner like a normal family!
Don’t get me wrong, we love us some Hyatt Place, but this place was one-of-a-kind, and SUPER affordable. Like, Motel 6 affordable, in July.
The front desk clerk told us that Wyndham had bought the property and were putting money into updating its somewhat dated decor (we saw new rugs go in while we were there), so expect good things to continue at Aksarben Suites.
Now, let’s keep driving West.
The next day was our longest day on the road- from Omaha to Denver. 8 hours on Route 80. The one interesting place we stopped was at the Archway, in Kearney, Nebraska. Right off of (and arching over) the highway, this is an easy stop with a lot to offer. Omaha was a big starting point for many folks embarking on the Oregon Trail along the Great Platte River Road, and this museum details the history of these travelers throughout the ages.
I’m a bit of a history geek (you may have noticed) and this place has life-sized dioramas of early settlers, goldrushing 49ers, the Pony Express, the Transcontinental Highway, and the rise of the modern interstate. It is an immersive multimedia experience, and we were all into it.
As it arches over the highway, you can look down over the traffic, and see a radar speed gun registering their speed.
You can also take a photo in front of a statue of a giant buffalo. This may seem like a kitschy lark, but consider the tragic history of how the US Cavalry slaughtered the buffalo in order to deprive Native Americans of a food source. Now we put up a statue of one next to US Route 80. I kept this contradiction in mind as we took the picture.
As the sen set, we rolled into Colorado. WE came over a hill and the smell of a cattle herd hit me like… like the smell of a herd of cattle. Metaphors fail me here. To have this many large mammals penned together in the same area creates a foul evil smell. We kept driving and drove into the night. Around 10:30, we got hungry and I pulled off at a sign that promised food. It was a deceptive sing, because the food was miles away (I should have know by the lack of lights). I was so used to highway speeds that I got stopped for doing 50 in a 35; felt slow to me. I explained my highway foot and we went to run our papers. The kids had never been pulled over before, and were SO worried. They were concerned that he might get mad at them for playing Hole.io (a game where a hole eats up a city in order to grow bigger). I told them to relax, it was ok, he wouldn’t mind. I explained that I’d probably get a ticket and then we would keep driving. To my delight, the officer was nice enough to give me a warning. We got our BK fries just before they closed, and we rolled into Denver at 1:30 am.
Tomorrow morning, when the sun came up, the family would see the Rockies for the first time.