A Midwest Spring

This has been an interesting and expensive week here on the road. After a lifetime as a wordsmith, I sometimes get caught up in the what-ought-to-be that flows out of my words rather than the world beyond the words. This week, words like resilience and hope were easy to say but a significant challenge to live into. Welcome to our week in Gretna, Nebraska! 

We began our week on Saturday with the drive to the Lincoln–SE Omaha KOA in Gretna, NE, for a week. We left Abilene, KS, a day early to avoid Sunday's forecasted storms and high winds. We dodged a tornado that hit a few miles from our Campground on Friday. But a major system was coming in on Saturday Afternoon. We had a narrow window to make the three-hour drive. 

The drive was beautiful, and the weather cooperated. We arrived a couple of hours before the storms were supposed to hit. I started unhooking Nakai, and Marlene began to set up Koko. After removing the tow bar and the Brake Assist, I got behind the wheel and pushed Nakai's ignition button. Instead of the engine coming to life, the lights started flashing, and the windshield wipers began moving very slowly! In short, Nakai threw a fit, a very slow temper tantrum! After recounting the various disasters this could represent, I asked Marlene to finish setting up Koko. At the same time, I dug out my multimeter to check Nakai’s battery. Yep, dead-as-a-doornail dead, 6.3 volts rather than the just dead 12.0 volts. After locating a battery at the local O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, we unhooked Koko (that Marlene had just gotten set up). We drove across town, trusting that there would be a place to park Koko. There was! We bought a new battery and went back. I got it installed. Nakai jumped to life, and we breathed a sigh of relief. We returned the battery core and saw the first raindrops as we pulled into our RV Park. I was happy to have gotten our drama for the week out of the way! Little did I know what awaited us this week. 

The tornadoes and hail tracked to the South, making for a tough night. Sunday morning was rainy and windy. I checked the Weather Channel constantly for updates. Hallelujah, the Sun finally broke through in the early afternoon. However, the wind was still blowing, and the air refused to climb above 60. I put away my shorts for another month and needed another pair of hiking pants. We went to the nearby outlet mall. We would get in a bit of walking along with our little shopping. With 4,000 steps, I found a new pair of pants. Unfortunately, there was a Coldstone Creamery Store in the mall. We blew our calories for the day on a shared scoop of German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream! It felt like a reward for surviving a very nerve-wracking 24 hours, but it was more likely stress eating! 

We had a cool but clear day on Monday and decided to check out the Omaha Zoo. Fearful of paying zoo prices for lunch, we stopped at Runza for a quick bite. This counter-serve chain is named for their main menu item, the Runza. This link will give you a recipe and a history of the sandwich. It reminds me of a cross between a Welsh Pastie and a large kolache. This is one of those Nebraskan specialties I had missed in my culinary fast food education. The Runza is hamburger meat, cabbage, and a few spices baked in a yeasty roll. It was filling. We tried both the cheese and the grilled mushroom- and onion versions. I don't think I would eat them every week, but they were tasty and filling. 

The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a beautiful park. Unfortunately, we only had an afternoon to see it, and I understand why they are selling two-day passes. This zoo is huge. The exhibits are spread out to give the animals room to roam. It was reminiscent of the Toronto Zoo. The Aquarium and Desert Domes are outstanding exhibits, but it is disconcerting to see White-winged Doves and Turkey Vultures on display. I saw several species that I had never seen before. The information was well-curated and helpful. I did over 10,000 steps in 3 hours and felt I had hurried through. This is a zoo that deserves repeat visits. Thank you, Omaha! 

Lilac Blue

Heliconius Hybrid

Mechanitus

Sara Longwing

Postman Butterfly

Jade-headed Buffalo Beetle

Klipspringer

Girraffe with an Iron Deficiency?

Baby Elephant walk

Black Rhino from Africa

Koi

Goose Getting a Fish Pedicure?

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Actually, a Sloth Bear

Tiger

Takin

Indian Rhino

A Beautiful Smile

Making a Salad

A lonesome nap

Colobus Monkeys

Deep in thought

Hmmm...

Intelligence

Chilling

Tres amigos

Hyrax

Soft-shelled Turtle

 

White-Caped Monitor

One goofy looking critter

Lapwing

Kookaburra

Tawny Frogmouth

White-winged Dove

Burrowing Owl

Javelina

Eastern Screech Owl

Turkey Vulture

Two-toed Sloth

South African Springhare

Aardvark

Bat

American Alligator

Beaver

Albino American Alligator

Puffins

"Can I go home with you?"

Beautiful Penguin Exhibit

The Emperors Standing Watch

Upside Down Jellys

Pacific Octopus

 

On Tuesday, the weather turned threatening again. We drove into Omaha and visited with a friend, Don. Don is a part of my weekly “Sages” Zoom. This group gets together once a week via Zoom to drink coffee and chat. All that is missing is the coffee shop booth. Don and I have run into one another over the last 40 years at Church General Assemblies and other church meetings. It was good to be together in person. Staying in touch via Zoom, Facetime, FB, texting, and email is good in a pinch. But face-to-face visits are so much richer and more satisfying. Don, it was great to be with you! 

After several days of near-normal wandering, Thursday lobbed a few curve balls at us. The weather was not severe, but it was cool and windy. Also, the laundry hamper was full, so we used the RV Park facilities and got caught up. Also, I wanted to test the new battery in Nakai to ensure the Brake Assist was not draining my battery. I hooked up Nakai and Koko and checked the battery for several hours. All was well, I thought! 

After disconnecting the Jeep, I started up to test the alternator, and the Check Engine Light came on. I have not yet recovered from the ordeal with the dead battery, so this greatly challenged my resilience. I went to get my Code Reader for the Jeep and remembered how much trouble I had the last time I used it. I was in no mood for a finicky Code Reader. A return trip to O’Reilly’s netted me a new one. They scanned Nakai as well and came up with a couple of codes. After downloading the app and figuring out how to use it, Their findings were confirmed. It was more than a bad gas cap. It was too late to call a shop, so I made an online appointment with a shop in Lincoln on Saturday Morning. The information on the codes said that I should avoid driving Nakai to prevent damage to my Catalytic Converter. Therefore, I spent the night tossing and turning about the next steps, along with an unhealthy dose of imagining one catastrophe after another. I gave up at 4:30 AM and searched the internet for a shop closer than Lincoln. I found one in Gretna that opened at 7:00 AM. I was up and out the door at 6:45 AM to see if they could help me.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that it is best to do business with good people and avoid the stinkers. I was fortunate to meet a shop filled with good people. Despite having a full schedule with 35 cars coming in and it being a Friday, they said they would do their best. They gave me a loaner car to use, and I left with a bit of hope and feeling the bounce starting to come back in my step. Within two hours, they called and diagnosed the problem and gave me an estimate on the cost and time when it should be ready. They were true to their word. Nakai was ready before 5:00. They did their best. The lost sleep, worry, and frustration were wasted time and energy. Will I ever learn? Probably not, but thank you, Haver’s Auto Repair! You done good!

Words are too easy! We must live beyond our pretty words. Reality demands acceptance, creativity, a little help at times, and resilience. These are the things I have learned this week in Gretna, Nebraska. And I leave here with a deep gratitude for the lessons. • Deal with good people! Don’t waste time with a$$holes. 

• Accept the situation, but do not outrun the facts. 
• Ask for help when I need it. 
• Be creative! Do things in ways that may be outside my comfort zone. 
• And, above all else, nurture my resilience and protect it from being wasted on futile and harmful negative thoughts and worries. 

Next week, we leave Nebraska and head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a new week of wandering. The journey continues, and I have no idea what the future holds. But then, that is a big part of why we are out here! The road awaits. Thanks for riding along with us. 

Travel well, my friends! 

Bob