This past May took us on a journey with my sister and hubby to meet up with their son and wife on the Nebraska/South Dakota border. Near Yankton, SD, in a COE campground on the Missouri River. The Nebraska side.

We traveled over Memorial Day weekend, and the first leg of our journey took us north on Old 81 where we drove right by the old hometown of Minneapolis (KANSAS, of course). Once we were north of Minneapolis the nostalgia started. DeWayne and I could not remember the last time we’d driven on Old 81 north of the hometown. But at one time it was a familiar drive, as my sister and hubby lived in the Omaha area for several years.

As we drove along I was amazed at the beauty of Cloud county and northern Ottawa County. It had always seemed just a routine, mundane drive from point A to point B. But seeing it through old-ish eyes brought a different perspective. Does that happen to you?

Our first stop for the night would be in Concordia, Ks, at a city park near the small airport. There are about a dozen campsites with concrete pads and water/electric hookups in a really lovely green shaded park. Cost? Donation only. !! What a find!

Since we arrived in Concordia very early in the day, we had time to kill. So what did we do with all that time? Well, we decided to shop for our grave headstones. Isn’t that what all vacation travelers do? 😂 We all four have cemetery plots in the hometown we’d just driven by. And we had experience with the monument company in Concordia, so it seemed like a good opportunity to check that task off the to-do list. Our children will have one less thing to think about one day. But we did feel pretty odd shopping for headstones while on a camping trip. I was the one who actually suggested it, but I could barely contain my laughter well enough to get the words out. Grave stones? Vacation? Do these two go together at all???

The next day took us north again on Old 81. Familiar little towns all along the way. Not much change but lots of memories for us. I kind of felt like a little girl again, remembering sitting in the back seat of the old 1963 Chevy Impala. Baby blue in color, no AC. Mentally listing the “next town” we’d be driving through. Chester, Hebron, Geneva, York…on and on. Lots of green. Lots of corn fields. Lovely little towns all along the way to our destination north of Norfolk.

Isn’t Nebraska lovely? The two upper left pics were taken at the Nebraska Tailwaters COE park. The other three photos are from a day trip to Niobrara State Park about 30 minutes away. Wow, it was stunningly gorgeous. So glad we made the drive.

Normally I would give details on campgrounds. This COE park was in the “okay” category and served our needs pretty well. But, no water hookups at each site and the dump station was outside the park on a busy highway. Make your own opinion.

On our way back to the Salina, Kansas area we chose to camp at Lovewell State Park near Belleville, Ks. DeWayne and I have a goal of camping at every state park in Kansas and Lovewell was on the list. This campground did not disappoint. Oh, I take that back there was one TINY disappointment. NO cell phone service except right on the lake shore fishing pier. The NBA finals were happening and part of our group (not naming anyone 😘) were quite intent on watching the games on their phones. So when the game was on we drove ourselves down to the fishing pier and sat in the truck watching it on the phone ESPN app. Yeah, that’s how we (tech-addicted folks) roll.

But take a look at how gorgeous this lake in northern Kansas is!!

Lots of shade, lots of fishing, big enough to ski on. Lots of campsites and they all have shade. There’s a nice little marina with a bar/grill. We would stay here again in a heartbeat.

We ended up spending several days in the Salina area during which time we opted to take a drive to Simpson, Kansas and back through Ottawa County. I spent the first 44 years of my life living in Ottawa County, outside of a couple years. Around age 44 we moved to Wichita. And the first time returning to Ottawa County after our move I was moved almost to tears by how beautiful my homeland is. Why had I not noticed before?

The top 3 pics were taken in May of this year near the Pike Trail Marker west of Delphos, Kansas. We were on our way home from the Simpson area where we visited where my mom grew up, and where her parents are buried. The middle three pics were taken on a lovely fall day west of Minneapolis. We were on our way to the landfill, which is located among all this beauty. (Hey, look for the beauty even when you’re hauling trash!). The last three photos were taken on the last day of July in 2019. We picked up DeWayne’s mom at the long term care facility where she lived and took her for a long ride through the Bohemian Hills of Ottawa County.

Kansas, and probably Nebraska, are what the general public considers flyover states. That’s okay, I get it. When I was perusing photos to select for this post I came across places we have been like the Canadian Rockies and Paris, France, and the central coast of California….and so very very many other places. But those places don’t come close to touching my heart and soul like Ottawa County, Kansas.

Home. It’s sweet. And in my opinion, very beautiful. I encourage you to take another look at your own “homeland”. Let your soul find and enjoy the beauty.