We left Broomfield just after 9 AM on Saturday, August 20th. Our destination for the evening was the West Omaha KOA Holiday Park in Gretna, Nebraska (basically at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 6). The drive was uneventful, except for a little gusty wind at times. It would not be a trip in a bigger than average vehicle if there wasn’t a little wind. Overall, it really wasn’t a factor and the mostly clear skies matched with relatively mild temperatures in the low 80’s most of the time made it comfortable traveling. More importantly it wasn’t brutal when we got out of the van in Cozad, NE to get gas and walk Sanni. While in Cozard, Ro stumbled onto the first roadside attraction/oddity of the trip. There is a Mexican restaurant in Cozad with an elephant statue in front. Even their website features an elephant.
http://www.elparaisocozad.com/
We were slowed down along I-80 near Lincoln and traffic nearly came to a complete stop. We’d seen what I believe was likely a fatal accident near Seward and westbound traffic was almost at a standstill. Naturally, in our eastbound lanes there was a lot of curiosity slowing and soon after that we almost came to a complete stop because of car on fire on the right shoulder. I felt bad for the car owner. It was clearly not a very nice car and I thought maybe this person was just trying to get home or get to someplace for a new life and lost everything in that car fire.
The West Omaha/East Lincoln KOA is super nice. There is a pool, an off-leash dog park, a bouncy house and gold-panning station for the kids. There is even a mini-golf course and a nice KOA store that serves hot pizza and wings. They’ll deliver it right to your campsite if you ask. From the moment we arrived, everyone was friendly and helpful. We misplaced our CH751 key for the freshwater fill tank. Ro went to the office and within minutes someone came by in a golf cart and opened the locked door for us. Pro tip: Make 3-4 sets of every RV key. Each driver should have a set and one set should be hidden somewhere on/in the vehicle. Then keep a spare set at home. The employees at the KOA clearly took pride in their work and there was constantly someone picking up trash, asking if we needed anything, and stopping by to welcome us. This is a bustling and busy KOA with lots of kids, so just be aware of that if absolute peace and quiet is desired. Quiet hours at the park are from 10PM to 7AM and they seemed to be well-respected. We didn’t hear a peep after we adjourned to bed in the evening. It also helps that we have an AC over the bed which not only keeps us as cool as we want but does double-duty as a white noise maker.
https://koa.com/campgrounds/west-omaha/
We grilled charburgers with our Coleman grill and enjoyed a few local beers before bed. We had to grab a few provisions that we’d overlooked before leaving and we found that the Fareway Market (recommended by the KOA staff) was a very nice place to shop. They have a good selection of wine and local beer, as well as groceries. It is about 2.5 miles north of the KOA, just off Highway 6 in Gretna.