We started out with a 5 hour drive headed to our destination; Valentine, Nebraska. For lunch we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant in Norfolk, and as we ate we watched a wall of clouds move in. We decided to leave as it started sprinkling, but we hardly made it a mile before the sky opened up and we were forced to turn around and camp our suburban in a Walmart parking lot for a little while. Colleen and my mom dared to run in and buy a few things but were soaked for their efforts.
We made it to Valentine safely, and for a while we parked ourselves in our room, debating what to do for dinner. Around 7 we decided to divide and conquer. My parents and Colleen went to a restaurant to have steak and burgers while Laura, Scott and I ordered in pizza and stayed in the room watching TV. Sure, mine was the lazy response but it was nice. After the family was back together we bought ice cream at a little place in Valentine called Frosty's. If you ever go to Valentine I would highly recommend this place for a frozen treat, as I enjoyed the ice cream.
The next morning was Sunday and we ate a complimentary breakfast at our hotel before packing up and heading out. We drove down to -/////? Lake and had the pleasure of wading in the water and writing in the sand. The sand was soft like silk, and we loved putting our toes in it. When we finished, we brushed off the sand and headed to get some groceries for the cabin we stayed in for two nights.
Colleen had written a list and we followed it as we went through a very western general store. When we had finished, we headed to the ranch our cabin was on.
That afternoon we unpacked, then I kept reading my book, trying desperately to finish it. (I never did that day, at 10:30 my dad cut me off and the end of the chapter I was on). For dinner we had spaghetti and for dessert we had banana s'mores (bananas cut down the curved
side as deep as possible without cutting through filled with chocolate marshmallows and graham crackers) and it was all so amazing. For a while we played on the swings and with the tether ball they had on the grounds near us. Then we headed to bed.
In the morning we woke early in order to get ready for our big day on the river. Our ride from the ranch was supposed to pick us up at 9 (ended up being about 9:15). On the way to the river we had a crazy group of 8 girls with us also. It turned out to be a bachelorette party, and the bride was very nice.
Our tubes were tied in a circle around our cooler, and the tubes were shaped like circular jelly-filled donuts. Before we left, we hiked to Smith Falls and took pictures, then we hiked back, got comfortable on our separate tubes, then pushed off into the Niobrara River.
The ride was supposed to be 6 hours. We ran over rocks and avoided trees as we floated to our destination. There were various stops along the way, but we only stopped for a bathroom break once. Our trip ended up being 5 1/2 hours, and we even ate lunch as we rode. Everyone in our group ended up very sunburned, but it was worth every second. A definite recommendation, but I wouldn't recommend going any longer than the 6 hour.
That evening we ate hamburgers, then we played charades and Truth or Dare before falling asleep.
On our last day there, we packed up quickly and were ready to leave by 9. Unfortunately, I had to make a souvineer stop, so we left around 9:45. When we finally made it home yesterday evening, we were exhausted and happy.
This vacation was so worth it! I hope you guys have had a great summer! See you on Saturday,
~Blondie~
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