From Madison we drop south to Yankton where serendipitously I happen to spot a Cricket store, brand new, open just a week. The young man behind the counter fixes my phone by taking off several apps that came with it and has been preventing it from opening on first try. Many tries were needed to get it to open and let me navigate where I wanted to be, but not anymore. He fixed it! In return I bought a pretty white case for it at grand opening prices.
A trip through Walmart is next on the list for more ice. This hot humid weather makes a bag of ice melt faster than snow in July. After we are on the road again and cross into Nebraska I stop at the welcome center and ask about getting further west without taking the freeway, but with nice scenery. I come out of the place with an armload of literature I really didn’t want, but they are so nice and just trying to be helpful. I find that Midwesterners for the most part are just that way. Nicest people!
Nebraska is a corn state and fields of it are everywhere. They are, after all, known as the Cornhuskers. It’s a peaceful and lovely drive along Hwy 34/6.
We are headed to Benkelman, Nebraska where my grandmother took her own life in 1933, but are in no hurry. If they have a newspaper still around from that era or archives of the old ones perhaps I can get some information to flesh out what meager facts I know. Facts that took me years to discover.
We pass a little town called Funk.
I wonder if Wagnall is next …
In the meantime we spend another night at a Walmart, this one in Hastings (my father was born and raised in Hastings), after spending the biggest part of the day in a beautiful park next to the utility company with this huge stack of some kind next to the building .
Morning brings a prediction of a large thunderstorm for late afternoon. I decide to forego a planned trip to Parkview Cemetery where grandma is buried and we head out. I have photos of the headstone (Find-A-Grave website) and that will have to do for now.
The photos below kind of sums up Nebraska for me. I’ve read many things about the settling of Nebraska and a few stories from my dad about growing up here. Many involved a windmill in one way or another and that has always stuck in my mind.
We end up in a free campsite in a community park in Cambridge along the 34/6 Highway. Yes, free. We can spend three nights here and electricity is provided. Showers are available. We’re staying the entire three days. I need some down time to catch up on the blog. And take naps and read — smiling. *EDITED* to add: I was told by my very nice neighbors that if we wanted to stay longer to go to the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and ask. The very sweet clerk said of course and we will be staying through the weekend. Lovely people in this small Nebraska town.
If you are ever near Cambridge come visit! Better yet, stay a while and enjoy.
Thanks for visiting 2Dogs! Hugs, Shawna
CURRENT READ: Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine (Intense and not for the faint of heart)
2DogsTravel.com 
Beautiful and I know aproximately where you are. From when Megan lived there. Nice to see some of the things from around there. And I navigated the pictures..Yeah!! You can teach me new tricks..I have been to Stapelton, Ne. It was so green where you took the picture of the Windmill, I remember it as just dry prairie. That was in September too. Have a great day…
LikeLike
Love reading about your travels, and seeing all the beautiful pictures. Can’t wait til we can take our trip to those states one of these days. Makes me want to go right now. 😊 Love hearing about all the things that seem to be falling into place for you as you travel along. God is good!
LikeLike
My grandmother took her life too in 1955. Terrible how that affects the generations like it does. I love the area where you are in Nebraska. It is beautiful. Nice that you found a great place for some down time too and free no less.
LikeLike
Jean, I am sorry to hear that you and your family has suffered the pains of suicide. Indeed it does affect generations. We are definitely enjoying this part of Nebraska. The blog is always about a week or ten days behind for safety reasons. Probably an unnecessary precaution, but still … We are waiting on a part for the van where we are now. Alternator is going bad! Thanks for being a loyal reader! Really appreciate it.
LikeLike
Hi Shawna, Trying to figure out my van layout and I’m trying to decide on a fridge/ice chest option. I thought I read that you use an ice chest. Can you tell me how it’s working for you? Stay safe out there!
LikeLike
Hi Sherry! Isn’t planning the layout fun? You must be so excited. I’m excited FOR you!
You are correct, I have an ice chest, called a Cube Cooler. It’s a square and fits in the cubby of the little desk I made. It worked really well last winter in Arizona. I did a couple of modifications, additions and I got over a week sometimes depending on the weather. I would say the average was five to six days using block ice. If you do a search on the blog you may be able to find the posts I did on the cooler. I say may, because I am not sure if I moved those over from Blogger. Let me know if you can’t find them and I will see what I can do.
At this time I only have one 100 watt solar panel and one house battery so I can’t do a fridge right now. I think the cooler has been fine except in South Dakota and Nebraska where the heat and the humidity make even me melt. Plus I never found one single place in either state that sold block ice which lasts, of course much, much longer. Being ever looking for ways to make things work better or do double duty I have been content with the cube ice, which last at most three days, because I utilize the water. I cut the top off a large plastic water jug that has a protrusion on the inside and the bag of ice stays off the bottom (cans would work just as well). I just put the bag inside that jug with a small hole punched in the bottom so the melt can drain off. End result is I have dry food and nice clean water to refill my water supply. Makes ice much cheaper if you’re buying much water as you can utilize the melt. Probably more than you wanted to know, but I hope it helped some. Keep me up-to-date on your plans!!
LikeLike
Looks like some really pretty little towns! Glad you are meeting lots of nice people!!
LikeLike