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This was a long driving day, but it was still a lot of fun. We left about 7:00 am from Galena. We drove for a long long time according to Carson. The boys were actually pretty good. I began Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and read a few chapters until my voice was ready to give out.  We ate lunch at a rest stop in Nebraska (which has really nice rest stops about every 30 miles along the Interstate). I read a few more chapters of Harry Potter and we had lots of nice discussions about all the details of the books. Loved it!

It is funny to compare the technology we have access to compared with our trip in 2005. At that time, we didn’t have smart phones, or wifi (or wifi hotspots from our smart phones). I was able to check Facebook, and get some new signage made for the library during our drive. We saw some of the pictures of the Preble Fieldhouse. So sad. It is killing Jeff not to go back to help all the coaches salvage equipment and make arrangements for sports seasons without a gym, but there is nothing he can do anyway.

We arrived in North Platte around 5:30 or so and immediately went to the North Platte Railroad Yard Viewing Tower. Even I had to admit that it was pretty cool. We went to the 7th floor where they have a view of this railroad yard, the biggest in the country. There were lots of signs explaining how many trains go through, the history of the Orphan Trains, and the Transcontinental Railroad.

After we satisfied our train desires, we went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Park Campground. Buffalo Bill’s house and outbuildings were just a mile up the road in that Park, but we came after it closed and then left before it opened, so we didn’t get a chance to see that. Maybe next time.

Our campsite was pretty nice. A big fat toad greeted us on our arrival and hid under our truck the whole time, but he did pose for the camera for a bit.

The kids were so excited to sleep in a tent for the first time. We camp a lot but have a pop up camper so haven’t been tent camping since before kids. The boys explored the area, threw rocks into the North Platte River nearby and searched for roly polies.

The trip is finally here! After months of planning, dreaming and researching, we left Green Bay about 9:30. We went back once to grab something and then one more time to double check that we closed the garage door. Not too bad, huh?

We got to Oshkosh and dropped off Lego who was very excited to see Oma and Opa. We all had a large bakery made cookie and said goodbye. We were so full, we decided to put some miles on before we got breakfast (which turned into lunch).

It was a beautiful drive! If you ever head to Galena, make sure to take some of the county roads to get there. Galena is in the Driftless Area, so there are a lot of large rolling hills and gorgeous farmland. we even passed a couple Amish buggies.

We are now enojoying some family time with Grandma and Grandpa Kline and the Shultzs’ and will be  leaving for a day of driving on Sunday.

We made all the reservations this week. The map has been updated too. It’s really going to happen! We are starting to talk about what exactly we are going to pack into the back of the truck and what kind of mattress or cot we are going to sleep on. Jeff is looking at cots, the kids are going to sleep on our backpacking Thermarests and I am still trying to figure out what I want.