Hi all! We are back from a surprisingly delightful trip to Nebraska with Dan, Hanna, Mitchell, Isla and the Dahlen family! We were supposed to go up to Camp DuNord, but the week was canceled because of the fires. We did a quick search and found a place near Omaha to accommodate all 13 of us at the last minute.
Here are the pictures and highlights:
Monday:
On the road by 9:20am and stopped at a park and then lunch in Des Moines at Zombie Burger.

By late afternoon we made it, we were sweaty, and immediately enjoyed the lake right outside our rental house.


Tuesday:
I enjoyed a sunrise walk and a quiet coffee on the deck. We spent the morning playing and relaxing at the house.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Old Town in Omaha and enjoyed a huge candy shop, a pedestrian bridge, and a very cool park.



Wednesday:
Fun at the Omaha Zoo!



Then back to the house for more relaxation and games.

Thursday:
Maya’s birthday!!!! We celebrated, relaxed at the house and then went to get ice cream and play at another cool park.






Then we stopped to pet some goats!

And enjoyed a great meal at a cool brewery. Back at the house we had cake and played games.

Friday:
It was chilly and rainy, so we relaxed inside for the morning, except for when we decided to swim in the rain!

Later we headed out for an afternoon adventure! First up: a family run farm stand with alpacas and a huge woodworking shed. We talked with the couple for awhile and she even gave me a freshly baked loaf of her sourdough!



Then we went to check out a “berry farm” which turned out to be the location of Nebraska’s renaissance fair. It was completely empty except for us (we couldn’t figure out why, the place was soooo cool and a bit creepy!).



We made dinner at the house that night- grilled cheese with the fresh sourdough and side-of-the-road Nebraska corn!

The evening ended with a full group game night!

Saturday:
We got up and packed this morning, and headed out by 9am. We stopped at a Danish windmill on the way home, and then said goodbye to our friends and family.

For a group of 13, with kids ranging from going into kindergarten up to 11th grade, our families travel so well and easily together. There was minimal drama, the kids all had a blast together, and the adults still got to enjoy plenty of adult time (though we really missed the kids going to age group 2.5 hours a day at camp). We missed DuNord, but we’re lucky enough that we were able to make “DuOmaha” work for a fantastic summer 2026 trip.