Midwest Tour — Our Adventures

In October we spent two weeks visiting cities in the mid-west including Sedalia Missouri, where the Airstream International Rally was being held. We started in Omaha where we visited Staci’s Son Keegan, and then met up with about 20 Airstream friends in Lawrence Kansas where we traveled together to Sedalia. After Sedalia we climbed the high-point in Missouri, visited Kansas City and then ran a marathon in Wichita, Kansas.

Our first stop was in Omaha, Nebraska to visit Staci’s Son. Omaha is a beautiful city on the Missouri River with more than 250 parks.

We camped at Lake Cunningham which is about 15 minutes north of downtown. This was one of the nicest city campgrounds we’ve stayed at.

The 390 acre reservoir is surrounded by a 6 mile path that we ran multiple times. Midweek in October is a quiet time for parks and we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.

The Missouri River, marking the boundary between Nebraska and Iowa, holds significant historical importance, especially related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.. As Lewis and Clark led the Corps of Discovery expedition to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, they traveled along the Missouri River, aiming to map the region, find a practical route to the Pacific Ocean, and establish trade relations with Native American tribes.

Omaha, named after the Omaha tribe—known as the "upriver people"—reflects the deep cultural connections to the region's indigenous heritage. The Omaha tribe, who lived along the river's banks, were part of a larger network of Plains tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered during their journey. The explorers sought to build alliances with these tribes to foster trade and gain support for the U.S. government's westward expansion.

In the summer of 1804, the expedition held a council with representatives of the Otoe and Missouria tribes, near present-day Fort Calhoun, just north of Omaha. This meeting, known as the "Council Bluff," was one of the first formal interactions between the U.S. government and the Native nations in the region.

Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa are connected by the almost mile long Bob Kerry bridge.

Artist Tom Friedman created this 33 foot tall Humanoid figure out of aluminum, which looks like it was fabricated from crunched-up aluminum foil. The figure gazes skyward waiting for aliens to visit Council Bluffs.

Old town Omaha is filled with interesting restaurants and bars.

Almost 1300 Airstreams gathered at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia. This aerial photo shows only a portion of the Airstreams at the event. The Airstream International Rally is an annual gathering that brings together Airstream owners from around the world for a week of Airstream social events, educational sessions on maintenance and travel tips as well as local tours. This camping rally is so large that only a small number of camping venues across the country have the ability to host it.

Rich running on the Katy trail, which stretches 240 miles across Missouri. It is the longest continuous recreational rail-trail in the United States. Following the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad corridor, it runs from Clinton in the west to Machens in the east, with much of the trail paralleling the Missouri River.

An old train Depot located along the Katy Trail now houses a visitor center.

Warm Springs Ranch, located near Boonville, Missouri, is the official breeding farm of the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales. Spanning 300 acres of rolling hills, this picturesque ranch has been home to the famous horses since 2008, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the care, training, and history of these giants.

The 300+ acre Warm Springs Ranch.

As a symbol of Budweiser's heritage, the Clydesdales are a much-loved part of our culture, and Warm Springs Ranch provides a behind-the-scenes look at the tradition that keeps this legacy alive.

Up close the Clydesdales are huge !

Sedalia is located in the western Missouri and known for its rich cultural heritage. Founded in 1860, Sedalia became an important railroad hub in the late 19th century, contributing to its growth and development. The city is perhaps best known for hosting the Missouri State Fair, which has been held annually since 1901, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the state to celebrate agriculture, livestock, and local traditions.

The Pettis County Courthouse, built in 1924, is a beautiful example of Classical Revival architecture. The courthouse remains the most iconic landmark in Sedalia.

A vintage Airstream trailer decorated for Halloween.

Tethered balloon rides were offered at the Rally.

A small part of our Colorado Airstream group gathered for an evening happy hour.

Everyone is asked to turn on their trailer lights to create “Airstreams Aglow”.

This water tower located in Tipton, Missouri is known as the "8-Ball Water Tower”. Its distinctive structure has been painted to resemble a black billiard ball, making it a quirky roadside attraction. The design pays homage to Tipton's history as the original home of the Fischer Manufacturing Company, which was a leading producer of pool tables and billiard equipment.

Once the Airstream Rally was over we headed to southeast Missouri to visit Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri. This was our 15th highpoint together.

Taum Sauk is a state park with nice hiking trails but the highpoint was in the middle of a forrest with no views.

We next visited Elephant Rock State park which is renowned for its massive granite boulders that resemble a train of giant elephants. These ancient rocks, formed over 1.5 billion years ago, are the result of slow cooling of molten magma as it bubbled up into the Earth’s crust.

Everyone has to take turns holding up this boulder.

Staci admiring a quarry at Elephant Rock on a spectacular fall day.

We next visited Kansas City, which is mostly located in Missouri. Country Club Plaza, pictured here, was the first shopping center in the world designed to accommodate cars. Its architecture was modeled after Seville, Spain.

Why is the water in the Kansas City fountains blue? It turns out that the city does this whenever the Kansas City Royals baseball team advances in the playoffs.