This was a once in a lifetime type of awesome, standard American road-trip that I’ve always dreamed about taking, but never felt I was able to. Too many responsibilities, not having my life put-together enough, never having the time or money or the right people to go with… …until I met Pete. Since he’s been a part of my life I’ve come to understand that there is really nothing holding you back from the things you want to do, except maybe yourself.
So this trip was a chance to honor that chance to live in the moment, and also a chance to appreciate the things a normal relationship might take for granted… Car rides. Planning meals. Who gets the shower first. Birthdays together. (Spoiler alert: Pete is 30 now).
I wanted to give a detailed account of everything we did right when we got back, but there is SO MUCH… and honestly I don’t think it can be condensed into one post. So I’m gonna have to break it up and hopefully I’ll get it all up soon (..finally……eventually).
I picked Pete up from the airport Friday, August 24th, and the next morning we started out bright an early. Car packed ready to go, and Pete knew nothing except the bare details. We’re going on a road trip, and hitting some campgrounds.
I went through months of planning this trip in secret, so Pete wouldn’t know our next destination until we got there. It was the most elaborate and exhausting birthday present I’ve ever put together, and it was so worth it, however I would like to never keep secrets from him again haha. Turns out I never realized how much I look to him for advice for just the little things.
To kick off the trip a handful of friends agreed to beat us to our first location near Valentine, NE to camp and go tubing down the river. I prepared some rubber snakes to be lurking in our tent (which I “forgot” to give Pete a double heart attack, when it was really sent ahead with friends), and a scavenger hunt challenge for the river (which included “something brown” to smash in your face… upon which I produced chocolate cupcakes I’d smuggled onto the river!)
And of course I also brought prizes with me for anyone who got a bingo…
To kill time so our friends could get to the location before us, I took him to Halsey National Forest (trivia: 100% hand planted and the largest forest in Nebraska), for a brunch picnic and instructions to change into his swimming trunks.
“Surprise!”
So we arrive, Pete is promptly assaulted with water balloons and buckets of water, and shenanigans ensued the rest of the day on the Niobrara River (which took us past Smith falls, the tallest waterfall in Nebraska!).
That concludes Day 1 friends! Stay tuned for Day 2, when we left for South Dakota…
greenifer 