After an extended stay at our “big house”, we are back on the road in our “little house” (aka Usain Van Boldt) for a brief cancer victory lap.

“A ‘cancer victory lap’ is a term used to describe the celebratory and often symbolic actions taken by cancer survivors or those who have experienced a positive outcome in their treatment. It’s a way to acknowledge and celebrate their resilience, strength, and the journey they’ve overcome.” — Google AI

Lisa has mostly recovered from her first surgery and is doing great so we’re calling this trip her victory lap. She is now in a holding pattern before her next surgery, so we decided to take a quick van trip before she heads off on her Iceland adventure with a college friend. She’ll then have her next and final surgery when she returns.

Kross Strain Brewing Company

Since this trip wasn’t really planned we decided to head to start the victory lap by heading to Lisa’s dad’s place in Colorado and then decide where to go from there. We left on Memorial Day and ended up at the Kross Strain Brewing Company for the night. It’s a Harvest Host located on the far west side of Omaha, but unfortunately aren’t open on Mondays so we we’re able to sample their wares, but they kindly let us park the van in their parking lot for the night. There was quite a bit of traffic noise, but there is a beautiful biking path behind the building so we were able to get a good power walk in on Tuesday morning. Harvest Hosts allows members to leave notes for the hosts, but hopefully we’ll have a chance to stop by here again when they are open and thank them properly.

Mac’s Creek Winery and Brewery

Our second night’s Harvest Host stay on our way to Colorado was much better; i.e., they were open for business! Located just north of Lexington, Nebraska this quiet winery/brewery was a fun experience. We were able to sample the wines, beers, and even Mac’s Creek Winery and Brewery’s own root beer. All the samples were wonderfully paired with slices of Peach Bruschetta that Lisa loved and can’t wait to try to replicate on her own.

Before settling in for the night we walked the winery’s sustainability/nature trail. Mac’s Creek’s prides itself on being one of Nebraska’s most sustainable wineries and signs along the trail explained all the hard work they are doing to claim this fame. A visit or stay here has our full and complete recommendation. 🙂

Fort Collins

We arrived in Fort Collins on Wednesday after a 5-hour drive (a long one for us when we’re doing van life). We ran into rain all three legs of the drive, but some of the heaviest was on the last one. Fortunately, no storms or strong winds came up and we were able to weather (pun intended) through it. We’ll spend a few days with Lisa’s dad and determine where Usain should head next.