Our next two stops on our way east would be in the State of Nebraska, with the first stop being in Ogallala, Nebraska, at Lone Eagle Campground in the Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area. This was the fifth state park we’ve stayed in since we began full-time RV travel. Our RV site was concrete, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill) and backed up not too far from Lake McConaughy beach.
We arrived late afternoon and had an issue with getting our water hooked up to city water; specifically, although water was running through our hose to the hookup spot on the exterior of the RV, there was no water coming into the RV. As always, we googled what the problem might be, and discovered that there is a “check valve” in the water control system that controls whether water is coming from a city water connection or from the RV freshwater tank. Sometimes this valve gets stuck and thinks you are going to use the freshwater tank and won’t allow water to enter from the city water connection outside. Despite our troubleshooting, we couldn’t resolve the issue. So, we filled up the freshwater tank and decided we would use it instead for the next two days. On a brighter note, the weather was warmer in Nebraska, and we were able to put on shorts again. 
Later that evening, we experienced the Miller Moth Migration Invasion. No, this is not a new cocktail or a rock band, and it’s not a beautiful sight to behold; rather, it’s close to a horror movie. In May and June, miller moths emerge from their cutworm caterpillar stage in Nebraska to begin their migration west to Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. While these moths do not cause any damage to plants or anything inside a household, they are a menace. During daylight hours, the moths seek shelter in cracks and crevices and emerge at dusk. RVs have many cracks and crevices for the moths to get into, and when they emerge, they are attracted to light and start flying around inside of the RV. We literally (no exaggeration) had dozens of these moths inside the RV in the evening. On the first night, we used Raid flying insect spray to kill them, but the RV is a small space, and we were worried about spraying that much insect killer in a small space. After googling about it, we found that many RVers have issues with the moths and some use their vacuums to scoop them up; so, on the second night, we tried that technique instead. This seemed to work well and, to Pat’s surprise, didn’t actually kill the moths. They looked dead in the vacuum dust cup but when he dumped them outside the next morning, they flew away into the wild.
On our only full day at Lake McConaughy, we had storms for a good portion of the day. Once it cleared, we took a walk around the campground and looked at the beach. That was the extent of what we were able to do on this only full day at the campground.
The next day, we drove to our next destination: Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Nebraska. This was another long drive, approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes without stops. But we made some stops along the way, including filling the gasoline tank and visiting the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska. This was the third state capitol building we’ve visited since we began full-time RV traveling. The Nebraska State Capitol building reminded Tim of the Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge (although Tim will remind you that the Louisiana State Capitol building is the tallest state capitol building in the country). The Nebraska State Capitol was built between 1922 and 1932, and the website states that it was the first state capitol building to depart from the style of the U.S. Capitol. The capitol building is approximately 400 feet tall, making it the second tallest capitol building in the U.S. (after Louisiana), and has 15 floors in total. The tower can be seen for up to 20 miles away and is a National Historic Landmark. The names of the 93 counties in Nebraska are inscribed along the top of the lower base of the building. A statue called “the Sower” sits atop of the building, representing Nebraska’s agricultural heritage. We did not visit the interior of the capitol building but we walked around the exterior, which includes a monument to Lincoln that was unveiled in 1912, before the current state capitol building was constructed and prior to the construction of the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C.
We arrived at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park in the late afternoon. This is the sixth state park we’ve stayed in since we began full-time RV traveling. Our RV site was adjacent to the Philpot reservoir, near the Platte River. We had a concrete site, with a picnic table and a fire pit (no grill). There had been recent renovations to the RV park, so the site was very muddy and covered with dirt as they attempted to grow new grass. We set up (using the freshwater tank again since the city water connection still didn’t work). Our Miller Moth Invasion continued for a third but luckily, final night (we may have even brought those last few stowaways with us). 
The next day, we walked around the park, which was huge! We walked to the marina, where there was a small convenience store that sold ice cream; and, to the water park and theatre. That evening, we returned to the theatre to see a live performance of a local play called, “Pirates of the Platte” (the Platte being the river located near the state park). The dialogue several times referenced Lake McConaughy and we were excited that we got the inside joke since we had just stayed there. The play was geared toward the entire family, as the kids were encouraged to throw popcorn at the villain (and kids and adults were encouraged to throw dollar bills at all of the actors, who mostly stayed in character as they reached down to pick them up). It was actually a lot of fun to watch, including watching the kids in the audience having a great time. 
It rained the next morning, so we once again had to disconnect electricity, water, and sewer in the rain. We were continuing our drive eastward and to a new state.
Review of Lone Eagle Campground - Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area
The Visitor Center makes a great first stop upon arrival as it houses the park office, gift shop, and public restrooms; and it offers a beautiful view of the lake. Nebraska Park Entry Permits are required for camping (which is in addition to the campsite cost) and can be purchased at the Visitor Center. The Center also houses two 1,000-gallon aquariums as well as interactive educational exhibits depicting the story of water in Nebraska and the history, hydrology, and geology of the North Platte River Valley and Lake McConaughy. It is by far the best state park visitor center we have seen on our travels.
There are several campgrounds at Lake McConaughy; we stayed at the Lone Eagle Campground. There are 84 RV sites located in the Lone Eagle Campground, all with full hookups and a picnic table; some have a fire pit and/or a grill. There is also a bathroom/shower facility, but no laundry facilities.
We didn’t get an opportunity to take advantage of any of the amenities or activities offered at Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area, but there wasn’t much to offer at Lone Eagle Campground and the park was not walking friendly. If we had bikes or a car, we might have ventured out to see more. We don’t think we would find ourselves in this area again, but if we do, the Lone Eagle Campground would be okay for another short stay.
Review of Lakeside Campground - Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, located near the Platte River in Ashland, Nebraska, has 148 sites in two campgrounds that can be used by RVs or tent campers. We stayed in the Lakeside Campground, which has 48 sites and is located close to Bright Lake and Owen Marina. All of the sites in the Lakeside Campground have full hook ups, a picnic table, and a fire pit (no grill). There are also bathroom/shower facilities. There are laundry facilities at the Little Creek Campground, but not at the Lakeside Campground. The park also has a lodge that offers 40 rooms. In addition, there are 60 cabins available.
The park is very large but easy to navigate on foot with walkways leading to most of the features, which include a water park, indoor playground, treetop ropes course, observation tower, indoor rock climbing, arts and crafts center, and a theater. The park also has other amenities like hiking and biking trails, golf courses, frisbee golf, miniature golf, tennis courts, trail rides, and an ice-skating pavilion in the winter. At the marina, campers can fish, rent paddleboats, and buy some basic food items. The marina also lets campers borrow soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, volleyballs, bocce balls, horseshoes, softballs, bats, bases, tennis balls, rackets, and fishing rods and reels.
This was another huge state park in Nebraska, but this park was easier to navigate on foot than Lake McConaughy because there were many pedestrian walkways leading to the various facilities and activities. Although the campsite was muddy because of the renovations, we liked the fact that we were in walking distance to many different activities. We do not think we would be in this area again, but if we were we would consider staying at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park again.
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