North Platte-area home opens doors as Air BnB

Home away from home. Isn’t that what people want when traveling? To be as comfortable in their accommodations as they are at home?

Well, think about trying an Airbnb. What is it? Simply, it’s a style of a bed and breakfast inn. People offer stays in their homes as part of the Airbnb network.

We tried an Airbnb during our trip to North Platte. Mark and Muriel hosted us in their home in Sutherland, about a 20-minute drive west of North Platte.

We had a section of the house to ourselves. Our room had access to a private bath area. It was a bedroom for one of their kids when they lived at home.

Our room fit us perfectly. It was designed with a Nebraska Husker theme. Red walls with Husker memorabilia made us feel at home. There was an autographed drawing of former Husker coach Bob Devaney. I spent a lot of time looking at the names of the former players who signed it. I remembered a lot of the players – Randy Borg, Jeff Kinney, among many, many more.

The house is a ranch style (just like ours).

Mark and Muriel made us feel at home immediately. They are genuinely nice people. They also have two loving pets. Edsel the cat is a very friendly pet. He even spent time in our room with us.

You’d better be ready to play fetch with their dog. He was so friendly and loving. His personality was a cross between our dog Tucker and our grandpuppy Dolly. He hugs like they do.

Sutherland is a nice, small community. It’s on US Highway 30, almost halfway between North Platte and Ogallala. I love the mural on the main drag.

Muriel and Mark offer breakfast if you’d like. However, with everyone’s busy schedules during our visit, we grabbed meals out since we wanted to sample the area’s cuisine. Normally, we ate in North Platte. However, one day we grabbed sausage sandwiches at a convenience store in town. It was perhaps one of the best sausage sandwiches I’ve ever had. True story.

The hosts said they enjoy talking with the guests, getting to know people better. A lot of guests are often from the east and west coasts, Mark said. They get to learn more about where people are from in those cases.

Mark and Muriel like to take guests tanking on a local river or kayaking. They love the water, and it’s a fun way to get to know people. Tanking for those who may not know is taking a circular water trough used for livestock or horses. The tanks are watertight, which helps them float in the river. People sit in the tanks – usually on chairs – and enjoy a drink or two as the tank floats down river. The water is not too high or low, and the current is not swift.

Unfortunately, during our stay the water wasn’t at the proper level for tanking. Then, due to unforeseen circumstances, kayaking had to be canceled.

They also enjoy taking guests on a drive through the Sandhills. Again, due to extenuating circumstance, we couldn’t go together.

We had a nice experience during our stay with Mark and Muriel. We’ve noticed that it takes a certain type of personality (outgoing) to handle running any type of bed and breakfast operation. This couple certainly has it down pat. They were great hosts.

I can honestly say I’d try an Airbnb again. I actually recommend people give it a try.

For more information on Airbnb or to learn more about the Sutherland location, please check out the website at https://www.airbnb.com/.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Nebraska Outback for the complimentary stay with the Airbnb. However, all opinions and views are ours.