These water falls were off some completely tiny road in Wisconsin (I think) - they were amazing!
Michigan has a really cool sculpture garden complete with huge tree houses for the kids to run through and an excavating ground where they could dig for fossils.
Mid-westerners can hang at the beach - who knew?!
Fall is a great time to visit Nauvoo - no crowds, no humidity, no mosquitoes...
We made a side trip to Hannibal, MO - boyhood home of Mark Twain and Tom and Huck...
If you are ever near Omaha - visit the zoo!
We enjoyed the hospitality of several friends along the way and that was truly a highlight of the trip.
A few observations about 'the heartland':
- The before-mentioned beautiful scenery
- 'Fire danger today: LOW'
- People drive slower in the midwest - with the exception of the big cities, we noticed that once we passed Wyoming, we were always the fastest drivers on the road and we only went 5-7 miles over the limit
- Rivers, rivers, and more rivers - not to mention the 10,000 lakes
At this point, I'm a fan. Deli-Sub, it's taken me many years but I finally see the draw of Minnesota - HOWEVER, I'm still not sold on the winters!
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12 comments:
WELCOME HOME!!
I truly love that part of the country. I love that I can see for miles and miles. I love the colors of the trees. I love the fields during the different seasons (including the winter when the CRT grasses have skiffs of snow and your eyelashes are frozen when you are snow shoeing). I love looking at all the farm houses with the funny additions and different outbuildings that tell a story of the land and the families that lived in them. I love the sweet corn in the late summer. I even love the slow drivers. When I was talking to my father-in-law when we first got married he looked at me shook his head and said (very slowly), "You people from the west talk way too fast." On that same note the family always has time for taking the kids fishing, teaching them about an animal or reading a story. It is like this whole other world but I have fallen in love with it and can't wait to raise my family there. (Notice that the bugs did not make the I LOVE list. I guess no place is perfect...)
Deli-Sub, have you ever read any of Willa Cather's books? I think you just might enjoy them...
Great pics, and I can't believe your kids are ok with 5200 miles in the car. Ruby can't last 45 minutes.
I was surprized they did so well too. We made a lot of stops and you should have seen the car - books, crayons, snacks, strewn everywhere - not to mention the real key: DVD PLAYER
I've read some Willa Cather - I agree I think Deli Sub would enjoy.
It sounds like you had a great time. I am SO glad you came through KC, it was really fun to see you guys and your cute kids!! We have officially been midwesterners for three years now but haven't seen much of the midwest, so once we are up to a road trip we will have to ask you guys all the cool places to visit!!
Thanks for having us stay in your beautiful home! We loved seeing you and your family. Dinner at Hooters was fun too :)
BTW, we didn't actually go to Hooters, we ate at a fabulous Mongolian barbecue place but Jones' husband thought it'd be funny to pull into the Hooters parking lot first.
It was...
Yes, I agree that it's amazing your kids did so well on that loooong trip. I wish our van had a DVD player, bad. It probably makes all the difference.
That part of the country looks spectacular! I would love to live by all that water and the changing seasons. I miss that so bad. It's still 90's here. :( :(
Hey! I'm glad you had such a good time! Your pics are beautiful. But yeah... you're right - I do feel old. But I finally understand how you must always feel when you talk to me... Hee!! (Just kidding!!) :D
How is Nick in college?! That's so crazy. How was everyone? And I don't understand - how was I in their video? Maybe an old pic, right?
Oh! And I decided to stay here for three more months (coming home Dec. 21st)! Yay!
Josh looked at your blog and now wants us to take a random road trip. I think I'm going to have to put my foot down. We only put in 1,700 miles on our recent road trip to Cali and it was all the kids could handle. 5,000+ miles in the car with our kids just doesn't sound like a vacation to me! It looks like your kids had a great time though.
I think it's all about being flexible from the beginning - we knew we might have to cut the trip short if the kids were having too rough of a time. Luckily, they did really well...
I read the first 3/4th of "One of Ours" but I was feeling so sorry for him that I just couldn't finish it. I should pick it up again because I heard somebody say that she hated the first but the end tied everything together and make the whole book good. Have you read it?
I haven't read it but who wrote it and I'll check it out...
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