Pictures and final day!

I'm really sorry I dropped off the face of the earth.  We were all so happy to be home and then we had all of the unpacking and laundry and the next day it was my birthday!  I was so glad to be home on my birthday that I didn't care about getting older!

The last day we drove from Richland to the cabin in Plain, WA where the kids took Ellie to the river and I unpacked and tried to help clean up the Four Winds a little.  (I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't look like a nuclear bomb had gone off in it.)  We left there around 5PM and got home around 7.  It was so lovely to be home in reasonable weather (i.e. 70 degrees) and sleep in our own beds and best of all - see Gaston!!

We had such a wonderful memorable time!  I loved how we all had moments of grumpiness but those moments were seasoned with grace and support and I think strengthened our family.  The last night I was tired and my mattress had a big lump in it and I was determined that no one was sleeping until momma was sleeping.  As my children softly cried as I am sure they were thinking to themselves, "My mom is so harsh and I'm just so tired and what is the big deal," Grandma Bernie came and saved all of our skins by getting it straightened out.  Just one example of many of extending that grace.

Surprisingly I didn't feel extra cramped in the motorhome, except when the kids left their stuff out all over.  And in the bathroom, of course.

And most importantly, we saw and experienced things we will never forget.  Spacious skies, amber waves of grain, purple mountains majesty....

If you are contemplating a trip like this, here are some tips:

1.  Have a loose schedule.  I had the kids journal every morning and then play games or with toys until lunch.  After lunch we could watch movies or do electronics.  They enjoyed using white boards and playing car bingo or the license plate game.

2.  Have something to look forward to.  On the way there we stopped every couple of days, didn't drive anywhere, and did something fun but on the way back we didn't.

3.  Don't go when it is super hot.  OK, I know this is not necessarily something you can plan around but it was SO hot (did I mention it was pretty much over 95 the whole time) that it was hard not to let it bother you.

4.  Bring your camera cable so you can download pictures as you go (LOL!)  I actually had my cable the whole time but did not know my new camera had a cable and battery pack in one.

Here are some pictures...

 Custer's last stand (ignore the exploded gogurt in Legoguy's hair)

 Fun on the waterslide at Mt. Rushmore KOA

 Priming the pump

 Washing clothes the old fashioned way

 Boo Ingalls

 Country bumpkins at school

 Making corn cob dolls and superheroes

 Our little covered wagon - yes all six of us slept in there!

 From the Westward Expansion Museum under the Arch

 Cousins!

 Say "Arch!"

 St. Louis City Museum with our cute niece!

 Seven story slide!!!

 Saying "see y'all later" to Gaston's brother's family

Learning how to load, but not overload, a wagon 

We're not sure we would like to meet a real one 

Boo demonstrating girls clothing on the Oregon Trail 

 Following the trail

Mustache gang

Thanks for sharing this journey with us.  Not sure if I will keep this blog going or not.  It is more work than I expected to post on a regular basis.

P.S.  A funny:  Near Ft. Laramie, we were looking for a campground online and one of the comments about a campground stated, "If you like trains, this is the place for you."  We weren't sure what that meant until we were at some train tracks waiting for a huge train to go by and looked across to see a sign for that same campground.  I imagine a train goes by that campground every 3.7 minutes so you really do have to love trains to stay there.  It became a slogan for the rest of our trip.

Day 19: Boise to Richland, WA (The Promised Land!)

We began our day with great expectations!  By the end of the day we would be in the great state of Washington!!! And we would be visiting our final museum, culminating our travel over the Oregon Trail.

I have to admit that I was wondering if the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center in Baker City would be a waste of time.  We had visited a couple of trail museums along the way and had seen some of the same information.  But this museum was great.  As you wandered through the exhibit, it took you from Independence, MO to Oregon City, OR which was the final destination for many pioneers.  There were a couple of short informative films along the way.  We listened to a talk about pioneer clothing and Hannah and I got to help out.  We both wore clothing from the day and I even got to wear a hoop skirt. It was not easy to sit down in that thing.

Outside there was a wagon encampment and then down the road a bit there was a place to stop and see wagon ruts from the actual trail.  It was quite amazing that the ruts were still there after over 150 years!

What took us 6 days took the pioneers 6 months!  Without refrigeration or any modern conveniences.  They walked 10-15 miles a day in heat and hail.  Honestly, I don't think I would've taken the challenge of the Oregon Trail.

In the Blue mountains, we passed through an extreme storm with hail that piled up on the side of the road, making it look like snow.  We made it to Richland and the kids really enjoyed the pool.  After dinner, Grandma had a special surprise of cupcakes for an early birthday celebration.  Then the kids finally opened their package of fake mustaches and did a very random performance involving the murder of a museum worker.  Maybe they are trying to tell me something??

Notes from the road:
     Grandpa was telling the story of when I was born.  When he mentioned they moved my mom into the delivery room, Wild Thing asks incredulously "Where were they going to deliver her to?"

Day 18: Jackson WY to Boise, ID

We didn't get to spend much time in Jackson, but that is a beautiful place I would love to visit again.  We had an awesome breakfast and everyone was in high spirits as we left.

We visited Register Rock somewhere in Idaho.  Pioneers on the Oregon Trail carved their names and even drew pictures on the rock.  It was a nice little park with lots of rocks and grass for the kids to jump around on.

We made it to Boise, where Grandma has friends with a swimming pool!  They are very dear friends of Grandma and I have heard about them for ages so it was so nice to finally get to meet them in person.  They have 2 kids right around our kids ages so they had a blast.  Our kids thought they were so lucky to have a swimming pool!  They all slept downstairs in one big jumble.  So cute!  We are so thankful for their wonderful and spontaneous hospitality.

Hoping to hit the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City tomorrow.  We are all ready to be home.  (Did I say that already?)

Day 17 (I think): Douglas, WY to Jackson, WY

Wow, I think we are all really itching to get home.  We really didn't have anything big to do or see on our return trip home so we are just making time on the road.

I started the day by throwing Ellie the dog's ball over the dog run fence and into a horse pen.  The horses seemed to be contained, but I started imagining them trying to trample me as I went for the ball.  That and there was a suspicious looking wire running along the fence that might have electrocuted me, so I retreated and got reinforcements and eventually Ellie got her own ball herself.

We drove through some of the most desolate and most beautiful country today.  Brown barren rolling hills with scrubby grey green bushes.  Red and purple pillars shooting out of the ground, some appearing to fall over onto the road.  A variety of mountains, variegated horizontal stripes and craggy speartips.  We saw antelope and buffalo and lots of roadkill.

Deep thought from the road:  How have we maintained unity as a country while still maintaining our locational diversity? (ooh, I like that term and maybe it is the first time it has ever been used.)  What I mean is, if I was in Europe I would've passed through about 7 countries already, each with independent and different forms of government, languages, and customs.  In the past 15 days I have travelled through 8 different states (is that right, it all seems fuzzy to me) and I am still in the same country.  Our founding fathers were really amazingly brilliant and had great foresight to create a democracy that allowed for individual state rights but also brought us together as a republic.

3 more sleeps!  And I have clean clothes after having to wear the same clothes two days in a row.  That made me grumpy.

Day 16: Gothenburg, NE to Douglas, WY

We started our day by visiting an original Pony Express building.  Here are the ideal qualifications of a Pony Express rider:  young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen.  Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily.  Orphans preferred.  Under 125 pounds.  Wild Thing nearly fits the bill and I could definitely see him craving the adventure.  The riders ranged in age from 11 to 40 years old.

We made it to Chimney Rock in Wyoming.  Amazing.  I apologize for no pictures but I forgot my camera cord to download the pictures and keep forgetting to pick one up.

We arrived at Ft. Laramie (not in Laramie) around 7.  The rangers were fantastic and I would highly recommend visiting this site.  We were able to visit several barracks buildings, officers quarters, and see ruins of old buildings.  The kids all got Junior Ranger badges.

We camped in Douglas and got in quite late.  Tomorrow we are on the road to Jackson, WY.

I am feeling desperately in need of good shower and laundry facilities.  Hopefully we will make good time and stop at a great campground.

A Grandpa Interlude

While we are on the road, I would be remiss in not mentioning the many stories we have heard from Grandpa, as well as all of the valuable items he has picked up along the way.

Items:

• a black zip tie
• a washer
• a bolt
• something that looks like a large white hair band with a bead on it (he says it is a tarp tie)
• 1/4" socket drive
• hex drill fitting

I might add that none of these items were picked up off of the side of the highway, but rather they were found at various places we stopped.  My dad regularly stopped his car on the side of the highway and made my brother and I hop out to pick up an old bungee cord.

Our favorite Grandpa stories:

• The Secret Pooper:  My uncle was on an aircraft carrier in the Vietnam war.  Someone would wait until your boots or your pillowcase were left unattended and then poop in said items.  The unsuspecting owner would slip his feet in his boots or snuggle up to his pillow and have an unwelcome surprise.
• Survival Training:  While in the Air Force, Grandpa and his crew mates had to endure a little more than 2 days in a 18" wide by 28" deep by 24" tall box to simulate being in a prisoner of war camp.  One person cried and they released him from the box.  A smaller airman was able to maneuver around in his box and drop his trousers so when they opened the box, all they saw was "his big bottom."  He got extra points for that.  Grandpa saw cheat grass on the floor, but hallucinated that it was maggots on the ground.  
• Grandpa told me all about learning to fly when he was 17 and how he flew from Bellevue to Wenatchee and back with his brother.  I also heard about how he and my mom travelled to Texas for pilot training.

If you know my Dad, the stories are endless and entertaining.  

Day 15: Independence, MO to Gothenburg, NE

Long day of driving, but the good news is that I think the rest of the days of driving will be 6 hours or less.

Some highlights of today:

• Passing Airhead (Arrowhead) Stadium:  Wild Thing drew a picture of it
• Getting a good look at lightning bugs for the first time ever!
• Thinking of how every mile we drove brought us closer to home ( I wish I knew how to make those cute heart shapes with my keyboard right here.)

PS  I forgot to mention that at the National Frontier Trails Museum, there was a little corner dedicated to Ezra Meeker who was a famous Puyallup pioneer!

On the road again

We had a wonderful visit in St. Louis.  Gaston's brother's family lives in a little suburb called Creve Coeur and there are lovely brick homes and big lots.  It is beautiful.  A huge shout out especially to my amazing sis-in-law.  I sometimes call her Martha because of her crafting skill and she does not disappoint when it comes to being the hostess with the mostess.  Even with 8 kids milling about, I still felt like I was on vacation.  Thank you Liz!

Here is a rundown of what we did:

• Swam: at the hotel pool in 105 degree heat and at the Maplewood pool with 2 water slides, a lazy river and 2 diving boards.  I honestly think a couple of the boys did the fast water slide nearly 100 times.  I was very proud of Legoguy for going off the lower diving board.  Did I mention I scream when I go on slides of any sort?  It is an automatic reaction.
• The Arch and Westward Expansion Museum:  now that I am an expert in historical museums, I was a bit disappointed with this one.  Nothing was labeled.  They do get extra points for some amazing quotes.  The Arch, well I can say I did it.  You ride up in this little pod kind of like the Skydiver ride at the Fair, only 5 people ride in it instead of 2.  After a rickety ride to the top, they tell you to stay as long as you like at the top.  They don't tell you that you have to be under 5 feet tall to stand comfortably.  Everyone else seemed to enjoy it but the Park Ranger at the top stopped as he passed by me and asked if I was OK.  I was very glad to get down.
• City Museum:  Wow, that was a crazy place!  It looked as though they had put out an all call when they were creating the place and just asked people for any extra materials they might have. McDonalds play tunnels were installed in the ceiling and covered with strips of white silky material.  Stainless steel rectangular serving receptacles were fastened to the wall.  There was a huge outdoor playground with an old airplane.  But the best part were all of the slides.  Did I mention I scream when I am on a slide?  There is a ten story slide that spins round and round.  There are chutes and tunnels in the floor.  It was so fun!
• Aladdin at the Muny outdoor theater!  Fabulous, entertaining, warm!  
• Most of all, just hanging out and spending time with family.  We will miss them but are so thankful for modern technology like Facetime.

We dropped Gaston off at the airport on Tuesday evening and he is back home with our cat Midnight.  We miss him a lot and I am hoping we make really good time on our return home so we can see him even sooner.

We are back on the road again today.  Got a very early start and stopped at Independence, MO.  Cooled off in the pool, visited the National Frontier Trails Museum which gave us a nice little overview of the Oregon Trail.  They had a wagon and a list of things that should be packed in it.  Grandma read the list and each kid went and grabbed that item off the shelf (i.e. 50 lbs of bacon, 100 lbs of flour but just mock items of course.)  It gave us a great sense of what they could and could not bring on the journey.

Deep thought from the road:

As I stare out the window as we travel along, I see rolling fields of corn or homes, old and new, and I wonder who is living there and what is their story?  I am amazed that there are so many people and communities that I know nothing about and they will pass on and I will never know about their life.  That has been a little frustrating and sad for me.  At the same time it is awe inspiring that God knows each of those stories intimately.  Unfathomable.

Day 7: De Smet, SD to St. Joseph, MO

Today we had scheduled to drive for 7 hours so we decided to get an early start.  We woke the kids and   shuffled them into the RV and were pulling out of De Smet by 8AM.  We ended up driving south through 4 states and made it to St. Joseph, MO by 4PM.  This felt like an easy quick drive and it was great to get to the AOK RV park and jump in the pool.  As my sis-in-law said, "Welcome to Misery, I mean Missouri."  I think it has been 100 degrees or just a few degrees over or under since we left Missoula.

The boys enjoyed some time sitting outside and listening to Grandpa's stories.  They finally came inside the RV telling me, "Mom, did you know they made Grandpa live in a box and poop in a coffee can?" (This was from his survival training in the Air Force.)  "Mom, did you hear about the secret pooper?" (This was from my uncle's experience on a carrier in the Navy.)  Grandpa's stories really are legendary. And any time poop is involved boys will be all ears.

Tomorrow we drive to St. Louis to visit with Gaston's brother and his family.  I'm not sure how much I will be writing from there, but we will be back on the road around the 11th.

We can't wait to see family!

Day 6: Laura Ingalls Homestead

Warning:  This may be a long post.  Get a snack or come back when your kids are in bed and you can read uninterrupted.

If you haven't already you MUST MUST MUST visit Laura Ingalls Wilder's Homestead in De Smet, SD!!  You MUST!!  Boo says it is better than Disneyland.  You will wish you could wear long dresses and wash your clothes by hand.

We actually arrived at the Homestead close to midnight.  When I made camping reservations, we booked an RV site and a LARGE COVERED WAGON!  Our family of six, trundled over the warm grassy prairie with a milky full moon shining down on us.  As the kids got settled into their beds and Gaston went to use the facilities, I sat on the steps of the wagon with the warm wind and looked out over the wheat and oats and corn and hayroof barn and little house on the prairie.  It was surreal and  lovely.

The next morning we got our visitor stickers.  Everything about the property encouraged kids to touch and interact.  We started with a visit to the dugout house made from sod and the shanty.  Then we moved onto the hayloft barn, with 3 tiny kittens that the kids fell in love with.  We all tried out the pump at the well and Grandpa gave lessons on how to throw water out of a bucket.  Legoguy and Wild Thing ended up just throwing the bucket itself along with the water.

The next place we visited was the little house with its garden.  The owner of the property was our guide that day and quickly came out of the house and started the kids in on washing clothes with a washboard and wringer.  Boo told me that if I bought her these items, she would do all of the wash at our house by herself.  All day long they would watch and wait for the washing station to be free so they could go do it again.

We took a wagon ride from the bigger barn to the school house, which was about 1/2 mile away.  The kids all got to take a turn at steering the big draft horses and were quite proud that they managed to keep them in line.  The school house was not original to Laura's time, but was very similar to the one she taught in.  They kids were all encouraged to dress up with straw hats for the boys and dresses and bonnets for the girls.  The teacher guide gave us a peek into life in a country school house and even had the boys come up and count by 2s and the bigger kids participate in a spelling bee.  After that we all got to ring the school bell and headed back to the barn in the wagon.

Our next stop was Flint's Garage, where the kids got to ground wheat with a coffee grinder, learn how to twist straw to make it burn slower, make rope, and make corncob dolls or superheroes.  Since we were there for the day, we returned several times and now have a large corncob doll family and enough rope to tie Grandpa up with.  The boys made lassos out of their rope and were practicing their lasso skills on a metal calf outside.

There was so much to do!  At the barn they had pony rides, which was Wild Thing's favorite part.  The pony's name was Toby.  They had an exhibit with excerpts from each of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. They had a lovely and very air-conditioned visitors center where we browsed for quite awhile and the kids played checkers.

That evening Gaston, Wild Thing, Grandma, and I walked to an old chapel near the property.  It was quite humid and the sun was melting persimmon on the horizon.  On our way back to the covered wagon, the town's fireworks display started.  A lovely end to a lovely day...

Day 5: Hill City, SD to De Smet, SD

it was hard to leave the KOA today, but at the same time we are eager to get on the road to visit family!  We weren't in a rush and let the kids have one more turn on the water slide before we headed out.  Poor Grandma was really feeling yucky with a head cold today.

South Dakota is a beautiful state.  Rather flat and the highway is very straight, but beautiful nonetheless.  It is so easy to imagine Native Americans wandering the countryside or settlers in covered wagons looking for that just right piece of land.  For me, it is hard to imagine the life of the farmers or cattle ranchers that live on this land today.  

We stopped at Wall Drug, the famous store in Wall, SD.  Grandma and Grandpa stayed behind in the RV for a nap.  The kids each got to pick a souvenir:  Boo got some polished rocks, Bud some finger flashlights and 2 cool rocks, Wild Thing a travel football game which I'm sure we will lose the pieces to in about 2.7 days, and Legoguy got 2 suckers and 1 eyeball toy.  He inadvertently picked a Dill Pickle flavored sucker - YUCK!  Fortunately the other one was rootbeer flavored.  Did i mention it was 102 today?

The Four Winds has been wonderful!  It has managed to battle the heat and get us where we are going with minimal problems.  Definitely answered prayer - keep it coming!

We had a nice sit-down dinner in Mitchell, SD before turning north towards De Smet, home of Laura Ingalls family in the Long Winter and Little House on the Prairie books.  It is 10PM Central time and we are still on the road.  Hopefully be there by 10:30.

I apologize for no pictures.  Coming soon.

Lessons from the road:

1.  Being in an RV is like being on a boat.  Whenever we stop, I still feel like we are moving.

2.  There is SO much wide open space in this part of our country.

3.  The kids would rather eat a handful of boogers than drink a cup of monkey spit (from the game "Would You Rather?") 

Day 4: Mt. Rushmore

We all deserved a much needed break from the RV and driving today.  The Hill City KOA is amazing!  There is a splash park and a couple of pools, water slide, mini golf, horse trail rides, and even wine tasting and a bar!

The kids have loved the water slide and made many friends because it was way more fun sliding with 2 people than with one.  Boo got to enjoy a trail ride with Grandma, although they had rain and hail while they were riding.  Boo's horse was named Peanut Butter and Grandma's was named Horace (get it - Horace the horse?)

The highlight of the visit was experiencing Mt. Rushmore.  It is so much more impressive in person than in pictures.  We arrived at about 7:30 PM and got to tour the museum.  The highlight for the kids were the videos connected to a fake TNT push lever (you know, the one Wily Coyote always tried to use on the Roadrunner.)  You could select a video and then push the lever down and part of the mountain would explode.  Boys plus explosives equals fun!

Next the ranger gave a talk to a large amphitheater filled with people.  He spoke about a speech George Washington gave, referencing the "unborn millions" who would benefit from the freedom and liberty that was fought for by the patriots of this country.  We are the unborn millions he was referencing and it was an awesome moment to consider the benefits we enjoy because of others toil and sacrifice.

The mountain was lit up and then the ranger invited anyone who had served in the armed forces to come down to the stage and be recognized.  Grandpa served in the Air Force during Vietnam so he made his way down to the front.  There were probably 100 people down there and it was an awe-inspiring moment.  We sang the national anthem and the flag was lowered.  Each person then shared their name and the branch of the military they served in.

It was a very special moment and we were so glad we got to experience that with Grandpa.  Making memories....

Day 3: Billings to Hill City, SD

The kids have really been enjoying the swimming pool at the places we have camped.  Even though it is 8PM, as soon as we pull in they throw on their swimsuits and head out.  Gaston has been flipping them up in the air and Bud has had 2 excellent belly flops.

We ate a hearty breakfast at the Billings KOA and were on the road by 9:30.  I had my first taste of driving the Four Winds.  I was reluctant to do so, but Dad just coaxed me along and it went fine.  No driving in town though.

We stopped at the Little Big Horn Nat'l Park around 11.  It is a Nat'l cemetery, so there was a mix of people buried there who served our nation.  These are always fascinating to me.  I love reading the tombstones and imagining who the people were.  There were several Indian Scouts buried there.

We toured the museum.  Wild Thing's favorite section was the diorama with the battle scenes.  I really enjoyed the pictures, especially of the Native Americans.  We caught a bit of a ranger's presentation on what happened at Custer's Last Stand.  Then we were able to drive along the ridge where Custer was killed.  Gaston was impressed that they placed tombstones as close as possible to where the bodies were found, so you got an idea of where the battle was most intense.

We continued through Montana - man, that is a big state!!  We finally made it to Sheridan, Wyoming and stopped at the Wal-Mart to pick up a few things.  I forgot to mention it was about 95 today.  We saw a teenage girl in the parking lot wearing neon purple furry slipper boots.

We took a quick detour through Deadwood, SD, an old mining town that has preserved a lot of its rustic look.  Legoguy even noticed that there were several casinos where you could play Slapjack.

We FINALLY made it to the Hill City KOA!  This place is really heaven on earth for kids.  I will write more tomorrow and hopefully post some pictures.

Notes from the road:
1.  I think several of us hit some emotional turbulence today, good and bad.  I am really impressed with how well everyone is doing.
2.  I fear the RV bathroom.  Even when we aren't moving.
3.  I literally saw the sun rise and set on an amazing portion of our country I had never seen before.