Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸

We said goodbye to our downtown apartment and headed for Arkansas. One more long drive, but with a few stops in between. before we left Oklahoma City, the boys wanted to see the Paycom coliseum, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA). So…

We also saw what has to be one of the largest Bass Pro Shops. What could be more American than a big ol’ Bass Pro Shop on the 4th of July?

This place was HUGE – with buffalo and a fish tank larger than 5+ people!

As we left we saw Skydance Bridge (inspired by the Okalhoma State Bird , the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher)

We again stayed off the Interstates so we could see some of Oklahoma’s small towns. Like Shawnee, Oklahoma, who have a supersonic missle and helicopter in their town square and the main road named Kickapoo Road, which made us all giggle . We also noticed a LOT of damage to buildings and homes and after some research, we discovered that Shawnee was hit by tornados at the end of April this year. They are still trying to complete repairs city-wide.

As we drove on through Oklahoma, we found a Mom’s Cafe along the back roads… and even some ice cream sandwiches that were barely surviving in the cooler despite wrapping and ice.

We traveled through the Choctaw Nation, which was pretty impressive with their own Health Care Center and Community Centers. This was entirely different than some of the other reservations that we have traveled through on prior trips.

We do love a back road!

State Number 38! Hello Arkansas!

Great little small towns with their Flags waving for the 4th of July

The drive was beautiful – rolling hills and farmland. Arkansas is reminiscent of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia or the foothills in North Carolina

We finally made it to Hot Springs and after dropping off our luggage, we did a little exploring before dinner. We traveled up Hot Springs Mountain trail to check out the Mountain Tower. We were about to head up when we learned that it was $10 per person to go to the top. Now we maybe wanted to see it $5 worth, maybe $20 for the whole family, but not $10 per person… so instead, we took a picture in the bathtub, and found the free overlook 😁

Since we ate in both nights in Oklahoma City, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice steak dinner at 501 Prime. The steaks were delicious but the lighting in the restaurant was just weird 🥴

Back in the room, we played some more garbage, with sporadic bouts of wrestling.

These boys are getting really good at garbage. Michael bet Leo $10 that he couldn’t play the last 3 hands of garbage without talking (only words he could say were “may I” (which is part of the game). Not only did he make it the whole time, but he won all three hands! I told Leo I think we found the secret to his success 🤫 ♥️

Tomorrow we are exploring Hot Springs and maybe some hiking depending on the weather – it is supposed to be over 90° and very humid so we may drive stop to stop as we explore. We’ll see…

Good Morning Oklahoma! We all slept well in our downtown apartment, although when the dog groomer next door got going at 6:45am, we were a little grumpy… thankfully we were able to go back to sleep. After a lazy breakfast with our donuts and coffee from the grocery store yesterday, we headed out. We spent today on two ends of the vacation spectrum: Memorial/Museums and Waterparks.

Our apartment is only a 5-minute walk to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum. The Museum is in the footprint and beside the former Alfred Murrah Federal Building. As we approached, there are 2 standing walls on opposite ends of the plaza one labeled 9:01am and 9:03am, the moments surrounding when the bomb was detonated with a peaceful reflecting pool in between.

The lawn covers the exact footprint of the federal building and the chairs represent everyone killed in the explosion. The little chairs were the most heart wrenching because they represented a child killed in the explosion.

The museum itself is housed in the Journal Record Building, still showing damage from the blast.

The museum is extremely well done and starts with the mundane day that started like any other. One exhibit took you into the Water Resources Board who were recording their hearing on April 19, 1995. As the hearing goes on, there is a huge explosion and the chaos that ensuses is exactly what happened in real time to Oklahoma City.

Yesterday we had the boys do a little research on the bombing since it was long before they were born. And in a post-September 11th, it’s hard to remember how innocent we all were before the Oklahoma City bombing. We tried to explain how shocking this was – to have a bombing on US soil from a US citizen.

One of the exhibits we really liked was the community response. As rescuers needed something, like rain gear or size D batteries, local news would put out a request. Within 30 minutes so many of the items were received that that would need to be back on air and report that the need was meet.

We also loved the stories of the K-9 Search and Recue dogs, especially the story that when the news reported that the rescue dogs’ paws were getting cuts during rescues, people began delivering baby shoes for the dogs’ paws.

Mike and I both still remembered this photo from almost 30 years ago. The photo eventually would earn a Pulitzer Prize in Photography (and cause quite a debate because 2 photographers took the same photo). I remember thinking that photo summed up everything that day.

The view from the Musuem back onto the lawn was so serene, especially with the reflecting pool and Survivors Tree.

The Survivor Tree located right outside the museum. This Elm tree survived the bombing, and recovery/rescue efforts. It is interesting that there is also a similar Survivor Tree in New York from September 11th.

After the Memorial, we were all a little wiped, and decided to grab lunch at the apartment before headed to the other end of our vacation day – a Waterpark! Today, we are headed to Riversport OKC. Riversport OKC is a whitewater rafting park in the heart of Oklahoma City! We got there ready to ride around 1pm, and had reservation for 4pm whitewater rafting. We did one run of tubing and then Crack! ⚡️ lightning off in the distance. Due to park rules, we were land-locked for the next couple of hours until there were no lightning strikes with 10 miles of the park. They were prepared for this because they had a gaming room with Virtual Reality Rowing games, and entire computer gaming set-ups, as well as cornhole and plenty of chairs to just relax.

FINALLY, at 4pm we got the all clear and it became a mission to get our money’s worth in the next 2 hours. Over the next two hours, we did family tubing runs, whitewater rafted through the course, the giant slides and the basketball/trampoline court. I wouldn’t say we got our full money’s worth but we came close.

We were way too wiped to go home, shower get ready and go back out for dinner out so instead we went by a local Walmart for the ingredients for Chicken fettucine. 45 minutes later, we were showered, in PJs and ready to eat with some ice cream sandwiches for dessert 😁 After dinner, we finished another load of laundry and FINALLY finished a round of Garbage! ♠️♥️♣️♦️

We leave our little downtown apartment and head over to Hot Springs National Park and our 4th of July celebration! 🇺🇸♥️🎆

Remember how well you slept at your grandma’s house becuase you had played non-stop with cousins all day? Well that’s how we slept at Grandma Holt’s house last night. Thankfully, we didn’t have to check out until 11am, and we took advantage of every second of that. We were finally all loaded at 10:47am, and headed out of Kansas and on our way to Oklahoma!

Southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma are F-L-A-T! And it is full of wind turbines… I bet those suckers were spinning like tops in that storm the other night!

WooHoo, a plaque! Although Kansas Plaques all seem to be made of wood. This one is regarding the Big and Little Basins located nearby. Both were created by sinkholes or sinks. The Little Basin contains a pool of water called St Jacob’s Well, which has never gone dry.

We made it! State # 37 – Okalahoma!

We traveled on and stopped for gas in the town of Laverne, OK. Home of the Tigers AND Miss America 1967 Jane Jayroe! 👑 I love that 56 years later, they are still so proud of Jane Jayroe ♥️ As I turned around, I realized that we had stopped at Fat Daddy’s Corner Store, and these silhouettes were the best 🤣

As we rolled on along, we found a Mom’s Cafe in Oklahoma 😀

Finally, as we neared Geary, Oklahoma, we jumped on the famous Route 66. Out first stop was for dessert at the Cherokee Travel Mart. The Neon sign and Teepee were the best. And the random artwork and signs along the road made the better as we searched for it.

We decided to add 20 minutes to see the campus of Oklahoma University. OU is a beautiful campus, with lots of history and stories.

One of our favorite statutes was the Selmon Brothers. The Selmon were a large family from Eufaula, Oklahoms who had 3 sons who came to play for the Oklahoma Sooners! All were All-American and all went on the play in the NFL. Definitely a proud mama and papa there!

We passed Moore, Oklahoma – home to Topy Keith (I feel like this will be a trivia question one day)

We arrived at our Airbinb for the night, and if Grandma Holt’s was every grandma’s house as a kid, this apartment would be the exact opposite! Modern sleek and spacious with its own a private patio on the roof. It is the entire second floor of a law office that we are guessing is used for clients, experts, Christmas parties or maybe just a secondary income source.

It is perfect for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed just sittting this afternoon.

We had a delicious dinner of homemade fajitas and then a few rounds of Garbage. We’ve been so sleepy we have yet to make it through an entire 10-rounds game. Thankfully they are starting to enjoy playing cards, Unfortunately, they are getting pretty good at winnng. 🤣

garbage pic

Tomorrow is a full day of Oklahoma City history and whitewater rafting and Riversports!

Just one hour of driving today gave us a nice leisurely morning at the little Grain Bin.

These stairs gave 0% wiggle room for error!

It was really a cool AirBnB! They maximized every inch of space and make the most of everything. These blue chairs come together to make single bed.

It was a little tight with the 4 of us in here (especially since the boys have become man-child sized lately), but it was on only one night, and know we can say we slept in a grain bin … plus not a bad view for a cup of coffee especially when the chickens come to check out the new people.

We said goodbye to the Little Grain Bin Inn and headed off to Dodge City, formerly know as the wickedest little city in the world. Along the way, (thankfully the way was only an hour or so today), we drove through a lot of little towns with old school architecture.

It is hard to explain how flat it is out here – you can see for miles and miles.

After our 6+ hour driving days, this day was a breeze. Before we knew it, we were in Dodge City!

I had high hopes about seeing an old western town, cowboys in a gunfight, and Mrs. Kitty from Gunsmoke in Dodge City. We could see the outlines of the buildings and stopped in the Visitor’s Center to see how best to see everything. Turns out, the “old timey” town part is now gated inside the Old Boot Museum, so to see the gunfights and cowboys, we would have to each pay the $18 admission fee. We’re not $72 into Cowboy history, so we placed our pin in the map, said hello to Marshall Matt Dillion, climbed in the train, and walked around the City for a bit.

Leo challenged Marshall Matt Dillion to a game of Shadow boxing, but we’re not sure who won 🤣

Unfortunately, nothing else was very cowboy-ee in Dodge City, but we did find the first Teacher Hall of Fame in the United States.

We made our way over to the Dodge City Municipal Park, and found a pop-up Mom’s Cafe.

And guess what was right beside the park, the Long Branch Lagoon.

For almost the cost of one of us going to the Boot Museum, we all got into the Long Branch Lagoon, but we all didn’t get wet… wanna guess who opted for a quiet shady spot 😉

Someone may have gotten the fingers stuck for a minute in the tables…

We were really impressed with this little water park. It was clean, plenty of seating and the people were really nice. We didn’t see many families that didn’t inclde a mom and a dad at the waterpark.

Several hours later, waterlogged and tired, we left the Long Branch Lagoon, and checked in at our Next Airbnb, Grandma Holt’s House. This house was awesome. It was literally like going back in time and staying at your grandma’s house. You instantly felt at home. The furniture was comfortable but had a grandma feel – even had a picture of Grandma and Grandpa Holt on the table.

Seriously, the only way it could have been more “grandma” is if there were a candy dish on the coffee table with that really hard candy that all stuck together that every grandma kept out for company 🤣

We headed out to the local grocery store, Dillon’s, and came home to start the washng machine to get caught up on a week’s worth of laundry. As the washer and dryer ran, we decided to fully commit to the Grandma Holt experience, and go with a fried chicken dinner!

Bellies full and dishes washed, we continued with the Grandma experience, and almost feel asleep on the couch watching The Rifleman. 🤣

(which is why this post is done today instead of last night)

Hallelujah! We woke up to beautiful skies and sunshine so Toadstool Geological Park was a go… as soon as we could get these boys up and moving. Thankfully the Airbnb owner left us juice and homemade rhubarb scones, so we made coffee and had a nice breakfast before we packed up for another reeeaaallllyyy long driving day.

Once we packed the car with our bags and cooler, off we went to the Oglala National Grasslands. It was a beautiful drive with meadows that looked like a page from Little House on the Prairie. The Grasslands began to give way to sand and stone… we were nearing Toadstool Geological Park

Toadstool Geological is a lot like a Mini-Badlands National Park. We decided to do the interactive trail, since we were a little short of time trying to squeeze everything in today due to the rain. It was a beautiful hike and the temperature was perfect. Mike and I hiked, and the boys climbed over and on any available surface.

Even worked on a few optical illusion pics

We left Toadstool and headed to Fort Robinson. Fort Robinson has been used repeatedly by the US Government to detain folks. It was where Crazy Horse surrendered and then later died during of revolt against the leaders of Uniter States. The Fort later housed German prisoners of war during World War II. Since then, the Fort is used like destination for families in the summer and holidays.

We left Fort Robinson, and head for Carhenge. What is Carhenge? Exactly what it sounds like… Stonehenge made out of cars 🤣

It’s pretty weird to be driving along near Alliance, NE and then BAM! Painted cars buried in the ground 🤣🤷🏼‍♀️ but what better Roadside Attraction?!?

The boys wanted this picture of TowMater, and of course a dinosaur skeleton. And I thought the fish made from car parts was pretty cool.

Souvenir ornament purchased and pin placed in the map for Climax, NC,

We said goodbye to Carhenge and headed back into the town of Alliance for a little restocking (2nd loaf of bread and another pound of turkey). The Alliance Safeway must not get a lot of visitors before I felt like people were all staring like a telepathic message we sent out “new person in town” 🤣🤣 Anyway restocked and ready, Mom’s Cafe opened on the journey to Ness City, Kansas.

We have 5 hours ahead of us and initially, it seemed like a beautiful day for a drive…

We made it back into Kansas…

And then, the rains moved in…

The thunderstorms out here are no joke. Wind gusts up to 70mph and just sheets of rain with hail the size of quarters!

As we got to the end of the storm, the clouds were crazy. They looked like something out of a movie or the apocalypse

And then to watch it lighten as the storms would clear…

I have a whole new appreciation for the movie Twister now 🌪️

With the storms and threats of more, we decided to grab a pizza from Pizza Plus in Ness City and take back to our Airbnb for dinner. Ness City is small town about 70 miles north of Dodge City.

Pizza in hand we headed to our Airbnb – a renovated grain Silo! And of course, another dirt road…

We didn’t get many outside pictures due to storm but definitely will tomorrow. The inside was really cool. Almost like a camper with every bit of space maximized

We didn’t get any photos upstairs because once the rain started hitting the tin roof, the Browns were snoozing… which is also why Friday’s post isn’t posted until Saturday morning 🤣) Once we are up and going, it’s a short one hour drive to Dodge City! 🤠

We started today way in the southeast corner of Nebraska, and we went to sleep way in the northwest corner of Nebraska. We have covered the Cornhusker State from corner to corner. Traveling from Lincoln to Crawford is not for the faint of heart… 7+ hours. But we started with tractors and ended at a walk-up slice of Americana and a card game that allllll…most led to profanity, so it’s still been a great day in Nebraska!

This guy is really excited about today’s stop… The Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum on the campus of the University of Nebraska.

So, here is the story of the Larsen Tractor Test Lab is you don’t know (which I did not until planning this trip): In the early 1900’s a company named the Ford Tractor Company of Minneapolis started making and selling tractors. They were not associated with the Ford Motor Company, but they definitely benefited from people believing they were. The Ford Tractor Company claimed their tractors were dependable, efficient, durable, powerful and easy to operate – they were not! In fact, the owner of the company, W. Baer Ewing was known to request a $75 down payment, and then refuse to deliver the tractor or return the deposit! $75 in 1915 is the equivalent of over $1,300 now. The tractors kept failing and injuring farmers, which led Nebraska State Representative Crozier to sponsor the Nebraska Tractor Test Law and Rules for Official Tractor Tests Law. The law required that advertised claims must be verified by 3 University of Nebraska engineers before being sold in Nebraska.

The museum is exactly what you would expect (small and quaint with the smell of rubber tires and diesel fuel) but it was so full of tractors and information that it had something for every level of tractor enthusiast.

These two are ready for combine driving school 😉

When I suggested taking Mike and boys’ picture inside the museum , I got tickled when Mike said “not in front of a green one” 🤣 You gotta pick your tractor – red, green or blue! It’s not something you’re wish washy about 🤣

But he did let me get one with green tractors to show the decorations.

The Test Lab and Museum were absolutely worth the stop!

After we left the Test Lab, we tried to see Cornhuskers’ Stadium, but due to construction, it was locked up tight… not that I tried to break in (I did)

Then we headed downtown to see the Nebraska State Capital, and got to see the Governor’s Mansion… He definitely isn’t missing work due to the commute (literally across the street)

After our stops in Lincoln, we hit the road because we have a whole lotta ground to cover today. We made a few stops along the way and found a few interesting sights and… a plaque!

Around noon, the serving bell rang at Mom’s Cafe, and the lunch rush was on!

Otherwise we spent the day just watching the scenery. It was beautiful and looked like something from a movie.

We did use our Roadside America App to find this restored 1922 gas station that now acts as the Visitors Center in Ogallala, Nebraska.

Mike found his dream home… think he wants solitude? 😆🤣

And we saw the coolest cloud… but we were torn whether it looks like a mom holding a baby; Jesus holding a child; or the little shepherd boy holding a sheep that comes with the nativity set?

We continued driving headed toward the Toadstool Geological Park for some weird rock formations and hiking. GPS said we would be there by 4:45, but we began hearing a repetitive weather warning about a severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. The clouds were a bit darker and we could see rain off in the distance

Then we also noticed that all the cows were herded together on the backside of all the hills, in every pasture…

According to the Weather Channel app, the storm was suppose to arrive in Toadstool Park at 4:50pm… 5 minutes behind us. This was not going to be just a drizzle.

So we changed plans and decided to check into our Airbnb, wait for storm to pass and then head on… The Airbnb is really cute – comfy and clean.

So we waited, and watched the rain, and waited, and watched the rain… and so on. Finally we decided with all this rain, hiking today was probably a bad idea, so instead we went to explore Crawford, Nebraska… and 5 minutes later, we were finished.

We decided to have dinner at the Frontier Bar and Grill. Not the fanciest place we have eaten, but not the worst. The food was tasty and we walked away with a dinner for 4 under $50. That’s definitely a rarity! We decided to check out a local take-out place for dessert, and they had to best signs/slogans, and a big chicken!

We found the American flag house that we read about on Roadside America, so we could check that off!

The sky was still pretty ominous, but we did get a beautiful sunset.

We ended back to our little place for some cards. We have finally gotten the boys to play cards with us, and it has definitely fueled some competitive words 🃏

So even though we didn’t get to see Toadstool Geological Park or Carhenge today, there’s always tomorrow. And if not then, maybe God’s giving us a reason to come back. 😉 It have still been another great day with my people! Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Nebraska and head back to discover the West side of Kansas.

If yesterday was the day of many things to do, today was the exact opposite. We slept in and said goodbye to Kansas City, and headed west. Hello Kansas, State #35!

We decided to go through Lawrence, Kansas to see the University of Kansas, but before we did that, it was time to stock up and resupply Mom’s Cafe! We headed to the nearest Walmart and then the stocking crew took over.

We loaded the car with our supplies and lastest addition to our cooler family, and off we went.

The University of Kansas was nice, definitely more hilly that we expected, but the buildings were beautiful.

We continued west – checking in at the capital building in Topeka, Kansas

Then we turned north and made our way toward Nebraska. The topography made some drastic changes as we made our way away from the cities and into more “prairie land”. Plenty of wide-open “vastness.”

We continued staying off the interstates as much as possible so we could see little towns like Home, Kansas. They may not be a large city but their 4th of July Spirit is ready to go! And their town slogan is the best: “There’s no place like Home (Kansas)” 👠👠

And of all places, we found a Mom’s Cafe just outside Home!

BUT WAIT – HANG ON… is that a plaque! YES, it is – although wooden… still counts. Since we stopped and made the boys read yet another random, roadside plaque, they now know that the state highway we are traveling on is part of the original California-Oregon trail. We didn’t find any original wagon ruts, but still cool.

And there it is, State #36 – Nebraska

Now I have to admit that sometimes my “avoid highway” criteria is a bit much for Apple Maps, who occasionally send us down cut-throughs that lead us down random dirt roads…

Finally, we made it to our destination The Homestead National Historical Park in Beatrice, Nebraska. (*Remember it is Be-A-tris. They are very proud of they city name and its proper pronunciation.)

For a little background, the Homestead Act would give 160 acres of land to any man or woman, regardless of color or nationality, IF:

• they took possession of the land;
• cleared, maintained, and resided there for 5 years; and
• built a home and cultivate crops.

We stopped here because I am absolutely fascinated by Homesteaders. Imagine leaving everything you knew and every bit of family and support you had, and going to a whole new world – sometimes when you didn’t even know the language of the population. If this parking lot (from the 4 yellow circles) is an acre, imagine getting 160 of these and being solely responsible for turning it into a working farm!

And this wasn’t forever ago, the last homesteader was Ken Deardorff who acquired a 50-acre homestead claim in 1974. He submitted his paperwork in 1979, and in true government style, he received the title to his land in 1988… 9 years later 🤦🏼‍♀️

Outside the museum was a replica of a family homestead. Imagine living here with a whole family and traveling by wagon?

And again with these three ♥️

We left the Homestead and headed for Lincoln. Other than being the capital of Nebraska and home to the University of Nebraska, we really didn’t know what we were going to do in Lincoln. But it turns out that the downtown area is really cool. We checked into the hotel, and found a brazillian steakhouse, Rodizio Grill, with great reviews online. We also appreciated that we called to check and see if there was a dresscode, the guy asked if we were wearing socks and shoes? Um yes. Then you’re good enough for us 😆

Rodizio was fantastic. We paid per person – sort of an all you can eat buffet style – except that after you fix your plate of sides like salads, side dishes, fruit and soups, servers walk around with skewers of meat. You put this little knocker on Green if you want them to come cut meat at your table, red if your taking a break and laying on its side when ready for dessert.

With these two, we definitely came out ahead on this cost per person thing 🤣

After dinner, we explored downtown Lincoln a bit. It is definitely a college town city – a little artsy and eclectic, but with a conservative undertone? Like a “let’s get crazy, but I still gotta go to work tomorrow” mentality 😉

Pretty great day to have had very little planned. Tomorrow, we start the day at the Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum at the University of Nebraska! Can you guess who is the most excited of the Browns? 🚜♥️🚜♥️

Up and at ’em early this morning to get the first tour of Arrowwood/Arrowhead Stadium, and wow! It was so worth it! Michael Brown is a huge Chiefs fan, so this was his morning. Even Leo said maybe he would pull for the Chiefs now… as long as they aren’t playing the Saints 🏈😉

Tour guide Mike did not move fast but we saw it all in our 2 hour tour. We started outside with statue of Lamar Hunt who along with other investors paid $50,000 each to create the American Football League. They said they were really foolish to invest that kind of money, and the press dubbed them the Foolish Club, a name that stuck forever.

Then we headed up to the luxury suites… complete with private bathrooms and a fireplace. Because how could you bear to watch a game without a fireplace 🥴

From the suites, we headed down to the field. Arrowhead Stadium is covered with these plastic locking squares. These cover the turf/sand for off-season concerts and summer events. At the end of summer, the panels are removed and Bermuda Sod is rolled out for a season of Football.

The benefit of the plastic panels being there is that we got to go right onto the field!

From the field, we went to the Chiefs Hall of Fame where there are replicas of the players’ busts from Canton. We were especially impresssed with Derrick Thomas whose father died in Vietnam when he was baby and who worked to support Vietnam Vets and their families.

Pretty great Photo ops too

This kid was just in his element today… Especially when Tour Guide Mike let the boys try on his Super Bowl Ring!

But oh, the best was yet to come… The tunnel and locker room! We actually were right where Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes get ready on Sundays. So when we watch the games, we can say “We were RIGHT THERE!”

And then the Tunnel!

Leo found a reference to his Saints too

Arrowhead also had a section on the east side of stadium for the Missouri State High School Football Championships, and on the west side for the Kansas State High School Football Champions. How cool to be in high school and have your team picture up in Arrowhead stadium.

Great Day!

Tour Guide Mike suggested we go explore Union Station and the World War I Monument and Memorial. Kansas City Union Station was just as beautiful as St Louis’ Union Station. Must be a rule!

We took the sky bridge over to Center City and grabbed street tacos for lunch, and then explored a bit. They had several specialty stores – toys, ice cream, and cupcakes!

Then we headed over to the World War I Memorial and Museum. The Musuem was so well done, with several documentaries explained the world prior to, during and at the moment the United States joined the fight.

We especially liked this cottonwood tree’s sign that said “Please do not climb on me. I am old. That is why I have a crutch. If they see you climbing on me, they will cut off my arm. So please, no climbing but hugs are okay.” So we had to oblige. 🥰

I have especially loved catching these moments during this trip. When they are goofing around, and just happy together.

Mike even found the vehicle similar to what his Great Uncle would have driven in World War I.

Before we headed back to the hotel, we decided to look into the Lego store… of course when we saw the 20% markup versus WalMart and Amazon, we decided to wait and order.

We headed back to the hotel to rest for an hour or so before heading off to see the Kansas City Royals play. It was Dollar Dog Day and Free Halter Top Night (I’m totally Serious 🤣), so dinner definitely didn’t break the bank tonight, and you can’t go to a ballpark and not have a hotdog! ⚾️

The game was great – 0-0 until the bottom of the 8th, when the Royals scored! But then, in the top of the 9th, the Cleveland Guardians came back and end up winning 2-1. Oh well, not really our team, but a great end to a great day!

Tomorrow, we head into Kansas and then Nebraska so we’ve got a bit of driving, but I feel certain we will find a few interesting stops along the way.

No trip to St. Louis would be complete without a trip to The Arch.

We started our visit with the museum tour and then the documentary movie. The musuem covered the birth of St Louis from Indian land, Spanish occupancy, French occupancy and then the formation of America.

The Arch was built from 1962 to 1965 and is a testament to the American Spirit, and just downright fearlessness! Watching the builders lean on the edge without any harnesses or safety equipment! We were getting woozy just watching the movie. After the movie, Mike headed back into the museum and the boys and I headed up into the Arch.

We climbed in Tram Car #5 and up up up we went. Four minutes up in a rather small car, and we made it to the top!

We made it all the way to the top – 631 feet! We were closed in and it was unsettling… so to be that high and then to imagine those workers who built the Arch 😳😬

We made our way down, stopped in the gift shop, and headed out to get some outside pictures. It was a beautiful day and we had fun goofing with the camera.

We picked up the car from the hotel and started making our way to Jefferson City and then on to Kansas City. We decided to stay off the interstates so we could see some of the small towns along the way.

We grabbed lunch in Washington, Missouri at the 1869 Tavern. The food was delicious and we met a nice couple who spent some time in Greenville, NC before his retirement. They gave us some great ideas about places to visit on our trip.

As we left, I wanted to get one more picture. To which, Michael replied “we almost made it” LOL – and then they died laughing!🤣

Apparently once their bellies were full, excitement of vacation caught up with the boys.

We traveled to Jefferson City, and walked a bit around the capital which was beautiful, and inscribed with the state motto “Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto” which means let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.

We made it to Kansas City, checked in and enjoyed relaxing a bit and watching the final College World Series Game. We headed out to grab some Kansas City Barbeque at Q39. Again, awesome food! If we don’t do anything else, we always eat well. 🤣

Tomorrow we start the day off with some Football and end the day with Baseball… Pretty much a perfect Boy day!🏈⚾️

Five States…

Two Parents…

Two Teenagers…

And 14 days of good ol’ fashioned family fun!

We have prepped, planned, scheduled and booked. We are ready to start our next adventure! We’ve recorded oh so many videos for Charlotte Stewart who is watching the garden, chickens and pool for us. Sampson is at Abbott’s Groom and Board, and we are ready to go.

Day One started early… like up before 6am, out the door by 6:30am and at the airport by 7am early. But sandwiching vacation between Michael’s camp (last week) and Leo’s camp (the week we get back), means we have to maximize every single day – including today. We had to get going early to have a whole day first day to tour St Louis… and we did 😉

When you wake up before 6am, travel 500 miles to Philadelphia by 9:15am, and have a 2-hour layover your eating schedule does get slightly off kilter. Smashburgers at 10:15am – yep, makes sense.

Back in the air, a couple of hours and a rough landing later, we are in St Louis, Missouri – state number 34!

Rental car, check! and off we go. Initially our room wasn’t quite ready so after a change of clothes in the car, we were ready to explore St Louis. After a bit of a hiccup with an Uber, we were able to get in our room… seems like they were happy to have a moment to be still.

Since we were flying today, we were a little afraid to book anything definite, so we had a whole afternoon/evening to explore. We have tickets for the Arch tomorrow, and today decided to explore Union Station. St. Louis was known as the Gateway to the West, and that was evidenced by the first train to pull into Union Station in 1894. It was one of the largest and busiest terminal in the world for a while, seeing more than 100,000 passengers per day. Remember the photo of President Truman holding the paper that said “Dewey defeats Truman” – that was Union Station.

The last train departed in 1978, and within 7 years the Grand Hall and Midway were transformed into mixed use facilities. Union Station is now a hotel, and is absolutely breathtaking!

Where the trains came and went, there is now an aquarium, carousel, the Giant Wheel of St Louis, and mini golf, as well as food trucks, restaurants, ice cream parlor and lagoon with fire and water show. And we tried them all (except the aquarium… if I’m going to pay $35 per person to see fish, I need Shamu to be there.)

Dinner was Landry’s Seafood House – fantastic food and service. We loved our hostess who summed up the world’s problems: “90% of the population is stuck on stupid.” So far, Missourians seem like our kind of people.

Bellies very full and eyes very heavy, we decided to turn in early. Boys walked down to the pool but decided they were just too tired to swim. (For them to admit that means they are truly wiped out).

Tomorrow we visit The Arch and begin exploring Missouri