Hello from Salina, Kansas!

What a gray, cloudy, drizzly day we have had. But even with gray weather, the beauty of the prarie could not be dimmed. Oh my goodness. My view of Kansas has forever been changed! I like our scenery at home, and I will admit the roads are boring out here(not a lot of cars, not a lot or curves). But the landscape at home is stopped short by our hills and mountains. The beauty here goes on, and on, and on!

This picture is part of the 10,482 acres of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. On the property is a ranch house built in the 1800's.

This house is really something. Built out of limestone, because that is what is around. The Jones family were cattle ranchers, because the prairie grass makes for good eats when your a cow!

This is one of the front parlors. The woodwork is amazing.

We began walking on one of the trails. Went through some mud(I'll have to write about the dirt out here one time), got soaking wet, saw some gorgeous scenery. But, the drizzle was too drizzly so we turned back.

After leaving Tall Prairie Grass, we went to Abilene, Kansas where we saw this....

This is the boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower. His home and presidential library and museum are there. So now the boys have seen where Dwight D Eisenhower's life began and where it ended, in Gettysburg. Now Dempsey wants to see where he spent 8 years in the middle of his life!

Tomorrow we will continue our cris-cross journey of Kansas. We're off to see the wizard!!!

Hello, hello!

Wow. So we are having adventures with hotel rooms! Last night, not so good. We were all glad to get out of the hotel this morning! Tonight is much better!

So a little catch up....

yesterday we went to the Jefferson National Expansion Museum, which includes the Arch and the Old Courthouse. The Old Courthouse is where the Dred Scott Case began - the Dred Scott Case that Roger B. Taney(whose house is in Frederick, MD) presided over as Chief Supreme Court Justice.

The Arch -

Oh my gosh! Kudos to Saarinen(who also designed Dulles airport, among other things). I will say the tram ride up was not my favorite, and totally not what I expected. But once you get up to the top, WOW! The view is spectacular! I think the Arch was designed with the tourist in mind because it is quite spacious at the top(when compared to the Washington Monument, that is).

After going up in the arch, we took a tour on a riverboat, the Tom Sawyer. One thing that surprised me was to see the Mississippi is a muddy brown(speaking of mud, there is real dirt out here. No clay!). We asked a park ranger if it was pollution or just the way the river is, and it is just the way the river is, at least here. Another thing that surprised me about the river in St. Louis, is that it is not a recreational waterway. It is a working river, and the waterfront is very industrial.

This is a picture of a grain barge being loaded. Yes, the back is sunk down lower than the front. We learned that the proper way to load a barge is from back to front(or vice versa), not from the center out.

Wednesday we went to the home of former president, Harry S. Truman. Very unpretentious!

We couldn't take pictures in the house, so this is it. It is a cute house, albeit outdated in decor. It is a house that you could picture yourself living in - President Truman would probably like that comment.

Following the Truman home was a visit to the Monroe school, where the Brown's and others sued the school board to desegregate schools. This led to the Supreme Court case, Brown V. Board of Ed. It was really sad to see the hatred people can allow to surface.

A surprising thing is the scenery in Kansas. I had a preconceived notion that Kansas would be flat and nothing. This explains southern Indiana and Illinois. So far, southeastern Kansas is really pretty. Beautiful rolling hills, and when you reach the apex, you can see green fields and trees that continue forever. Clouds so close, you just want to reach out and touch them. And a gorgeously azure sky that meets with the green fields in a distant point. Perhaps western Kansas will match the stereo-type I have, but this part of Kansas is something to write home about - and I think I just did!

St Louiee- 2nd hand account

No Wi-Fi in the hotel tonight. At home, abandoned hubby is reporting - the travelers went up in the Arch and took a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi. Tommorrow they will be visiting Independence, MO and hope to end up in Topeka, KS.

The view from the Arch was fabulous.

A Trip to St. Louis

Dempsey says - I am getting to know the back seat quite personally. The Arch is huge! He thinks the Arch is bigger than the Washington Monument. Christine - there's something to look up!:)

Palmer says - It's been quite a nice trip, but I don't like the riding.

This was the day of detours. We stopped to get gas, and upon leaving saw a sign that said "Lincoln Log Cabin". So we followed the signs. But before we got to the Log Cabin, we found this:

This is the Cumberland County Covered Bridge, finished being built in 2001. The road - the National Highway, Route 40. Route 40 looks a lot different out here!

And then on our way to the Lincoln Log Cabin, we went through the town of Toledo, Illinois. It is the county seat of Cumberland County with a population of 1200. Very quaint.







We made a great find in the middle of nowhere with the replica of Thomas Lincoln's log cabin.





Abe Lincoln never lived here, he visited this cabin. And yes, it is small. Two rooms and I could touch the ceiling. Personally, I think Illinois might just be a bit possesive of Lincoln.



Upon arriving in St. Louis, we went to the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site on the south side of St. Louis. The house, is not very attractive, not fancy.

Not very presidential, but he and his wife, Julia, really liked this house. And it is in a very nice setting. Back in the day, the farm was 875 acres.

Finally, after the Grant home, we drove to the Arch and got our tickets for tomorrow. It is huge! Tomorrow is all about the Jefferson National Expansion Museum, with a riverboat cruise thrown in! We'll be saying goodbye to St. Louis and continuing west!

The First Day of Our Trip

We are here in Indianapolis. When we opened the car doors we were welcomed by a huge jet flying right overhead - we are near the airport! Kind of like the park on 176, I think it is(Barb you know where I am talking about), where you can pull over and watch the airplanes come in. The boys thought it was way cool.

After bringing everything up to our room(The Travelocity surprise hotel is nice), the boys had fun in the pool.
Here is Dempsey:

And not to be outdone, here is Palmer:

As I was driving through WV, PA, WV(again check route 70!), OH, and IN, I realize that although we are driving across the country, there is some much more to see and experience. For instance, anybody know why there is a bridge in Dayton that looks like an air show is going on, on the bridge support pillars(Christine - what is Dayton famous for? Hint Kitty Hawk)? It was really cool but why is it there? We didn't get a picture of it, but we did snap these -

Sorry for the sideways, I'll have to remind Dempsey not to do that. For some reason he loves the sideways pic.'s. This is part of Columbus. Not too big really.

This is flat Ohio, which if you keep going, turns into flat Indiana. The land reminds me of the eastern shore, but the farms are bigger.

And lastly, this is Indianapolis. Lots of car time today. According to Palmer, we collected 26 states for the license plate game. The good thing is that on the first go 'round trying to name all the states, we only missed one. But Grandma will have our hides when she finds out we forgot MI!! :)

And, if you ever come this way, just so you know, rest areas in Ohio are next to non-existant. But West Virginia(the first time through) had a nice place to stop and walk around, rest, and run.

Meet us in St. Louis!

Almost time!

So in less than 24 hours we will be here....
http://www.crowneplaza.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/INDDT?&gclid=COi-kNKI76MCFWBd5QodURYZ2w&dp=true&externalHotelDetailHit=true.

Hubby found this hotel through Travelocity. It is one of the mystery hotels in Indy. We got a good deal, that makes hubby happy. And it looks like we will have a nice place to stay, that will make Dempsey, Palmer, and I happy.

The suitcases are packed and in the car. After I post this, the laptop will be loaded up. I have a bag of yarn, and some books. Shoes, snacks, atlas, GPS(thanks Mom and Dad!), CD's, Books on CD, boogie boards, cameras, THE BOOK, cooler. Pillows and toiletries will be loaded tomorrow. Hubby is getting gas as I write.

The boys are excited. I have butterflies! I look around my house and think, Wow! It is going to be a month before I am back here. And even though we have the trip planned out day-by-day, there is still a huge unknown cloud. Each day we will be going into new places, exploring this awesome country. A little daunting right now. :)

If you pray, please pray for safe travels for us! I've been praying for safe travels, fun, and that through this trip we really see the awesomeness of our God, both in the people we encounter and the landscapes we see.

So to all those whom we are leaving, we will miss you. Please virtually join us on this spectacular, grand adventure we are embarking upon!

New Words

I realize I just had a birthday. I haven't felt old until the boys popped some of their new vocabulary into a conversation.

"Mom, we played (I forget what video game) over at Joe's(name change) house, and we beastly poned it!"

So they did something....savagely??? When I determined that I did in fact hear them correctly, I asked for clarification. "We totally smashed, demolished, beat it!"

So, in light of the vocabulary lesson of the day, I'll tell you what I have been up to.....

I beastly poned the laundry so that we can pack, pack, pack for our trip!