Trip to Midwest---Day Two---Traveling Fun and Sights to See

We are still driving through the Midwest, on our way to Missouri to visit with my 92 year old grandmother before going on to a family reunion in Omaha, Nebraska.

Day one was long and started late, but went well as the kids passed the time fruitfully with drawing, watching A Shirley Temple video (Firefly says, "She looks just like me!"), and listening to Jonathan Park cds. We stopped at a nice hotel in Frankfort that Tex and his dad had picked out for the amenities of:  in-room free wifi, a pool, and complimentary breakfast. We have found that by eating a bit later in the morning, we can usually skip lunch (maybe a snack in early afternoon) and just stop for dinner around six and the kids are happy. We save a bit of money, and there are fewer needs for rest stops.

 

A "cool" waterfall and an odd, but interesting bench in the lobby.

Unfortunately, while the hotel was certainly cushy, when we woke up on the morning of Day Two of our adventure and Hubby went to find out how late breakfast was served, he was told that there were some renovations going on in that area of the hotel and all there was was a box of donuts and some coffee. Argh!!

 Thankfully, he was bold and asked to see the manager. Once he explained that the hot breakfast was something the kids had talked about for hours in the car the night before, she took pity on us and ordered the hotel restaurant to make us three huge breakfasts to go: pancakes and bacon, biscuits and sausage, eggs, and bacon, and a loaded omlette, toast, and bacon...Notice the bacon in every one? We definitely like bacon!

 Thanks go out to that wonderful manager. We enjoyed every bite!

  Hubby then took the kids to swim while I waited in the room with the baby, and repacked our gear. I thought for sure the kids would have worn themselves out in the pool and spend the first hour or two (at least) in the car snoozing...but nary a one of them slept the entire day.
Not even baby Boo.

This was unfortunate, as we took a slight detour due to a GPS miscalculation (yeah, I know, it happens all the time...where's my map?), so Day Two went long as well. During this leg of the trip we got to see another capitol building, the one in Jefferson City, MO, but at the time, Hubby was the navigator and cameraman, and as he is not used to using my camera, this is the picture we got.

 

Oh well, at least we saw it. I can look up a picture of it on the internet and print it up when we get home.

Silly pictures help pass the time...

The kids drew pictures for their great-grandmother, played cars and dolls, I read aloud some more, and we watched Fly Away Home. We also listened to more Jonathan Park as we drove, and the neatest thing about that is that both Hubby and I had the opportunity to share our new knowledge with family members who had questions about Creation Science. I am very excited about the stop at the Creation Museum on the last leg of our trip. We are definitely preparing for it!

This is what we are listening to now.

We made a few stops along the way, one in Indiana at a rest area, so the kids could stretch their legs. Here are some pictures of my happy boys and a picture of Firefly with Milo the Mouse, our backpat rat...aren't they just adorable?

We also drove through St. Louis and saw the famed Arch. It was shiny and impressively massive. Hubby was amazed by it. It was like seeing a kid watch a parade for the first time...He took about twenty pictures of the Arch as we drove around it. We hope that next time we make this trip we will have time to stop and go to the top and look out the windows over the city. We also crossed the Missouri River, and saw too many farms to count. I love the landscapes of the Midwest. Everything is so green and full of life...not too much industry (at least not visible from the interstate), and all the tiny towns look so welcoming and homey.

 

We made a quick pit stop to eat at a DQ with a playland, and the kids all enjoyed their dollar menu items and exercise break.

Milo likes DQ, too.

 Unfortunately, this is where the trip began detouring, as Hubby tried putting in the exact address of our next hotel, and the GPS unfortunately picked the wrong one. It took us a while to realize the error...some of the roads traveled were familiar to me from previous trips, so I didn't question it...however, when we drove by Jefferson City, I started wondering, and shortly after that, Hubby checked the GPS and discovered the error. Auntie S. says the detour amounted to an additional hour, but it was probably safer than the usual route anyway, since it was main roads and not windy back ones.

My motto is: We never get lost, we just go exploring.

I am glad we saw the capital city...if we'd gone the "right" way, we'd have missed it.

During the final two hours of that day's drive (about eleven hours total), Hubby and I listened to a seminar session by Gregg Harris about delight-directed studies. I have wanted him to hear it for a long time, and it was nice to have the opportunity to listen to it and discuss our opinions about it. Tex and Boo hung in there to hear it, too, but the Three Amigos finally zonked out. Thank goodness!

My Auntie S., a night-owl, met us at a crossroads and drove us to our hotel, then visited for about a half an hour. I found out the next day that she went home that night and baked us cookies at 1 am! What a sweetie!

There's not much exciting to tell yet, since we are mostly driving at this point, but the kids are definitely having fun playing with Daddy and seeing the sights out of our car windows. And who can NOT love a hotel with a pool?

Tomorrow we visit Grandma J. , Auntie S. and her hubby for the day. I am hoping they will take the kids to the local dam for a visit. Lake of the Ozarks is the day after that.

Hoping you are happy wherever you are.

Blessings,

Heather

PS. We were told today that my overdue SIL will be induced tomorrow, so are expecting a call about a new nephew sometime tomorrow afternoon. How exciting!! Say a prayer for their health and safety, please.