Day 20--Home Sweet Home

Well, we made it home after being gone almost 3 weeks. We visited (or drove through) 7 states, and Dan drove over 2,500 miles! It was a great trip, but it is always good to be back home. It rained almost every day, except 4, which was a bit of a disappointment at times, but we still made the best of it!
When asked about everyone's top things, here were the responses:
Kyle: Wisconsin Dells, family reunion, Lambeau Field, and Wriggley Field
Erin: Wisconsin Dells, family reunion, the Cubs game, and the Arch
Dan: family reunion, Chicago, Wriggley Field, and the Arch
Wendy: Chicago, Lanbeau Field, Wriggley Field, and Greenfield (Henry Ford village)

We have no idea what we are doing next summer (I know that is a surprise to some of you.), but I'm sure we will come up with something!

Erin and the Arch

We love Chicago

Kyle doing the "Lambeau Leap"!

Day 17, 18, & 19--Family Reunion

We enjoyed the family reunion with Dan's family in Yankton, South Dakota. We stayed at the Lewis and Clark Recreation area. It was a great time of visiting, relaxing, and enjoying the sun (yes, I said sun!). There were about 50 relatives there--we were hoping for closer to 100, but we enjoyed visiting with everyone who was able to come. There were aunts and uncles and cousins from all over--North Dakota, Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Washington, and California.
We were right on the water, and rented a ski boat for one of the days. The kids loved being in the lake or the pool, and hanging out with their cousins. We of course had a ton of food to eat. In the evenings, we played games like volleyball, ladder golf, bean bag toss, etc. There was a campfire every night, complete with s'mores. Did I mention that we ate like kings and queens? We are looking forward to the next one in 2018!

Enjoying the lake

Playing ladder golf

Most of the gang that was there

Day 16--Hannibal and traveling

This morning we learned a lot about Mark Twain. We went to his boyhood home, Huck Finn's home, and Becky Thatcher's home--or at least the real people whom he based his characters. We also went to the Mark Twain Museum, which was very well done. Then it was time to explore the Mark Twain Caves. It was a good tour, and they tied in parts of Tom Sawyer, which made it fun. The best part of all....the second day in a row without rain!! Then we drove 4 hours to Des Moines. The hotel we are staying at tonight has a water park inside, so the kids are enjoying that.
Tomorrow we are off to Dan's family reunion. I'm not sure about the internet access, so you probably won't be hearing from me until we are back home.

Tom and Huck

White-washing the fence

Mark Twain Cave

Day 15--Katy Trail, and Hannibal

We started our morning with another good, home-cooked meal. (You really appreciated that when you have been on the road for two weeks.) Then it was a tour of the chicken hatchery. Erin really likes all kinds of animals--she wanted to touch some of the baby chicks, but their mamas were not going to allow it. We also saw same eggs with chicks ready to hatch--we looked at them with a "candle light"--which allows you to see inside the shell. A couple were moving around in it.
Then it was time for a bike ride along the Katy Trail. This is a trail where Lewis and Clark went along the river. It was a very enjoyable 8 mile ride--lots of green trees and mosquitos! (We were fine as long as we kept moving--we were too fast for the mosquitos!) Thank you Sandy and Bruce for the hospitality!
Then it was time to travel to Hannibal, home of Mark Twain. We arrived in late afternoon, and did a little exploring of the town. We went on the Mark Twain Riverboat dinner cruise. It was fun to eat,

 and enjoy the scenery, while going up and down the Mississippi River. Tomorrow is more Tom Sawyer things.

Tom Sawyer's "Jackson Island" along the Mississippi

Ready to ride!

Erin and the chickens

Day 14--St. Louis and the Jones' Farm

Today was an interesting day. It started out with a bit of stress and tension, but ended with fun and relaxation. While traveling on our trip, a rock decided to hit the windshield of our rental car. Instead of just a little ding, it started to "spider" across. So Dan took the car to a place to get it fixed in the morning. Unfortunately, they couldn't find one to fit--which took several hours to figure out. Meanwhile, Erin and Wendy were back at the hotel, waiting.
Finally, we were starting our day. We went to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery for a tour. This is the original brewery. We first went to see some Clydesdales. Then into various parts to see different parts of the process. (Of course, we had to walk from place to place, outside, in the rain!) It was an okay tour. (Dan and Wendy had been to their Brewery in Ft. Collins, and felt that the tour there, was much better.) Dan did get to taste some free samples, which he needed after his morning.
Then it was on to the Jones' Farm. This is an old neighbor of Wendy's, and she hadn't seen her and her sister in about 25 years. (Have to love Facebook, for connecting people together.) They own a chicken hatchery. The kids ran around and played with the dogs, the rope swing, and just ran around in all the open space.We enjoyed a home-cooked meal, played board games, had a bonfire--complete with s'mores! It was a very good way to end our day.

Anheuser-Busch

Enjoying the Bonfire

Day 13--St. Louis, Missouri

Today we experienced the City Museum in St. Louis. It is basically a huge jungle gym made out of recycled wire, stairs, statues, etc. from around the city. It is kind of hard to explain. We immediately went to the roof -top to play, since it was about to rain, again. The roof-top is up 11 stories! (If it rains, they shut down the roof.)  Dan and the kids decided to climb up the inside of a dome type structure. It was really high up! Then it started to rain, so we went inside to explore. In order to get down to the ground floor, we took a slide! (It actually was very twisty, and you didn’t go very fast.) The kids then played for a long time, while Dan and Wendy did the easier pace (using real stairs, instead of climbing in small spaces). It was a neat experience. Unfortunately due to the continuing rain, we didn’t get to go to any of the outside structures. You need to go online and see more about what this is all about.

Tonight we went to the Arch. We watched a movie about how they built it, which was incredible to watch. (The workers didn’t use any safety harnesses—crazy!) It was a good view of the city, and luckily it wasn’t raining anymore, so we could see pretty far. We went at sunset, so it was nice to see the city lights coming on below us.

Kids climbing up the top, the slide directly below them

Climbing up the dome!

Up-Close, climbing up

Erin-A Human Top

Inside the Arch, looking down

Day 12--Springfield, Illinois

Today we were in Lincoln Land, Springfield, Illinois. We went to the Lincoln Presidential Museum. It was very well done. They had great exhibits and movies about Lincoln. Today was 157 years ago that Lincoln gave his “A House Divided” speech. So a public reading of the speech was presented with different people each reading a paragraph—Dan and Erin even participated! We also visited Lincoln’s tomb, which has the president, his wife, Mary Todd, and 3 of their 4 children. Then it was time to travel down to St. Louis. Along the way, Dan saw a bunch of old cars, so we stopped. There were over 600 old cars for sale. We enjoyed walking around them. (The kids were picking out what car they wanted.) It rained quite a bit along the way. We have seen more rain on this trip, then several years in California!)

The Lincoln "Family"?

Reading part of Lincoln's speech

Day 11--traveling again

Another travel day....and it was raining off and on all day again....We started by stopping off at North Park University. This is a small private college which has affiliation with the Covenant church (which is where we go). It was a cute little campus outside of Chicago. Then along our way to Springfield, Illinois, we stopped in Pontiac to see the Route 66 Museum. It actually wasn't very impressive, but a good halfway point. When we arrived in Springfield, we went straight to Lincoln's home. It was amazing how many of Lincoln's original pieces of furniture it contained. It was a neat experience. Tomorrow is more Lincoln.

North Park University

Lincoln's House

Day 10--Chicago Day 2

Another great day in Chicago. First we went to Millennium Park and went to the "bean". It was amazing to see the city in the reflection. Then it was on to Chicago's Institute of Art. We spent a couple of hours here, and still didn't see very much of it. We enjoyed the "Impressionist" area and the Thorne Room. The Throne Room, contained miniature rooms--think doll house size, that had different periods of time/eras. (It is kind of hard to explain--do online and see if you can see what I'm talking about.) Next, we went over to the Shedd Aquarium. They had a nice collection of different types of fish. Our last hurrah was going to the "Skydeck" in the Sears Tower (now known as the Willis Tower). We went up 103 floors, and then stepped out on a clear, glass ledge--where you can look straight down! Dan lasted about 2 seconds, Wendy did okay, and the kids loved it! After we took the train back to our hotel (which, by the way, we love the public transportation in Chicago), Dan and Wendy went for a walk around Northwestern University--it was really peaceful as we walked along the "wooded" paths. Good-bye Chicago--we really enjoyed you (more than we thought we would).

The Bean

Institute of Art

103rd Floor of Sears Tower

Day 9--Chicago

We enjoyed a fun day in the windy city. We started by taking the architecture boat tour. It was really interesting, and we learned a lot. Next, it was time to go to Navy Pier. We then went on the Ferris wheel. Next, we  headed to the John Hancock building. We went up to the observation deck, which is on the 94th floor. You could see everywhere. It was awesome! The kids did the "tilt". It is where the window panels tilt 30 degrees out, so you are facing downwards. They thought it was cool. On the way to the train, we stopped in at the Museum of Modern Art. They didn't have very much to look at, since they were doing a bit of construction.
Finally, we ended the day at Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. We had great seats! It was so fun to see the old stadium. There was quite a bit of action in the game--2 different home runs (one by the Cubs, the other one by the Reds), a call at home plate, which was reversed--it gave the Cubs another run! Then the rain started! We waited it out for a while. We were seated about 30 rows from the field, which lucky for us, we were one of the first rows with an overhang to keep us dry. They put the Stanley Cup Finals up on the big screen for us to enjoy during the delay. Then they made the announcement that lightning was in the area, and everyone had to go to the concourse. At this point, we decided to leave. (we had waited over half an hour) It was an enjoyable game, even though we had to leave early.

Navy Pier

The view from the John Hancock

Wrigley Field

Day 8--traveling

Today was basically a travel day, but we did make some stops along our way to Chicago. First, we went to a cheese store/factory. They produce cheese that is sold for Kroger (Ralphs), so now we have seen it being made. We learned something today about Colby Jack cheese, see if you can answer the following question: a) Colby Jack cheese is made from two different cows, Colby and Jack b) It is a blend of Jack cheese and Colby cheese c) The people that invented this type of cheese were named Colby and Jack or d) It is all one kind of cheese, but with two different colors mixed together? (The answer will be at the end of this post.)
Then we stopped by a "Deer Farm". They had a lot of goats, and deer. There were several babies that were "adorable", as Erin would say. There was also a large buck with big antlers. Dan tried to pet the Bison that was there, (and we all know that is not a good idea!). The bison tried to head butt him! We feed all the animals, which the kids loved.
Next, it was on to Madison and the University of Wisconsin. We walked all over campus. We had ice cream that they make on campus, plus went to the student union where there is a nice terrace on the Lake. We finally arrived at our hotel outside of Chicago. The next few days will be spent exploring Chicago.
Answer: D

Kyle getting a kiss!

The Terrace at the Student Union

Day 6 & 7--Wisconsin Dells

The past two days we have been enjoying ourselves at the Wisconsin Dells, water park central. The first day it was perfect weather outside, so we spent a lot of time at the outdoor water parks. We enjoyed the lazy river, and slides. We also went go-cart racing on an indoor track, played mini-golf, and the kids enjoyed a little ropes course. The second day, it rained ALL day, but no worries, there are several indoor water parks here also. We were fairly low key all day. We spent some time just hanging out in our condo and watching television. We again went mini-golfing, the kids played laser tag, and played in the arcade. It was nice to be in the same place for more than a day. Now that we are recharged, we are ready to start more adventures tomorrow.

Water slide fun

Dan dropping!

Kyle up on the ropes course

Day 5--Green Bay, Wisconsin

Today was a very busy day. We started the day with a tour of Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. It was a very informative and fun tour. We learned about the history of the Packers and the stadium. We got to visit a suite--it had a great few of the field. Then it was time to go down below, and walk through the tunnel, where all the Packers enter the field for each game, before we got to see the field, up close and personal. We also saw where they do the "Lambeau Leap".

Go Packers!!

On the way to our next destination, we went through Amish country. Wendy was on the look-out for their "buggies" and/or a shop of some kind. Wendy was not let down--we saw several buggies, families, and even got to shop in a bakery. (The doughnuts we bought were very good.)
By mid-afternoon, we reached the Wisconsin Dells--the water slide capital of the US. The resort that we are staying at is amazing! It has several indoor and outdoor water parks, mini-golf, laser tag, and go-carts! We enjoyed the slides this evening, and can't wait to go back again in the morning.

Day 4--Sault Ste. Marie

Did you know that there are locks in the Great Lakes? There apparently are several. We visited the Soo Locks which connect Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The United States is on one side of the canal, and Canada is on the other.We actually went on a tour boat that takes you through the locks. We went through the US lock going toward Lake Superior, and through the Canada lock coming back towards Lake Huron. It was amazing to watch the locks open and close, plus start low/high, and then raise/lower the 21 feet. Not many people can say that they have been through a lock! To make us even happier, the weather was nice.

We then traveled across the upper peninsula of Michigan to Green Bay, Wisconsin. It rained almost the entire drive--5 hours. After checking in to our hotel, which is right next to Lambeau Field, home of the Packers, Dan and Wendy went to the stadium and looked around a bit. We can't wait until tomorrow when we go on a tour of the stadium.

The US Lock

Lambeau Field

Day 3--Mackinac Island

You know that you are from California when you forget to factor in weather as something that might make you change your plans! We went across Lake Huron to Mackinac Island on an early ferry to beat the rain. Once there, we immediately rented bikes to go around the island. First stop, the Grand Hotel. (Wendy has wanted to go here forever--it was in the movie "Somewhere in Time") As we approached it, it started to rain. We were going to go inside, but it started raining harder, and it was expensive to just go in and walk around--time and money were not on our side. So we biked on to the fort. A group of boy scouts were raising the flags, at the sound of the cannon, as it started raining harder. Then we went to Arch Rock, by now it was really raining. We decided it was time to return to town and turn in our bikes. It was then time to hit Starbucks to get warm and dry off. We did a bit of shopping, and then returned across the lake on the ferry--much earlier than anticipated.

It was then time to drive across Mackinac Bridge and to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We arrived at Sault St. Marie, early afternoon, ate lunch and headed to our hotel to relax a bit. Then it was out to explore the Soo Locks. We were figuring out the plan for tomorrow--what time to be where. Then it was back to the hotel to swim. Not quite the day we had planned, but we made the best of it.

The Grand Hotel

Our Rainy Bike Ride

Day 2--Detroit, Michigan

Today was an interesting day. We started out the day by driving around a bit near downtown Detroit. We showed the kids the not so good part of town, and the old houses that were now abandoned. It was an educational look/discussion about the economy. We went to the Motown Museum. It was the actual houses that Barry Gordy lived in and used for the beginning of Motown records. We got to go into "Studio A" (where all the legends did their recordings--The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Jackson 5, etc.), and we all sang "My Girl" there. We then had to buy a Motown CD to listen to in the car, for the rest of our trip!
Then it was time to head north towards the "top of the mitt". On the way, we stopped in Frankenmuth.  It is where the famous Bronner's Christmas Wonderland is located. We made the kids go inside with us, even though they thought it was a bit "cheesy". It is so huge that they have different sections, and it would be very easily to get lost. We bought a few ornaments, of course. We enjoyed lunch in the little Barvarian town, and then sampled homemade fudge, and then had to buy some fudge.
Then we drove up to Mackinaw City. Dan and Wendy walked around the cute town, and along Lake Huron to see the Mackinac Bridge, which connects the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. It is the third longest suspension bridge in the world. (We will be driving over it tomorrow night.) Tomorrow we go to Mackinac Island.

Motown Museum

Mackinac Bridge

Being "Cheesy" at the Christmas Store

Day 1--Dearborn, Michigan

Well, we arrived very early this morning in Michigan, after a bit of a "bumpy" start, literally--the airplane ride was very "bumpy", due to storms, and then we were delayed after we landed. We headed straight to our first "tourist" attraction--The Henry Ford. First, we explored Greenfield Village. The village is a recreation of various important buildings from famous inventors--the Firestone Farm, Thomas Edison's workshop, the Wright Brothers Cycle shop where they built their airplane, and even Henry Ford's house that he grew up in. Henry Ford actually created the village, and tracked down the original buildings to be restored. Then it was on to the Ford Rouge Factory where we watched F-150 trucks being assembled. It was incredible to watch them being built. They make about 1,000 a day! (We were not allowed to take any pictures in the factory.) Then it was over to The Henry Ford museum. There was a huge collection of cars, including several previous Presidential vehicles. It was then time to head to our hotel for a much needed nap. For dinner, we enjoyed a Blizzard from Dairy Queen--yes, we often eat ice cream for a meal, while on vacation. Tomorrow it is on to Detroit, and then traveling north to the upper peninsula.

Outside the Factory

In Greenfield Village