I tried numerous times to update yesterday, but internet was spotty at best and I kept losing it until I finally gave up. So here’s an update of the last 48 hours.
At last post we were leaving Kentucky head west.
It seemed to take forever to reach St. Louis. We stopped and play at numerous rest stops and did a Kroger run for “real food” and snacks to stock the van with. This really helps us cut down on cost and eat a little healthier, and after yesterday, basically not starve! LOL
So we made it to City Museum in St. Louis which was Katy’s #1 choice destination. It was AMAZING! Oh my goodness, it’s a paradise of tunnels, slides, caves, and fun. If you have a monkey that likes to climb, or an adventurous one that loves to explore, then this place is a dream come true. It’s fun for adults too, though some of those places were a little squished for this curvy girl. I loved exploring the caves. Katy was all about the rooftop. That was what had first captivated her and she was in heaven climbing and terrifying me. (I’m not real good at heights, let’s just be honest here) There is also a ferris wheel ON TOP of this 12 story building. Of course I rode it with her, though I didn’t open my eyes and wanted to throw up, but hey, I am a good mom some of the time and this was important to her.
The down side of City Museum was that Hope brought her no exactly cheap, Canon Rebel T6 with all the extras with her. We captured some amazing pictures on the rooftop….and then inside, she passed the bag to Katy, or tried to pass it to B, who never got the message, the bag was set down and is no gone forever. Yup, stolen. There was about $1,000 worth of gear in there, but I put very little value in things. Things can be replaced, but the year’s worth of memories and all the trinkets she’d collected from her travels can never be replaced.
We refused to let this hinder our fun! We gave it a few minutes to mope and even cry as needed. Then we stopped at this place called Culver’s for butter burgers and frozen custard and we moved on.
It was starting to get late by then but we were on a mission to sneak in Nebraska along this trip. See, we’ve always wanted to hit all 50 states, but time, money, and the moment just never occurred to make that happen. My sister and fam on the other hand are sitting at 49 states… yup, they’re missing Nebraska! Of course we had to beat them to it. LOL
We drove through Kansas City later in the night and everyone was starting to fall asleep. A few more hours driving north in Missouri and I was getting tired. I knew we weren’t going to make it to the Inn I had set my sights on in Nebraska, so I ended up pulling into a rest stop in the middle of nowhere and calling it a night.
See, when I say “van”, I mean our 15 passenger van. We came prepared to sleep in it as needed. This cuts down on costs too and is fun…or so the girls thought. They don’t think quick as highly of it after having experienced it, but we survived!
I woke up around 4:30 in the morning. It was starting to get a little chilly and I had to make a bathroom run. When that cold air hit me, I was wide awake. With no chance of going back to sleep, I hit the road. By sunrise we were well into Nebraska and pulled off on some random dirt road that just happened to be a wildlife preserve and we parked and enjoyed the sunrise.
After that we headed to Beatrice, NE. We had breakfast at the Country Cooking Café. Great food and service, though we were about the only ones under the age of 65 in there. I think there must have been a senior convention of something. LOL
What’s in Beatrice, NE? I’m glad you asked. LOL Beatrice turned out to be a cute little town, and bigger than any other we saw in the state. It’s also home to Homestead National Monument. We’re homeschoolers, remember? We geek out on that sort of stuff, especially history!
The rest of the day was spent driving….and driving…and more driving! And guess what? There’s nothing to see in that part of Nebraska or Kansas or even the section of Colorado we came in through. Fields and prairies, cows, corn, and wheat for as far as the eye could see. It’s peaceful, isolated, even desolate in places, but beautiful country.
There’s also no signs of civilization, including gas stations! We came close to running out of gas, not once, but twice, and when the low pressure warning light came on for the tires, we were in for a real adventure. See while we know how to put air in the tires and check the pressures…. James and Roman spoil us and I’m not sure I’ve actually ever had to do it. It was interesting and we got through it and back on the road.
At one point in somewhere, Colorado, we ran into a detour that wasn’t updated in maps. When gps finally caught up it redirected us…down an 11 mile dirt road in the middle of the night with not a single light in sight. While Bethany told stories of our impending murders (hey, she’s an author’s daughter, and future author herself. My kids have vivid imaginations! #proudmama) I somehow convinced her to turn off the van, and turn off all the lights, yup, in the middle of nowhere on this lonely dirt road she’s convinced someone is going to approach and kill us on, surrounded by miles and miles or farmland and cows that we couldn’t see but could certainly smell, and we took just a moment to look up to the sky and appreciate the stars. There were no man made lights, and the moon wasn’t even half full, but it was brightly lit in the sky with millions of stars shining down on us. It was an amazing moment I’ll never forget.
We ended up stopping for the night at a Comfort Inn and Suites in Alamosa, CO. Super nice place and we were excited to find they had an indoor pool and hot tub. After a nice soak, we all crashed hard.
Today’s a new day. We were going to hang out, low key and relax, but after a good night’s sleep, the girls are rushing me to finish this already so we can hit the road on a new adventure!
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