Starting Out Our Trip

written by BOB; co-writer Pickles; editor Mom

June 2022, our new life began.

We left Le Mars, but only after we got a sweet treat from the ice cream parlor.

After a cool stop, we headed to Northeast Iowa, to finish packing.

(Last minute decisions on what makes the cut for coming on the bus.

We also unpacked our last trailer load, and it all fit!)

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On the Farm

I woke up last and missed cartoons because I slept in. I ate some breakfast and listened to Nana tell some stories. Then went out to feed the horses with her. After we came back inside we ate the real breakfast, pancakes & bacon (and more bacon). It was great! After breakfast we went to put Kit and Dot in the pasture to eat. Then we played some games and colored. KC skunked Nana in cribbage. It was a great day!

Today I missed the first part of cartoons but I still saw some. We went horseback riding in the morning, and I got to go on a trail ride with Nana. After lunch me and Nana filled out the "Nana and me" booklet . We also played in the Death Defying Water Hole at W's Water Park. Auntie L came to see us and she helped me fill out my family tree. Then we watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It was really funny!

I woke up first and ran down stairs to watch cartoons. The boys weren't down there so I didn't watch for long. After feeding and putting the horses in the pasture, the kids helped Nana with yard work so we could go to the pool in the afternoon. At the pool I made two new friends. I enjoyed going down the slide and being on the dragon. After the pool we went back to Nana's house to change so were could go see Gus and Lucy the golden retrievers at the neighbors house. It turned out it was their birthday! They turned seven years old. I think they had a great day because the played fetch and splashed in there pool to cool off. At the end of the day I had a blast. Then we went back to Nana's house to have dinner.

-written by Pickles

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Auntie L couldn't resist one more hug goodbye. She stopped over on her way to work in the early morning. The boys fell back asleep, but Pickles was up for the day. She helped Nana sew a curtain for under the bathroom sink. Once the boys were fed and fully awake, they decided to join the fun and pick out a last minute sewing project. (A mini summer home ec. class)

Once we were all packed up and ready to leave, we said goodbye to Nana and Papa and drove off.

In Omaha we met one of Mom's middle school friends. We stopped at Cabela's and saw some big fish. Then we drove to Cold Stone to get ice cream. (It was really packed with all of the people in town for the College World Series.) The parents got sushi from Osaka Steakhouse & Sushi. Thanks for taking time out of your busy summer schedule to meet us!

After that, Dad drove late into the night, to a town named York. We slept in a Walmart parking lot and I fell asleep to the sound of the street cleaner and semis. When we woke up, me and Dad went shopping and then we had our family devotion time. After that we walked across the highway to get to a diner called The Kitchen.

Once we had our fill of eggs, hash browns, pancakes, and french toast, we hit the road. (Comment below if you get flashbacks of the Amelia Bedelia book.) As we were driving to Fort Morgan, we stopped at a Pony Express station in Gothenburg, NE. I was interested because in 2021 I made a National History Day website on the topic. Inside were lots of cool artifacts and souvenirs.

In total we bought six souvenirs. Pickles bought an arrow head, KC bought a pin, and I bought a postcard, stamp, and penney. We also made two new smashed pennies. Then, after we left the station the kids went to the bed in the back to watch a movie. Halfway through, Dad came back and told us we were stopping at a Colorado visitor center. When we got out we looked at cool facts and pamphlets about CO.

After that we kept driving to Fort Morgan and the kids finished their movie. As we were driving, I noticed there was a vast difference in landscapes in Colorado than Iowa.

Sometimes the view was dry and dusty. You could also see the occasional tumbleweed. The only green we could see was when there was an irrigation system.

As we got closer to our destination, there were more mountains and and it got greener. In the distance we could see even bigger mountains in the distance.

That night we stayed at a winery. Mom and Dad tasted some wine and the kids got Capri Sun. We got to eat mexican food from a food truck. Afterwards we played cribbage and read books. We also got to listen to live music because there was special activities at the winery. (It was a "pwetty sunset"-KC)

In the morning we went to a local church and listened to God's word.

After that, we started the drive to our campsite.

Stay tuned for more Adventures!