JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Laura Ingalls Wilder Sites

I've had a few folks ask about photos from our visits to Laura Ingalls Wilder sites.  Here are the links.  Just click on each underlined heading below, but also scroll down for some extra photos that aren't on other blog posts.

 

We rode a horse-drawn wagon moving across the Ingalls homestead in  
De Smet, South Dakota.  Eli and I both got to drive the horses!  See that green patch ahead?  That is a slough like Laura wrote about.

 

Click here to visit Pepin, Wisconsin
Little House in the Big Woods

Click here to visit Walnut Grove, Minnesota
On the Banks of Plum Creek
(And click HERE to see another post that shows a sod shanty close up.) 

Click here to visit Burr Oak, Iowa
(There are no books about this location, but the Ingalls family lived here and worked in a hotel for several months.) 

Click here to visit De Smet, South Dakota
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years

Click here to visit Mansfield, Missouri (This one goes all the way back to my first blog.)
On the Way Home 

Someday I'll visit the rest of the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites.  For now, I'd like to thank my father-in-law for figuring out the logistics for this summer's visits.  And I'd especially like to thank my long-suffering husband who cheerfully makes so many stops in the name of photos, blogging, and book projects.

 

Conestoga wagon replica in De Smet, South Dakota

 

Wading in Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota

 

Replica cabin on former Ingalls land in Pepin, Wisconsin

 

 

View from Laura's porch at Rocky Ridge Farm near Mansfield, Missouri

 

The Wilder house at Rocky Ridge

 

Cemetery in Mansfield, Missouri

 

Some supplemental books I love...

          

 

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Day 26 of 26: Nashville to North Georgia

The last day of travel...

 

  

  

  

  

We had lunch near Chattanooga with dear friends who finally had a chance to meet Eli...

 

 

  

We were glad to reach Georgia, but we still had to get through Atlanta near rush hour on a Friday... 

  

Later we poked along behind a tractor...

 

 

 

But at long last we reached our destination.  Here's Eli in front of a Georgia Bulldogs Coca-Cola display with Cousin Margaret.  And now we're staying for several nights with a passel of other cousins.

 

  

 

Hooray!  We made it safe and sound across fourteen states to reach our 21st lodgings since we moved out of our house late last month.  I'm going to take a wee break from blogging since I've done it for 26 days straight, but I'll be back soon with details on getting settled.  Thanks for all the well-wishes and kind messages while we were on the road!

Day 25: Nashville, TN

Whee!  Today we explored the Discovery Center of Mufreesboro.  It was smaller than the hands-on children's museums we visited in Salt Lake City and Dayton, but just as beloved.

 

 

 

 

When he woke up this morning, did Eli say 'Good morning'?  Did he say, 'Hi, Mama'?  No.  His first words were, "Where is Godpapa John?"

Brian and I have lost some of our standing in the Tot Popularity Poll over the last two days.  Godpapa John has an iPad with games.  Godpapa John talks in funny voices and staggers around wildly if you whomp him with a pillow.  Whenever John sits down, usually Eli is soon wiggling up next to him.

 

Lucky, lucky Eli.  Godmama Heidi is a former children's librarian, so Eli gets storytime in bed complete with books, puppets, and songs.

 

Heidi has a big red star bag filled with her books and finger puppets.  Every time she finished a story or song, Eli would jump forward asking what was next.  (Godmama Heidi has a spiffy website for storytimes.  Click HERE for Surlalune Fairytales Storytime.) 

 

Happy boy humming off to dreamland... 

Day 24: Fort Knox, KY to Nashville, TN

A little adventure for Wednesday morning...

 

We discovered that the only way to really explore Mammoth Cave is to sign up for a two-hour tour.  Sadly, we just didn't have the time.  But we decided to walk down to the cave entrance to give Eli a little taste.

Entering the woods, I instantly felt at home.  Deeply at home.  I found the same types of trees as my hometown but also my grandparents' rural county where my family has lived since long before the Civil War.  The colors and smells felt familiar down to my bones.  It was a rush of homesickness and gratitude blended together, so sharp that I had to just close my eyes for a minute and breathe it in.  

 

 

 

 

Approaching the cave, a chilly river of dank cavern air flowed all around us.

 

 

 

 

After Southern homefood lunch at a Cracker Barrel (Mmmm!), we headed on to Eli's godparents' house outside of Nashville.  Such a welcoming place!  Soon Heidi and I were talking writing and blogs and creativity nonstop while the guys were comparing phone apps, video games, and movie reviews.  There was such a big pile of toys for Eli to play with that he didn't even mind that the grownups were busy chatting.

Eventually we headed off to Opry Mills, a huge shopping complex.  Oh, the joys of a carousel -- and godparents who will wave wildly each time you come around!

 

And Eli's new school shoes light up when he steps, which had him prancing all around.

 

Our cousins, Kristy and Amberlee, came to share supper with us.  Amberlee hadn't seen Eli since he was a crawling baby and Kristy hadn't met him yet.  Alas, the evening was too short due to having to get an over-tired Eli to bed, but it was wonderful while it lasted.  

 

 

Happy guys -- Godpapa John, Eli, and Papa.

 

The joy of today was knowing this part of our trip isn't just a one-time vacation.  We're in our beloved South again, so we can see these people and visit these places often as the years go by.  So grateful.

Day 23: Dayton, OH to Fort Knox, KY

It was a simple day.  We slept in a little and made a leisurely drive.  Kentucky is such a lovely state -- green and rolling.

 

There were some rough roads between Louisville and Fort Knox that slowed us down, so we didn't end up going to the museum we planned.  We did drive past the gold bullion repository, though.  (Below is a quick shot past Brian in the driver's seat.  I can only imagine they frown upon folks stopping by the roadside with cameras!)

According the US Mint website, the present gold holdings are 143.7 million ounces with a book value of $42.22 per ounce.  Materials used in the building included 16,000 cubic feet of granite, 4,200 cubic yards of concrete, 750 tons of reinforcing steel, and 670 tons of structural steel.  In the past, the Depository has stored the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, Lincoln's Gettysburg address, three volumes of the Gutenberg Bible, and the Magna Carta as well as the crown, sword, scepter, orb, and cape of St. Stephen, King of Hungary.  Who knew?!

 

A nap at the Army hotel and a couple of playgrounds was excitement enough...

 

 

My big smile of the day was supper at an O'Charley's steakhouse.  I know it is a chain place, but for four years I've been missing my favorite salad.  The funny part is that it is called "California Chicken Salad," so I don't know why I had to pine away for it during the time I lived in the Gold Rush state!

Here's the description:  Grilled and spiced chicken breast strips atop spring mix lettuce with bleu cheese crumbles, sliced strawberries, mandarin orange slices, candied pecan halves, and dried cranberries with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  I always ask them to skip the bleu cheese because it overwhelms the other flavors.  Mmmm.  Never get tired of this salad.  I can make a yummy surrogate, but I've never been able to pin down the seasonings atop the chicken and there's a nice sweetness to the dressing I haven't been able to figure out.  If you don't live anywhere near an O'Charley's, keep it in mind for travel.  It is one of the restaurants that sometimes pops up in airports.  (And, no, you don't need two servings of dressing.)

 

Tonight we're in our last hotel!  Two nights with dear friends and then a weekend with family, then we'll be in our rental house at last!

Day 22: Ada to Dayton, OH

It was a short travel day, landing us at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  One of my friends who grew up in this area heard that we'd be coming through and emailed me a list of fun things to do and see.  Many thanks, Mandi!

On her advice, we tried out the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.  Wow.  Just wow!  Many of the museum's features are grand and awe-inspiring.  There was a tree house high above the forest and filled with beautiful displays about trees both as living organisms and as raw materials.  There was also a tower we could climb up, making us higher than the two-story roof and then letting us zip through tube slides to get back down again.

Eli's overwhelming favorite was the recycling truck.  There was a kid-sized cab with a steering wheel, buttons to make yellow flashers and headlamps light up, and buttons to create horn and backing-up warning sounds.  On the sides of the truck were slots with pictures showing what sorts of items go in each.  A big blue bin held all sorts of mock recyclables -- pictures printed on polished wood.  Eli adored sorting.  When the bin was empty, he could place it behind the truck and pull a red lever to "unload."  A small conveyor belt hidden inside the fake truck dropped everything out into the bin so kids could start over.

 

Some of the play stations were so simple that I can make my own versions at home.  Inspiring!

There was a store made with empty food packages taped shut and a toy cash register...

 

And the pizza joint was pure genius.  There was a phone to take orders.  There were also little red aprons.  Then kids grabbed a real pizza pan and then put a circle of quilted fabric "crust" in the bottom followed by a red vinyl circle of "sauce."  There were bins of "toppings" made out of sheet plastic or felt -- everything from yellow confetti-strips of cheese to pepperoni slices to anchovies.  Once kids made their pizzas, they used a real pizza peel to slide them under the "oven" -- a wooden box with a red light bulb inside.   

 

Eli and a new buddy made dozens of pizzas!  The final touch was to put them inside real pizza boxes.

 

Once a pizza was ready, Eli or his pal would hurry over to the delivery truck with it.  I got to thinking that even if we didn't have a beautiful pizza shop of our own, a couple of clean pizza boxes and a trip to the fabric store will be all we need to have an afternoon's worth of fun on a rainy day.

 

The water play area...

 

And a place to stand in the shifting lights of a color projector, grooving to 1970s music...

 

 

Boonshoft even has a small indoor zoo featuring critters like river otters, meer cats, tree porcupines, owls, etc.

 

We're sorry we can't take the museum home with us, but at least there was more Dayton fun in store.  After supper we went in search of the ice cream store Mandi told us about -- Graeter's.  It was wonderful!

 

The treats were fresh and there were novel flavors to be had.  (Eli opted for strawberry though!)

 

Since we are in Ohio, I went for something called "Buckeye Blitz."  That's chocolate-and-peanut-butter ice cream with little mounds of peanut butter cookie dough and chocolate chips hidden inside.  As if that wasn't yummy enough, I discovered Graeter's offers a pretzel cone dipped in chocolate.  Sure enough, it tasted just like a pretzel and the little bits of salt were an excellent combination with the sweet.

 

And, just in case you didn't know, below is a picture of a real buckeye.  These tree nuts are from Ohio's state tree and Aunt Judy shared a few with Eli.  There is a confection called Buckeyes that are made of peanut butter and chocolate in the shape of real buckeyes.

 

Beautiful clouds tonight as a storm passed us by...

 

And a glorious sunset.  G'night!

Day 21: Ada, OH

The twenty-first day of vacation in alphabetical order...

A backyard garden
Breakfast buffet
Family
Genealogy facts
Grilled steaks
Homegrown tomatoes
Kids laughing
Mementos
Old stories
Playground 
Worn out little boy 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying today's family, but yesterday's family too...

Left to right:  Aunt Judy, Grandma, Great-Grandma, and Mom berry-picking near Mount St. Helens in 1949.

 

My grandmother

 

My grandmother's baby dress on a homemade teddy bear Aunt Judy created for her son

 

Tatting and crocheting by my great grandmother

 

The rolling pin great grandpa made for great grandma

 

Bad hair day, but an excellent day otherwise!
(Drats on that haircut from Hill Air Force Base!) 

Day 20: Mackinaw City, MI to Ada, OH

This trip is about crossing the country to get home.  It is about seeing our nation.  It is about tourist-style adventure.  But most of all it is about family.  Yesterday on Mackinac Island I got a real kick out of watching Eli learn from his granddad how to skip stones.  Since Little Guy is age three, the rocks that should have gone skip-skip-skip went more like KERPLUNK!  But it was a joy to watch the two guys together on a leisurely summer beach...

 

 

 

 

Today's travels took us south the length of Michigan and down into Ohio.  My mother's oldest sister lives near Lima and I hadn't seen her since my mother died nineteen years ago.  

I admit it.  For several days now, I've gotten teary every time I thought of Eli meeting her and being with her.  As we drove into Ada, the town was familiar from childhood visits and Aunt Judy was indeed a sight for sore eyes.  Aunt Judy's voice is so much like my mother's that at first it gave me a lump in my throat to talk to her.  The sisters shared common, endearing mannerisms too -- a certain tilt of the head, a tightness of the bottom lip when they are about to laugh.  My aunt lives in a new house now, but I noticed right away my mother's hand-pieced quilt is on display.  Familiar decorative items I remember from childhood are now in Aunt Judy's house as gifts from my mother.  Pictures of my grandparents, cousins, and other extended family are spread through the house.  Cousin Nevil, the baby of the family and my childhood confidant when our older brothers teamed up against us, is now a tall and strong grown man yet a tender and kind father of two girls.

This place is peaceful and welcoming and comforting.

Eli was thrilled to have cousins to play with.  Aunt Judy's granddaughters, Bailey and Lena, were great about spending time with Eli all evening.  

 

 

It was a temperate summer evening full of sun, puffy white clouds, garden flowers, and family for company.  I felt a little shy about taking lots of family photos yet.  What I took turned out blurry and "snapshotty" for the most part.  But I'll take lots more tomorrow.

 

 

 

Day 19: Mackinac Island, MI

Mackinac Island is an island and state park a little less than four square miles in size.  It belongs to Michigan and is located at the point where Great Lakes Michigan and Huron meet.  Accessible by ferry, it has no cars or trucks on the island.  It is a small kingdom of horse-drawn wagons and bicycles.  It was once home to an Army fortress.  Famous people have visited and lived here.  But today I didn't pull out a guide book and read up on it all.  Instead, we wandered and simply soaked up this beautiful, peaceful place...

 

 

 

 

Taking a horse-drawn taxi wagon to the Grand Hotel...

 

 

 

 

 

The wagons drop folks off at the main entrance and then wind their way along the side of the hotel.  When the road begins to bend, there is a mirror on the fence to allow the wagon drivers better visibility.  I was busy taking a photo of some flowers and looked up to see that Eli had discovered the mirror...

 

Walking on the huge veranda full of rocking chairs, it was easy to imagine folks strolling there in 1887.  So easy, in fact, that they filmed in 1979 Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour movie Somewhere in Time at the hotel.

 

 

 

The strolling down to the water's edge...

 

 

And walking back to the main street and shopping area, admiring the tidy, flower-bedecked cottages along the way...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such lovely things to see on Mackinac.  But what is that lovely smell?  Most American touristy sites offer fudge, but Mackinac Island takes it to a whole new level.  They are famous for their very smooth and ridiculously rich marble slab fudge.

 

 

 

Beautiful, easy, breezy Mackinac.

 

Day 18: Mosinee, WI to Mackinaw City, MI

Today was northeast through trees, trees, and more trees.

 

We're far enough north that you can sense the change of the seasons coming.  We drove past lots of goldenrod on this cool, cloudy day.

 

A tree changing colors by the roadside was not uncommon even if most are still green.

 

We had no plans today other than to reach Mackinaw City by evening, so we were delighted when we took a travel break in the town of Rhinelander, Wisconsin and discovered a history museum.  

Now, I was raised on Dr. Suess’ The Lorax and the thought of all those huge, gorgeous trees being felled in the 1800s always made me sad.  Oh, that I had been able to see all those stands of virgin trees!  I’m a product of my times and my raising, so I still feel that way.  Yet thanks to his museum I was able to understand a little more how logging was viewed back then – clearing land to make way for families, providing raw materials for a young nation, and offering jobs.

 

In the beginning the men went through the forest with horses, picking the best trees.  In the wintertime, sled runners beneath the stacked logs (as in the model below), helped get the wood out of the forest.  

 

Later on, machines like this steam hauler with caterpillar treads did the job.  

 

When snow wasn't an issue, big wheels like this helped get the timber out to the railways or waterways.

 

 

The museum had lots of equipment to gawk at...

 

Ah, and I was able to find my favorite -- a historic kitchen!  This smaller scale reproduction of a Civilian Conservation Corps food preparation area was fascinating.

 

The huge bread board made me think of the Northwest Woods' Paul Bunyan stories my mom used to read to us.

 

And these cooks had their priorities straight -- the donut lifter was bigger than the dust pan!

 

After the museum, we went over to try a pasty restaurant.  Pronounced "pass-tee," these meat and vegetable pies used to go into lunch pails to feed miners, farmers, and other workers.  We had some with ground beef, rutabagas, potatoes, and onions.  Mmmm.  Brian had one that was a modern spin on cheeseburgers with ground beef, cheddar cheese melted throughout, and bacon.  Wrapped in a flaky crust, they were fantastic.

 

And for dessert?  We came across an old Sonic-like mom and pop joint that sold twenty four flavors of soft serve ice cream!  Vanilla soft serve went into a small reservoir along with squirts of chosen flavoring.  The ice cream was blended inside the reservoir and then extruded into the cup or cone.  Brian had banana, Eli had mango, and I had creme de menthe.  

 

 

Soon the clouds were breaking up and we had reached the Great Lakes.

 

We stopped to let Eli run on the beach a little and found this artwork somebody left behind...

 

 

 

More fun tomorrow...