WE'RE HOME!!! We took a bit of an accidental detour yesterday that threw our day off course so we made the executive decision to drive through the night and sleep in our own beds. So, thanks for following our travel blog. I'm going to switch back over to greenebeans now that we're home again. I did type lots of detailed stories about our trip that I will try to post later.

DeSmet

Today we visited the homestead of Ma and Pa Ingalls. We started listening to Little House on the Prairie when we drove to Michigan last two weeks ago and fell in love with it. Since we realized that our trip out west was traveling much of the same route as the covered wagon we picked up a few more for this trip. They have been such a blessing to us! They are exciting and keep everyone interested (read quiet) as we drive so many miles. DeSmet was the final resting point for the Ingalls and while it wasn't really on the way for us today, it was a 2 hour detour. In the big scheme of things two hours is not such a big deal right now. (It practically took us an hour just to get across the campground!) So it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! We listened to the stories On the Banks of Plum Creek, and By the Shores of Silver Lake after finishing Little House. Today we started Farmer Boy which is the story of Laura's husband Almanzo Wilder in his youth. Many of the things we saw today were in the stories we've been hearing such as the surveyors house, the town Pa filed for the homestead in, the stove Caroline used, the whatnot that Mrs. Boast showed them how to make. The kids (and we) were totally enthralled by it all. We took a guided tour through several buildings and saw the cottonwood trees that Pa planted outside of their property (we just heard that story a couple of hours before we saw them!!) There are still three books we haven't heard and we can't wait to get them from the library--maybe we should be planning another road trip! :)

Tonight we're in Jackson, Minnesota. Last night and tonight we've skipped the natural splendor of state parks and opted for the convenience of KOA campgrounds which are right off highway exits. Almost as good as a hotel, but a fraction of the cost. Tomorrow we're throwing around the idea of a day at the Dells and then heading for home on Thursday.

funny story: a knock at the door

a few nights ago I was awakened by a strange knocking sound. I thought it might have been Emily kicking the floor of her pack-n-play or something outside. So I listened again. Sure enough it was coming from outside our camper. I was sort of fuzzy since I was fast asleep so it took me a minute, but then I heard this little voice say, "Mom, can you unlock the door? I fell out of the camper." WHAT?!?! I jumped up and opened the door for Elijah. He got wedged down between the mattress and the canvas (which is just velcroed underneath the bed. I guess it wasn't pressed down or his weight was enough to break the seal. He actually fell out of the camper on to the ground outside his bed with his sleeping bag and then was locked out. After I found out he was okay and talked to him about it the next day I absolutely cracked up. Who falls out of the camper?

BTW I am just posting random pictures of our trip. After I posted on the way home Brian exclaimed, "those pictures are not from today." Which wouldn't be a big deal except that everyone looks happy and occupied in the car which is not entirely true today. I don't want to falsely advertise.

On our way home

We left Custer State Park today with heavy hearts. We ALL love it here very much and are scheming ways to get back for a longer time. Today we went to the Badlands. It was beautiful in a creepy kind of way. I'll post some pictures when we get back, but I'm sure the camera won't do it justice. There are so many things to say about this trip and yet I almost feel like no words at all. We are learning about things that we like to do, things that define us, and ways that we want to be better people. Tomorrow we are heading to De Smet to see the home of the Ingalls'. We are plotting our trip home tonight. We're thinking of going through Wisconsin instead of Iowa so we can see something new.

We haven't been in town too much, but here I am on Sunday morning outside the restaurant we had breakfast at stealing some unsecured wireless internet. I have been journaling long posts in Word, but I can't get it to transfer so I am just going to post some pictures which I am sure is what you want anyway. We're haveing a wonderful time and really don't want to leave. We may stay a few extra days so we can do some other day trips.