After learning as much as we could about Kool-Aid and passenger pigeons, we ate dinner at McDonald's. (I forgot to mention that we had eaten at a regional "meat pocket" chain, Runza, for lunch. We tried to eat at unique places along the way, 
but MickeyD's won out that night for location and speed.) The next morning we woke up and continued our long journey through Nebraska.
but MickeyD's won out that night for location and speed.) The next morning we woke up and continued our long journey through Nebraska.
When Daddy was planning our route, he had the brilliant idea to build in a "break" day when we would do only a few hours of driving and have some fun instead. The halfway point in our trip occurred just outside Omaha, so we decided to spend the afternoon playing around in their Children's Museum.
Ally painted a leaf while Cora drew a masterpiece on a very large Magna-Doodle. They had a farm, a grocery store, a firetruck and crawl-through house area, and a room full of balls. The girls watched a presentation on bubbles (did you know they have Esko-skeletons?), climbed on some giant animal slides, and rode the carousel. They weren't too excited to get back in the car, but dinner was a short drive away.
Chris really wanted to eat a steak while we were in Omaha, so he tracked down a local restaurant called Piccolo Pete's that Warren Buffett visits when he's in town. Ally loved the huge disco ball hanging from the ceiling and was a little upset that we didn't get to sit under it. Chris enjoyed his steak, I enjoyed my meat raviolis, and Ally enjoyed her soup and pasta. I don't remember what Cora ate other than Jell-O, but I remember her squirming around until she finally decided to curl up under the table. The food was excellent, and because of the large portions, we had no room for dessert. I hear they have awesome root beer floats. Maybe next time.
We have tried very hard to teach Ally the proper priorities when it comes to choosing a hotel for the night. Besides relative cleanliness and safety, any decent hotel must have the following: free parking, free hot continental breakfast, an indoor pool, and a luggage rack to serve as Sally's (the doll's) bed. Drury Inn has all the aforementioned PLUS a glass elevator, a hot evening snack buffet with drink vouchers (aka free dinner), and plenty of old people with whom to converse. We obviously enjoyed our stay.
After our fill of breakfast, we headed into Saint Louis to see the biggest attraction on our cross-country trip: the Gateway Arch. (I'm tired of trying to remember things and writing them down, so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking now.)
When Chris bought our tickets to the top, he wondered why the guy asked if anyone had problems bending or was claustrophobic. Oh, now I see.
Welcome to your space pod. The door slides open, you step inside and take your seat on a back-lit sci-fi-ish chair. In operation since 1967, the tram hasn't lost a single passenger yet-- or so they say.
We stayed in Louisville, Kentucky that night at a "normal" hotel. We didn't take the time to find the world's largest Slugger, although I'm fairly certain we drove within blocks of it. Chris and Mildred started down the road about 5 am the next morning and arrived at our new apartment around 3 pm. Ally, Cora, and I took our time leaving. We had a good breakfast at the hotel, ate lunch at a Subway in West Virginia, and made it to Greensboro sometime after dark. North Carolina, My Home Sweet Home!
2888 miles in 7 days with 0 vehicular malfunctions and very few child breakdowns. Success.
1 comment:
That is so cool that you got to go up to the top of the arch! Very jealous.
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