The Adventures of Ramblin' Rose, Explorin' Lauren and Traipsin' Rachel

I am writing this leaning against a pile of fluffy pillows on a bed in a Day’s Inn in Mason City, Iowa. The girls are sleeping and I am wide awake, so I went to the lobby in my pjs for a mediocre cup of coffee in a little Styrofoam cup and am embracing this quiet time to write about our day yesterday.

The girls were fired up and ready to roll when we finally were able to leave around noon. It was their idea to stop and pose in front of the car (I love their smiles!)

As we drove away from home, I told them there were only a couple of rules:

They couldn’t spend the entire day listening to their iPods
They couldn’t sit like zombies and text their friends all day
They couldn’t fight

I am happy to say that they followed most of those rules. Neither one of them put their earbuds in even once all day. They did text a bit, but not like they typically do when they are in the car. The only time they fought was over which side of the bed was best, and why Lauren always gets it when they have to share. Who knew a bed in a hotel has a “best” side. The things you learn that are so important to know.

We had a really fun day. The girls laughed and sang and told silly stories and asked me, and each other, really dumb questions.  They quizzed me every five minutes or less about where we are going. (I’m trying to surprise them!) Rachel started compiling a list of different states we saw on license plates. We talked about school starting next week and why Lauren is really nervous about her senior year. We talked about why Rachel is excited to be starting her sophomore year next week. The best reason, according to her, is simply that she is no longer going to be a freshman. The other reason is that her best friend Lindsay is in four of her classes. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing…

We made our first stop in Hannibal, Missouri, just two hours from home. Okay, so I lied about that…our first stop was really a Phillips 66 in Troy, Missouri, so that I could get a cup of coffee and so that Rachel could go to the bathroom. But, I’m not counting that because we were only 30 miles from home. 

We haven’t been to Hannibal since the summer Rachel was two, and I have no idea why.  It’s a really fun little town with lots of shops, restaurants, ice cream and candy stores and of course, places to buy cheesy souvenirs. Signs on the outskirts of town declare Hannibal as “America’s Hometown!” Mostly known as the boyhood home of Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Becky Thatcher and Injun Joe, Hannibal is a small town nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River, a part of the river that Mark Twain referred to as the most beautiful section of the river. It really is pretty there, and I was hoping the girls and I could take a cruise on the riverboat and have lunch on board, but we missed the departure time by 20 minutes. So we parked and walked around a bit, took a photo in front of a statue of Huck and Tom

Then climbed/crawled up about eleventy billion stairs.

 That photo above is a small part of one of the four sets of stairs that leads from street level to the tippy top of a river bluff. Whew. Even my athletic girlies were huffing and puffing by the time we got to the top. But, the views of the river from up there were well worth it. I want to go back in the fall because I bet it’s stunning.

 

Here is another of my favorite pictures from yesterday. Lauren took it through the windshield not long after we left home.

Yes, the sky really did look like that... The weather yesterday could not have been more perfect—I don’t think it even reached 80 degrees, which is unheard of in July. There was zero humidity, and it always amazes me just how clear blue the sky really is without that oppressive haze hanging in the air.

The rest of the day was pretty boring with not much to see once we crossed into Iowa. The medians and grassy areas on the side of the highway were a profusion of wild flowers—black eyed Susan’s, daisies, purple coneflowers and something else bright yellow. I wish I could have taken some photos, but I really didn’t want to stop and get out on the highway. I felt like I was driving through a postcard. The day wore on, the girls became quieter and napped some. As I sped north along the nearly deserted highway, I took full advantage of the time to listen to something other than country music. I relaxed and enjoyed the drive, feeling my mind clear as I focused on nothing but the girls and how much I was already enjoying our impromptu road trip.  

At the beginning of the day, I told Lauren and Rachel that we weren’t in a big hurry to get anywhere, and if we saw something interesting and wanted to stop, we would. They loved that idea and both told me at almost the exact same time, “Dad would NEVER do that!” They are right…he wouldn’t. We have to practically beg him to stop to use the bathroom and he would never stop to look at, oh, say the world’s largest rocking chair a giant man the size of a building holding a hot dog the size of a mini van no matter  how much we beg him to. As dusk began to fall and they were getting antsy and wondering where we were going to stop for the night, I needed gas, and as we were exiting the highway in Waverly, Iowa, I noticed a sign for a restaurant called The Fainting Goat. We all laughed and decided we had to find that restaurant and take a picture of it. It was well off the beaten path and we wasted a good twenty minutes on finding it, taking a quick photo and then getting back on the highway. But, it was worth it to hear the girls’ hysterical laughter as they jumped out of the car and posed in front of the restaurant. When we got back in the car, Lauren said, “Mom, dad would think that was so dumb, wouldn’t he?”

Smile…why yes, he would. So we decided we should text him the picture. He texted back saying, “You are never going to get there!” Translation: Why are you taking pictures of stupid things instead of hurrying to get where you are going?” I didn’t bother texting him back to tell him that this trip is about much more than just “getting where we are going.” He wouldn’t understand.

The very best part of the day happened after dinner as we pressed on  and made our way northwest through the heart of  Iowa farm country, land that at  times looks like a patchwork quilt created of every shade of brown and green. Lauren commented that she had never seen so many cows. You know me and sunrises/sunsets…well, the sunset we were privileged to watch spread over the sky last night was spectacular. Even the girls were impressed and urged me several times to pull over so we could take pictures. Most of them didn’t turn out very well, but I don’t think I have ever seen such a glorious sunset, not even over the beach. As far as we could see in any direction, the sky was swirled and layered with a  palate of oranges, yellows, pinks and purples of every hue imaginable. It is times like that when I wish for a better camera. After we took about 30 different pictures, none of which turned out as beautiful as the sky really looked, Lauren said, “I wish our eyes could take a picture right now.”  And Rachel said, “I don’t think I will ever forget this sunset.”  It was definitely a sunset worthy of a camera of better quality than my iPhone.

The really great thing that it seemed to last forever, and I think we drove with it right in front of us for a good 40 minutes or longer. When the show was over, it was time to stop for the night around 9:30.

As soon as I can rouse the girls from their bed, we will be on the road again. I can’t wait to see what our day brings!