Since we've actually been home for 3 weeks, I thought it was time to wrap up coverage of our trip.
We drove from Michigan, through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming and into Colorado. We stayed in Colorado for a little over a week to celebrate GGPa's 90th birthday and Keith & Karissa's wedding. (See previous blog posts for highlights.)
Now it was time to head home!
We stopped at Pikes Peak in the Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs area. We took the cog railway up to the top. 14,110 feet above sea level!
It was a 90 minute ride to the top.
Evan checks out the scenery as the train ascends.
It sure was cloudy up there.
But they parted just a bit, so we could see a bit of a view.
Ice! It was a chilly 33 degrees up there.
Some motorcycle man was nice enough to take our picture.
Hurrying back to the train. Don't want to miss it or we'll have to hike down. The air was thin up there. I felt a little light-headed and short of breath, so I was okay with heading down.
Clouds parting a bit to see the city below.
It reminded me of a view from an airplane.
We were able to see a heard of big horn sheep on the way up and down.
Can you spot one in the center?
Evan took a snooze on the 90 minute ride back down.
I learned that Pikes Peak is nicknamed America's Mountain, because as pioneers moved west across the plains, Pikes Peak was the first/tallest mountain they saw. Also, in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor, took a train trip to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak. Several sites from her trip inspired her, including views from Pikes Peak, to write a poem. That poem became the beloved patriotic song we know as America the Beautiful.
A rain storm chased us across Kansas the next day, and caught up to us when we stopped in Topeka to see the Capitol.
Evan was interested in the cage elevator.
We got a chance to ride in it.
This building's artwork depicted a lot about the harsh weather in Kansas and the role the Native Americans played in the history of Kansas. It was very interesting and captured Ryan's attention.
Evan and I ran outside in between rain drops to snap a quick picture of the exterior.
Rainy night thwarted our plans to meet at a park. Instead, Tim & Marissa Kile were nice enough to have us over for dinner. Tim is Burke's cousin, and they live near Kansas City. We rarely have time with Tim, Marissa, Maddie, and Samuel, so we were very thankful to spend a couple hours with them. Ryan and Evan had a blast running around with kids. At first, Evan referred to them as "the boy" and "the girl." We had to point out they are cousins, (Second cousins, I think?) so we should definitely know their names.
The next day, we were lucky enough to visit with my good friend Karin, who also lives near Kansas City. I went to high school with Karin, and we were roommates at Hope freshman year. She generously hosted us for lunch at her house, and actually her entire family was there (parents, sisters, nephews), so it was a treat to see everyone, along with Karin, her husband, and their kiddos. Again, the boys had a fun time running around with the kids. (We missed seeing her oldest who was at cheerleading.) Evan lost tooth #4 at Karin's house!
We packed in a lot on our last day. We woke up early and headed to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
The boys hold our tram tickets for our Journey to the Top!
Waiting to board tram #4.
Seems more like a spaceship to me. I like to call it a pod, not a tram. Just like I remember it when I was a kid.
Family selfie inside the pod. 4 minute ride, 630 feet up.
Peeking out the tiny windows to check out the view.
Mississippi River
City view. See all that dirt in the bottom, right of the picture? There was a ton of construction all around the arch, which was kind of a detractor. It was still worth the stop though.
Top of the Arch
As we were leaving St. Louis, Evan lost tooth #5.
2 teeth gone in 2 days!
We made a sort of impromptu stop in Springfield, Illinois. I'm so glad we did. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. The Capitol was absolutely stunning. I like this picture of the dome because it's sort of centered.
This picture of the dome sort of shows the bronze-looking frieze depicting Illinois history, which I thought was just beautiful.
Barak Obama's former seat: back row, middle
Woo-hoo!
It's the tallest traditional-style capitol building, even taller than the US Capitol in DC. It's just huge!
Showing off his new smile, minus those 2 teeth.
Then we went over to Abraham Lincoln's home. The federal government has acquired the neighboring homes over the years and was able to block off the streets from traffic, giving it a more mid-1800's feel. This is the only house he ever owned. He lived here in the years before moving to the White House.
We toured the house, which has been restored to best approximations based on photos and knowledge of the house and time period. The National Park Service was able to track down a few pieces of Lincoln's original furniture, including this dresser.
Before leaving Springfield, I had to stop by Lincoln's tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Burke and the boys were tired and waited in the car, but I got out to do a quick walk-through.
Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and three of their four sons are entombed here. Only their oldest son Robert lived to old age and had a family of his own.
So Robert and his wife (also named Mary) had three children, which were Abe's grandchildren. Their son died young, leaving two daughters as lone descendants. Between those two girls, there were three children born, Abe's great-grandchildren.
Those three had no children, so thus ends Lincoln's direct lineage. Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, Lincoln's great-grandchild, and last undisputed descendant, died in 1985. This fascinates me.
Ryan & Evan with Abraham Lincoln, himself.
So, our last day was a long day. We started in St. Louis with a tour of the Arch. Then a couple hour drive to Springfield. We spent a while in Springfield. We still had a four hour drive home. I think we could have kept going too. We still had energy to drive and adventure and see what we could see. But it was nice to be home.
Thankful for a safe, fun trip.
Preparing for new adventures.
New York in 2016?
