While we were in Missouri we visited Rocky Ridge in Mansfield to see the house where Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the Little House books. A museum was attached and a highlight was seeing Pa's violin. The house was just as Laura and Almanzo left it. This site was on my bucket list and let's just say that I'm glad we were driving by and didn't make a special trip.
Here is how 10 or 11 people travel long distances in "style." The funniest part was one day we noticed all the strange looks we were getting. People would point to our van and stare. Finally Jerrod said, "Well Mom, not too many people ski in Kansas." Duh! We borrowed an extra Thule for the trip and they were both loaded to the gunwales with baby paraphernalia including three portacribs, 3 strollers, fishing gear, swim gear, diapers, and a bunch of other stuff.
A friend suggested we borrow their luggage rack and attach it to the back for extra cargo room. Brilliant! We could have squeezed the bins in but it sure gave us extra leg and people room in the van. The bins had clothes, food, bedding for the cribs (stuff from home for the babies), and kitchen stuff.
We had a fun journey from Branson, Missouri to Douglass, Kansas, about a 5 hour drive. The landscape changes several times from the Ozark hills to farmland to flat prairie. Lots of corn. I think one half of the United States must be planted with corn.As I was the navigator, I read the AAA guide book and looked up all the little towns we went through. We toured Carthage, Missouri as we drove right through it and looked at some older Victorian homes. Then on a whim we took a minor detour to see the Precious Moments Chapel and grounds. It was time to stretch our legs and I thought the younger girls would enjoy the figurines. Oh my, what an experience. The visitor center and museum are off the beaten path about 3 or 4 miles outside of town. We rounded the corner and our jaws dropped. The parking lot was FULL, I mean a couple hundred cars and several buses. We had no idea it was a destination spot. Then we noticed lots of red t-shirts and kind of surmised that some family reunion was visiting.
As we entered the lovely pink foyer, we were serenaded by someone singing in the indoor garden cafe. We rounded the corner to see a (PC here) smaller man doing a reasonable Elvis impersonation for a full house. We elbowed our way through to go see the chapel and got in a line. After 10 minutes, Jerrod figured out that we were in a book signing queue. Finally, somebody informed us that the annual collector's reunion was in full swing. Ah-ha......
We got a tractor ride with a Precious Moments dress up character waving at us. We toured the chapel and then on the walk back we let the kids go in the "Jump for Jesus" bouncy house. We passed on the bean bag game where, for $2, you could win free figurines. Husbands and wives, kids in strollers, seniors, you name it, we saw it. To top it off, there was a petting zoo in the parking lot. Micah and Trey got their very first pony rides. Kloey was in heaven petting the goats and sheep and holding a 10 day old piglet. I loved the experience. Did I mention I do not even own a Precious Moments figurine.....
We traveled from Branson, Missouri to Douglass, Kansas and drove right through Independence, Kansas where the original site of the "Little House on the Prairie" is purported to be. The cabin was a replica out in the middle of literally nowhere. The fun part was standing in the field and imagining nothing in all directions.
The little boys slept through the whole thing. Bob chose to stay in the air conditioned van. The kids humored me in the one room school house.
Although the site was a little anticlimactic, it too was on my bucket list. So I can now say, "Been there, done that."We arrived in Douglas, Kansas that evening with a couple of stories to tell.
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