Sabbath morning, we drove across the border into Watertown, SD. We had a wonderful time attending church there, and even found out this was the home church of one of our coworkers at a previous school we used to teach at.

After potluck, we left with every intention to make it to Sioux Falls, and specifically Falls Park. But we never made it.
Albert noticed a sign on the interstate that said “DeSmet, SD, childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder”. I hadn’t realized we were so close. Well, 43 miles away. Albert, knowing how much I’ love it, insisted we go find out. Well, long story short, we made it to DeSmet (dee-SMEHT), walked around town and saw some historic things, visited with the Visitors’ Center girl, drove out to the Ingall’s Homestead, camped for the night on their land, woke up the next morning, and had an absolutely magical time. Forgive all the pictures. It was just that special.

If you’ve read ON THE SHORES OF SILVER LAKE, DeSmet is the setting for the book. Here’s some of the town.

(Click on each picture to see it bigger.)

 

 

 

This is a working farm, using only the machinery and customs the Ingalls family would’ve used. The homestead also has kittens running around, wanting to play and be loved on. They were so precious. It was hard to contain our joy. Spending time with them was priceless. And made it hard to leave…

 

A sod home below…

 

We took a covered wagon ride out to the school house, and got to take turns driving the team.

 

 

 

A view of the homestead from up on the tower.

 

Some more pictures of our time there…

 

Eventually, we made it to Falls Park and thouroughly enjoyed it. Ean LOVED rock hopping and wished we could stay there allllllll day.

 

 

None of us have ever been to Fargo, or North Dakota, for that matter. The funny thing is, even though we’re seeing lots of new places, I still have preconceived pictures in my mind of what those places will look like. One thing I’ve loved about this trip is seeing how wrong I can be.
I always thought Fargo would be flat, no personality.

It was a fun coincidence we were in Fargo the same weekend as the Blue Angels and Water Dogs.

We stopped at one last dog park before leaving Fargo. Melbee met a black German Shepherd named Ruby. They hit it off! Mel loves to run, and Ruby loves to chase – what a perfect combo! They ran until they were panting like helicopters (that’s what Ruby’s dad called it). Then they’d rest a little bit and run some more. Both doggies loved the time they spent together.

Our first stop in St. Paul was a dog park. Melbee was looking forward to some Rupert runs! Then she’d be ready to nap while we were in here…
Our #1 reason for stopping here was JM Cremp’s – the adventure store! The boys have received their catalog for several years now, and love pouring through it. It’s not long before the cover has come loose from the rest of the magazine. They get out their notebooks and pencils and make their wish list. Then they add up their grand total. Then talk about how much they want to save up to buy the things on their list. That’s pretty much as far as it goes, because what kid can save hundreds of dollars very quickly. But they have so much fun. So when it came time to plan this trip, the Mall of America got a pin in the map. We all knew this was one stop we weren’t going to miss!

Then we headed for the center of the mall. This part used to house Camp Snoopy, a really cute amusement park. But to keep up with fickle consumers, it’s now Nickelodean’s Universe. The boys were wowed by roller coasters in the mall. Different rides covered that huge space. We were pretty sure the boys wouldn’t be riding anything, but we decided to check the prices anyway. Albert and I decided we’d splurge a little and pay for one ride each for the boys.
We walked around so they could see all their options before making such an important decision. Brodee really wanted to ride the bumper cars, but since Dayne and Ean wanted to ride a roller coaster, he went along with them. And here’s where God worked another miracle for us.
Albert went with the boys up to the deck where they’d get I the ride. I went to a spot where I’d be able to catch the boys go by. When they did fly past, it wasn’t just the boys. Albert was riding, too! We’d only paid for three rides…how did that happen??

When he and the boys got to the ride entrance, an unmotivated employee asked them to do a favor for her. She didn’t want to have to walk all the way over (20 yds) to put the line chains back up. She told them that if they’d do it for her, they could all ride twice for free. So the boys kept their place in line while Albert spent 45 seconds doing this task. He walked back to the boys and asked, “Me, too?” “Yes”, she said. And that’s why I saw Albert and the boys zoom past. When they got off the ride, the boys grabbed me for round #2. It was so fun. And when that was all done, they still had their original tickets left to do a ride, so they did this…
Ean and Dayne got to ride their choice, Brodee got to do the bumper cars, and Albert and I got to ride. To do what we did would’ve cost $60, but we did it for the original price of the three rides. God is good! And He loves to love us individually. Specifically. That experience was just more proof.

 

After a disappointing meal at Chevy’s (it was nothing like our Chevy’s back in Santa Rosa), we headed to another off-leash dog park where there are acres of trails for dogs and their people to walk together.
Our day ended in the Glendale SDA Church parking lot.

The next morning we walked around a neighborhood lake.

Albert had chosen that church because it was so close to the sports venues in downtown Minneapolis. Below is the Minnesota Twins stadium.

 

The Minnesota Vikings stadium…

The purple metal football shaped things are the bike racks – cool idea!

After a quick stop at Costco, we beelined it for the Vikings Training Camp in Eagan.

They have a new training facility. It’s really impressive. And the venue for training camp is really fan-friendly. We’re not Vikings fans, necessarily, but we are footballl fans, so we really appreciate what the Vikings have done and what they offer the public. From the moment we got there, the friendly, helpful staff kept telling us, “Have fun, guys!” And they meant it. And we did!

Tuesday, we received wonderful news that Big Boy’s generator was fixed and ready to be reinstalled. Yay!! We’d been in Wisconsin for exactly a week, just about as long as we spent in FL. And thankfully, we’d been able to stay on schedule. It really was wonderful the way God worked it out.

After Big Boy’s cleanse, we stopped for more propane. Then it was on to Green Bay by way of Osh Kosh.

Then it was on to Cummins for the generator installation. Now here’s another little “I love you” from God. We’d dropped the generator off exactly a week before, and almost to the hour. Last week, the boys and I had enjoyed sitting in the waiting room with Mel. The AC was so nice, and their comfy couches made the wait, well, comfy. But the best part? The show-stopper? They had a TV, and “The Great British Baking Show” was on. It’s one of our favorites! And we got to watch it!!!! The timing of the install put us right back in that waiting room one week later with “The Great British Baking Show”! We got to watch it again. It was so fun.
After leaving Cummins regenerated (ha, ha, ha), we headed to our favorite Green Bay grocery store, Woodman’s. Albert loves their popsicle prices.

Big Boy wasn’t done being pampered. We had a spa date scheduled.

Then we parents made an executive decision. Back to Titletown!! We went back to the GB Packers’ community venue and had a lot of fun. The boys played football on the field again while Albert, Mel, and I walked some laps. Then the boys moved on to ping-pong while Albert, Mel, and I did Ariens Hill.

Leaving Sam’s sanctuary was sad. Who knows when or if we’ll ever make it back. But to have been there once is an honor.
We were off for HiPines, an RV park in Eagle River. The boys were wowed by all the fun things out the window as we drove in.

 

We left Eagle River for the Wisconsin Dells. We would be visiing Noah’s Ark Water Park the next day.

We stayed at the American Resort Campground, which was just another glorified parking lot, but in staying there, we got free tickets for the Timbuvati Animal Park, and were able to get into the water park for only $10 each. And since we have plenty of practice sleeping in parking lots, it was no big deal, especially if it meant saving money!

Noah’s Ark Water Park came after the zoo. Normally, we would have pictures of our adventures. But when one is screaming, holding on for dear life, and engaging in upgraded fun, taking pictures is far from one’s mind.

Whenever we stop at a state’s Welcome Center, the boys always browse the tourist brochures inside. Wisconsin was no exception. Inside one of the magazines, Ean had found an ad for Fort Dells Laser Ops. It’s laser tag with a military twist. Ean’s kind of twist. He’d cut the ad out and taped it to the fridge so as not to forget when we were in the Dells. The boys were very hopeful that after saving money on admission to Timbuvati and Noah’s Ark, we could squeeze in some Laser Ops. Needless to say, the boys had so much fun — more fun than at the water park, and that was fun!

We ate dinner in the parking lot later, watching the next group battle it out, then headed for Portage, WI, for the night.

Why does the blog always seem behind?

I’ve found being a blogger is really time consuming. And even more so when there isn’t a good internet connection. Many times, we have internet, but it’s slow, and honestly, WordPress isn’t a very fast site when you’re using the free subscription (beggars can’t be choosers). And then there’s always the thing of having time to catch up. At the end of some days, I’d much rather see my pillow instead of a computer screen 🙂

Do we always stay on schedule?

We have a calendar with a list of things we’d like to do on each day, but we also have flexibility. It’s worked out really well. We hit the for-sure things, and then improv on the other stuff. And we’ve also left room for downtime. That is a must when you’re doing something like this.

We’ve had some bumps in the road, but thanks to the wiggle room we gave ourselves, some of it unknowingly, God has helped us keep to our itinerary.

What do the boys do during all those hours of driving?

In the NPR radio interview, we were asked about “screen time”. Screen time isn’t something we deal with. The boys don’t have electronics and they don’t borrow our phones for any entertainment. Out Big Boy’s windows is a world they’ve never seen before. Practically each day we’re somewhere new. Albert and I want them to see and remember. They love soaking up new surroundings.

We brought a box of about forty-five books and have added to the collection through the miles. They love to read and do it a lot. We’re running out of books!

We also love listening to dramatic stories – Your Story Hour, G. A. Henty stories from Heirloom Audio, Adventures in Odyssey, Discovery Mountain and Lamplighter Theater. Listening to these stories is like reading a book. We all get into it!

Every now and then we have a movie night. But we really didn’t bring any, so the only choices are the few our laptop has. Somehow, we’ve survived 🙂

Does Albert always drive?

He does the majority of driving when it comes to Big Boy. It’s just naturally settled into that. This gives me time to catch up on things or plan ahead, take care of anything the boys need help with, and help him navigate. I drive the rental cars when we get to big cities.

Do the boys always get along?

Nope. Nope. And nope. They’re brothers, and they’re human. We all get on each other’s nerves sometimes. But the nice thing about being in Big Boy, there are different spots they can all be in to have some separation and alone time. There’s pestering, teasing, and bothering, so this helps give some space. They try most of the time, and we appreciate it!

Where does everyone sleep?

There’s a bedroom in the back for mom and dad. Melbee sleeps on the bedroom floor. The boys take turns rotating between the bunk over the cab, the couch bed, and the dinette bed.

How does Melbee pass the miles?

What do you eat?

We eat most of our meals in Big Boy. I brought lots of oatmeal and cream of wheat, our usual breakfasts at home, but we’ve ended up eating a lot of cold cereal because of time and easy clean-up. If we have lunch, it’s usually sandwiches, and then dinner is usually salad and something else home-cooked and filling. Every now and then we eat out, especially if it’s Rick Bayless’s restaurant!

What do you do for fun?

Tennis, basketball, dog parks, swimming. The boys were playing a card game called Quiddler for the first few weeks. But we usually do things that don’t cost money unless it was on the original agenda.

How far do you drive each day?

It depends. We planned it so we’re not doing over 5 hrs, and that’s scheduled to happen only a few times. Other than that, we only drive a couple of hours at most.

What’s something you’ve enjoyed about the trip so far?

Ean – learning about the Young Marines. I want to check it out.

Dayne – horseback riding!!

Brodee – the rec center in Indiana was free. We had a lot of fun! And jumping off the Petoskey Pier with my brothers and friends.

Albert – The Blue Ridge Parkway was very unique. We didn’t need AC or reservations. Graveyard Fields was something I’d love to visit again. Watching the kids jump off the piers into Lakes Michigan and Huron was fun.

Christina – talking. We get to talk a lot while hiking, driving, sitting together. I love hearing my boys voices. I’m trying to capture this time forever in my Mama Memory. Ean will ask me, “You wanna hear something, Mama?” Always. Dayne will ask me, “Mama, did you know…?” No, I didn’t. Please tell me. Brodee will say, “Mama, I’m going to…” Thank you for sharing your plans with me.

What are you looking forward to about getting home?

Ean – seeing our kitty and finding out more about the Young Marines

Dayne – seeing family, friends, and our cat

Brodee – football and basketball season, seeing our cat and family, the library and the couch!

Albert – being with our kitty cat again

Christina – family, including our cat, and a full size shower

When my sister and I were young, my mom read us books written by Sam Campbell. He wrote stories of friendships with animals and adventures he and his wife, Ginny, had on their little island sanctuary. In my little mind, I couldn’t believe how amazing his true stories were. A porcupine crawling on his head? Woodchucks making their home under his steps and coming to dinner every evening? A fawn that loved to be pet? Raccoons that came for daily visits? It was all too good to be true. But that’s the world Sam Campbell lived in. And thanks to his wonderful style of telling their tales, and my mom’s fun way of reading, my sister and I got to live in Sam’s world, too, every time we opened the book. 

About a year and a half ago, a church friend, George, gave us a few boxes of old books. In our house, books are treasures, friends, really, and the boys dug in. George has since passed away, so those books are even more precious. Dayne found some Sam Campbell books in the bunch, and he too, now, has experienced what it was like to live in Sam’s world.

Sam is known as “The Philosopher of the Forest”. He loved being in nature and enjoying what God has created. He believed in cherishing the time spent out there. When we began planning the trip, I looked to see if there was anything left of Sam’s legacy up in the north woods.

There is….

We were looking forward to a special Sabbath, one where church would be a wooded cathedral. There was a light rain in the northern Wisconsin woods as we took to the trail, and it got heavier as we hiked, but with the thick canopy of trees, we didn’t feel much.

 

 

The white diamond in the picture on the right is the trail marker. The trail is very well-marked and easy to follow.

Then it was back to Wegimind Point. Across the water is where their island sanctuary was.

It was really hard to believe we were right there. All those times of reading about the Campbells, and the setting for those stories was right there. Oh, for a boat to go across…

 

Wisconsin is kind of shaped like a glove, if you use your imagination. We wanted to explore the thumb. Door County is a peninsula that shoots up out of Green Bay to the northeast. It’s full of little communities that have a deep, rich history in this part of Wisconsin. There’s agriculture, tourism, artistry, fishing, lighthouses, and plenty of charm.

We stayed in Sister Bay, which is in the upper third of Door County. I loved the name because I love my sister, and it made me think of her every time I saw the name! Our campground was run by a family with kids whose ages are similar to our boys. They have a fun little place. And we heard coyotes and their pups howling at night. SO cool!

During the two day we stayed there, we enjoyed a fun sampling of normal and special.

 

Dayne had been dying to visit a library, so we actually spent some time here both days. The boys grabbed a book to read, and I used the WiFi to help make some progress on this blog!

 

 

 

We also visited this cute place to try their homemade rootbeer. It was delish. But while sitting there, we watched patron after patron walk out with huge servings of ice cream in a cone. The boys ended up getting very generous kids’ scoops.

 

We heard about a group called the Northern Sky Theater. They do summer performances in the Peninsula State Park each year. There were three different plays running this summer, and each is an original work written specifically for this venue. We attended BOXCAR, a really touching story about hobo life in Wisconsin in the early 1930’s. It was a musical, so the boys weren’t too sure if they’d like it. Well, they did, and have even sung a couple of the songs around Big Boy since. We all had such a great time. Even Melbee was allowed to attend, as long as she didn’t try to sing along with the musical numbers.

Before exiting Door County, we stopped to visit the Historic Village at Big Creek. It’s made up of buildings that are from the original settlers of Door County. Over the years, they’ve been donated and moved here to be a learning and preserving center.

We spent some time with Rolf, one of the volunteer blacksmiths. He showed us how he makes an “S” hook.

 

We left St. Ignace bound for Green Bay. Our route would take us all the way up to the top of the UP (Upper Peninsula, for those who missed our last session). This would take us within 20ish miles of the Canadian border. Who can pass up that opportunity, eh?

Sault Ste. Marie is pronounced Soo Saint Marie. We asked a road worker because we just really needed to know. It’s the last Michigan city before Canada. The St. Mary River is a natural border between the US and Canada. 

Now, since Ean’s visit to the ER, our trip has been uneventful in the bad news department. And we weren’t complaining! But just as we were leaving Chicago, the generator decided it’d had enough. We called around to the areas we’d be visiting in the next few days to see if anyone could fit us in to take a look. Nope. Nope. And nope.

So we found a shop in Green Bay that could help us. The problem was, Green Bay was over a week away. Not to worry. God was going before us. The weather was always nice, and if it got a little warm, that didn’t last long. We never need the main AC, which was our biggest concern. Had this happend even a week earlier, it would’ve been miserable.

We made it to Green Bay, got the generator dropped off into capable hands, and carried on with our schedule. Here we come, Lambeau Field!!

 

 

This is the Mackinac Bridge, and it’s a big deal around here.

Our next destination is a place that’s been on the list for a looooong time. Mackinac Island. (pronounced Mackinaw). It’s an island in the UP (that’s Upper Peninsula) and it’s very unusual. You can ride a ferry over to it. You can ride a bike on it. You can ride a horse carriage on it. You can walk around it. But you can’t drive a car anywhere on it. No motorized vehicles, although we did pass some cruisin’ grandmas and grandpas on scooter chairs.

The ferry ride over.

We landed at the port and got on our bikes. The ride around the island would be 8.2 miles, and take as long as we wanted it to.

There are private residences on the island, but several hotels, too. The world-famous Grand Hotel is in the bottom picture. It is grand.

We found a pier dock, and the boys had a blast jumping off it. 

The island has kind of a busy Disneyland feel to it when you’re near town, but once you get away on the other side, it’s simple and lovely.

One last dip before we catch the ferry back to St. Ignace (pronounced IG-nus)