I Love Free Money!!!

I finally got all my rebates from the utility companies from my window purchases, for a grand total of $563.00. Since I didn't even know about these rebates until after I bought the windows that is a pretty good little sum of money to add to my piano fund.

On another note, I came back from my vacation to find my hedge completely out of control again. I had planned to tackle it Saturday, but by the time I got done working it was just too blasted hot to even think of doing yard work. Much to my surprise when I went out this morning to put a sprinkler out where I am having sprinkler system problems, I discovered the back half of the hedge is completely trimmed on top. I noticed people working in the neighbor's yard yesterday but thought they were just doing the lawn. I have been a little rebelious the past 2 years and refuse to do his side of the hedge back where he has a lot of stuff planted and I can't get to the hedge easily. I guess he hired someone to come trim up all his plantings back there and they did his side of the hedge and the top. After they leave for work today, I will go take a peek, but I would imagine they have done his entire side which means I only have to do my side and the other half of the top, which makes me want to jump for joy. I immediately scheduled Saturday off work, so I can go out first thing and get 'er done, since it looks a bit ridiculous right now to have half of it looking good and half of it totally a mess.

3305 Miles

That is the grand total of miles of our fantastic road trip. Cayla and I had a great time. Although I was really sick of driving by the last day, I thoroughly enjoyed all the driving until then, and after only a day at home, was actually wishing I was still out on the road.

I've been trying to get Cayla to blog our trip, and although she has nothing to do but hang out in her PJ's all day, she is just not in the mood.

This will probably be more detailed than anyone cares about, but if I include everything, I can print it out for my trip journal.

For starters, let me just say how much I love my GPS. I can't imagine going anywhere unfamiliar without one, especially if you need to find a drug store, restaurant, gas station, etc., I am in LOVE with my GPS!! For reference throughout this trip diary, our's will be referred to as Mandi, as that is the voice we selected, and what we called it (her) on occasions when we needed to talk back to, or occasionally reprimand her.

Day 1

We left on Saturday, and decided to leave fairly early and then stop at Little America, Wyoming in 2 hours for a nice omelet and ice cream cone, thus getting a couple of hours behind us in a long first day drive. My plan was to try to make it to North Platte, Nebraska, but I made no reservations in case we didn't make it that far. I did write down a few of the nicer hotels so we would know where to go once we got there. Now, never in my wildest imagination would I have thought a little town in the middle of Nebraska that seemed to have LOTS of hotels/motels, would not have a room available when we got there, but with a wedding going on with out-of-town guests and a baseball tournament in town, we found ourselves pretty much out of luck. A nice desk clerk did some calling around but could only find a smoking room at a Motel 6. I would rather sleep in the car. She did have a suggestion of a place she couldn't reach by phone, so we headed over there, and as luck would have it, they did have a room. Now this place didn't look too bad from the outside and the lobby was marginal, so I thought we were really getting a good deal to find a nonsmoking room for only $75.00. Upon entering the room we were greeted with a funny smell, but the carpet and beds looked clean. Unfortunately, the bathroom was too scary to use unless you were desperate, which I usually am about every couple of hours. There was no way I was stepping into the bath/shower. The toilet seat looked clean enough but the bowl was disgusting. It seriously needed some Lyme Away or CLR. Cayla decided against using the bathroom at all. We got in bed, slept as few hours as was reasonable, and got out of there as quickly as we could.

Day 2

Today our goal was about a 6 hour drive to Omaha. I really enjoyed our drive across Nebraska. Yes, it is flat and not much to see but cornfields and trees, but I found the green (mowed) grass in the median and the green cornfields, along with the very straight and flat road very easy and relaxing to drive. I can't imagine mowing the median grass clear across the state of Nebraska, but they do it. We arrived at the Marriott and found a room fit for a King. Mariott had a sale on rooms when I was making reservations and we got this super luxurious room for $86.00 (only 11 more dollars than the dive we stayed in the night before).

Deluxe accommodations.

Cayla and Trixie enjoying the accommodations.

After checking in, we headed over to Winter Quarters where we had an awesome tour in the new visitor's center there. Our tour guide was really good and we learned a lot and found it very interesting. After the tour, we went across the street to the cemetary where the 300 people who died while in Winter Quarters are buried.

Winter Quarters Temple

Pioneer Cemetery

We left there and headed over to Council Bluffs to visit the Kanesville Tabernacle. Unfortunately our tour guide there was the most boring man on earth and we couldn't wait to get done and just get out of there. Luckily it was a short tour with the only thing really to see being the Tabernacle, which was interesting to hear the history of and how it was built, the original and the new replica.

By this time we were pretty hungry and tired, so we questioned Mandi (GPS) about restaurants and found a Cheesecake Factory close to our hotel where we had a yummy dinner. Our waiter, upon learning we were from Salt Lake, reminisced with us about his trips through Utah when he was young, stopping at the original KFC restaurant. Of course, anyone who remembers eating there, knows that the food then was way better than what you get at KFC today. He says I was the first person he has talked to from Salt Lake, who actually remembers that restaurant. On our way out, we bought some cheesecake to take and enjoy in our room for a late-night snack. Cayla thought she had died and gone to heaven when she tasted that cheese cake. Our shower and sleep that night certainly did feel like heaven.

Day 3
Today we head to Nauvoo, driving Southeast across Iowa. I thought there was a lot of corn in Nebraska, but with the rolling hills of Iowa, you can see further in the distance and it is all covered with cornfields. This is the day that I learn that not only should you know the towns you should be headed past, but also the highway numbers you should be on, for those instances when the GPS doesn't know a road exists and shows you driving in a field. I had downloaded the latest maps into the GPS before I left, but Mandi was unaware that a highway existed where we were and kept wanting us to go through some small towns, and the first time I made the mistake of following her, we ended up on a dead end on a cliff, which apparently was the way to an old highway.

We did eventually make it to Nauvoo where we got there just in time to see our first play put on by college students from around the country. We had just enough time for dinner before we attended a program put on by the same college students and the senior missionaries. It was a pretty hilarious program, and you have to give credit to all those old people for being brave enough to peform like they did, especially since many of them have probably not done anything like that before. There were some who obviously had talent, and some who obviously did not.

Nauvoo temple

Just a few of the senior missionaries who performed for us.

This is also when we had our first encounter with Mayflies, and if you have never experienced a Mayfly, believe me, you don't want to. They come in swarms in the dark where there are lights or down by the river. They literally cover surfaces like a blanket, and they are UGLY. We did find out the next day, that they only last 3 days. They hatch all at once and die off in 2-3 days. They lay their eggs and come back later for another 3 days, anywhere from a few months to a year later. Just our luck, we happened to be there for the 2 days they were alive.

We stayed in the Hotel Nauvoo, a restored 170 year old former home, turned hotel, that was quite lovely and comfortable. This is the only place we stayed 2 nights and we quite enjoyed not having to check out the next morning to hit the road again.

Hotel Nauvoo

Day 4

After a quick cinnamon roll at the old mill bakery, and a nice chat with a local resident who is a Mormon and VERY friendly, we went about touring Nauvoo. Our first stop was for the wagon ride through town. We met a very nice couple and their very cute and personable 17-year-old son (had to text Brittni and let her know she was missing out) from Delta, who we discovered came through North Platte the day before we did and had the same experience finding a room. They ended up in a $45.00 room which sounded like it was scarier than ours. I was relieved to find out I wasn't the only person who mistakenly thought North Platte was a great place to stop without a reservation.

Wagon ride and the mayflies that accompanied us.

On the wagon ride they take you down by the river where we came across billions of Mayflies and Cayla was so busy swatting them away from her that I was'nt sure if she heard a word the tour guide told us, but she claims she did.

After the wagon ride we went over to the visitors center and I finally got the chance to see the Joseph Smith movie that I could never make it downtown to see. Cayla has a friend from school that was in the movie, and I have been anxious to see it since he was filming it when they were in the 1st grade. I had to go all the way to Nauvoo to finally have the time. We then went about touring the historic Nauvoo houses and buildings. At the family living center, Cayla got to learn how to make a rope, and since we were the only ones there at the time, she got to keep the rope. She got a prairie diamond ring at the blacksmith shop and a brick at the brickyard. We attended another play by the college students and one by the senior missionaries. We then ventured over to the Community of Christ visitors center, since the only way to see the Joseph Smith properties, which they own, is to pay a small fee and go on their walking tour, but we got there 10 minutes too late. So we revised our next day plans and decided to go there before heading out of town in the morning.




Lucy Mack Smith house

Blacksmith shop and a prairie diamond ring





Brickyard and souvenier brick.

We had a nice buffet dinner at our hotel and retired to our room for the night. Although our dinner was nice it was too expensive for the amount we eat. We are not buffet eaters who pile our plates and go back for more. There weren't many choices in town for a decent meal. Nauvoo could use a couple of really good family restaurants.

Day 5
We got up early and headed over to the Joseph Smith visitors center, where we were the only ones on the first tour. Our tour guide was a tiny little gal with a very loud voice, that I imagine is good when she has a big group, but for the two of us, it really hurt the ears. There were advantages to being the only 2 people most places we went on our trip, but we might have gotten a better education had there been others on this tour to raise questions or point out things that we might not think of.

Mansion House of Joseph and Emma

We headed out of Nauvoo, not having seen absolutely everything, but needing to get onto our next destination.

Carthage Jail

From here we went to the Carthage Jail, which would have been a quick trip if Mandi hadn't taken us on a gravel road and led us into the middle of a field. Luckily I had the visitor center phone number and when I called for directions, the senior missionary who answered knew right where I was, as it seems that all GPS's send people to the same spot. He was able to steer me in the right direction and we got there without any more problems. We both thought the jail was extremely interesting, we learned a lot of things we didn't know, and had a great experience there.

We then made our way to Hannibal, Missouri, where we took the Mark Twain Riverboat on a one hour excursion on the Mississippi River, where they pointed out landmarks from the Tom Sawyer books. It was a great day for a boat ride, as it was warm but overcast so the sun wasn't beating down on us. In fact, our whole trip was pretty much the same way. We never had a day when it was hot and unbearable to be outside. After the boat ride, we went to the cave that Tom Sawyer played in. This was one of Cayla's favorite things. The cave was awesome. I couldn't help but think of all the exploring and playing we did in the foothills of Farmington, and how much fun we would have had if we had this cave to play in. It is an amazing cave. Of course, now they have it all wired with lights which would make it really fun, whereas Tom Sawyer had to use candlelight, which might have been just a little too scary for me. Flashlights and lanterns would make it a little more friendly. Having now learned a lot about the cave and places in it that are referred to in Tom Sawyer, Cayla went to the bookstore with Brittni today (July 9) and bought the book. It should make it very interesting to read now that she has actually visited many of the landmarks in it.

Mark Twain Riverboat

Mark Twain Cave entrance

Parlor in the cave, has a nice long bench where you can sit and visit.


This was a very eventful day. We crammed more into this day then any other day on our trip.

Day 6

This is the day Cayla has been really waiting for and she is up early and ready to hit the road. We have a 6 hour drive to Mansfield, Missouri, and hope to get there in time to tour Laura Ingalls Wilder's house today. Cayla sleeps most of the way, leaving me to my CD's and thoughts as I maneuver up and down through the Ozarks on a 2-way highway for most of the way. It wasn't a bad drive, but the only day that I spent entirely on a highway with 2-way traffic, which demanded a little more concentration.










Our little cabin

We drove past Laura's house which was real close to the cabin we were staying in, and got checked in there first. We stayed at Mansfield Woods, which is really the only decent place within 10-15 miles. They are darling little cabins bought by some people from Utah (an incidental discovery made when I was making reservations) a couple of years ago, and have been completely renovated. They come supplied with everything you need to eat and sleep there, except for the food. They even have awesome barbecue grills on the patio deck out the back door.










Laura and Almanzo's first house that was actually built in 3 stages.

Cayla at Laura's house






We got to tour Laura's house with only 1 other lady along on the tour. The kitchen reminded me so much of Grandma Wassom's house, especially the stove and sink. There were lots of things in the house that were just like things I remember from when I was little, such as radios and clocks, which made me feel pretty old. They don't let you take pictures inside, but have postcards with pictures of all the rooms, so we bought a bunch of them. The living room was really charming and had oak wainscoting and oak trim made from oak trees on their property, along with a great little library to the side of the living room where it is separated by half of a wall. We spent a lot of time in the museum and then went to the bookstore, which is about the only place Cayla spent any money on the trip, but spent $90.00 on postcards and books. We had just enough time to head over to Laura's other house before it closed. Her daughter, Rose, bought her and Almanzo a house, ordered from the Montgomery Ward catalog (who knew you could do this?) and had it built on the property. Rather than sided with shingles she had it done with rocks and it is really a nice little house. They lived in it for many years while Rose lived in their old house. They then sold the newer house along with some of their property and moved back to their old house when Rose moved away.

Montgomery Ward house bought for Laura and Almanzo by their daughter Rose.


There isn't much of anything else in Mansfield so we drove over to Ava for some dinner and to shop at Walmart to restock our electric cooler and went back to our cabin and played cards until bedtime.

Day 7

Today takes us to the Kansas City area, where we first checked into our hotel and then headed to the Independence Visitors center. There really isn't much there so we didn't stay long, but we had a lovely young lady missionary who guided us around and also sang to us as we sat by the statue of Christ. She had such a beautiful voice that sounded as though she was singing with accompaniement, although she was singing a cappela. Across the street is the headquarters of the Community of Christ church which is quite an interesting building, but we didn't go over there.

We then consulted Mandi for a list of restaurants and chose Applebee's since we know what we can expect there. After eating we headed to the Liberty jail where once again Mandi led us to a dead-end street. I'm thinking I should contact the church offices and tell them to put the GPS coordinates for both jails on their website, since these are the two places that gave us the most trouble. After 1 phone call, a local pulling up next to us to see if we were lost, then inquiring again at a gas station, we eventually made our way into Liberty to the visitors center and jail site. Had we just gone to downtown Liberty, there were signs that would have guided us there a lot easier.

I love how they have rebuilt the jail on the original site, but made it without the one side so you can see right in and get a real prespective of what it was like. This was a very fascinating tour, and again, our sister missionary guide sang to us. I guess to go to the Independence mission it is helpful to be able to sing. We learned that some of the missionaries refuse, which is probably a good thing.

Liberty Jail

Day 8

Today we head home. We had really hoped to visit Adam Ondi Ahman, and I had great directions as well as the GPS coordinates, but it would have added at least an hour to our driving and we already had a long day ahead of us. I was afraid we still might get lost even with all the information I had, and that would add even more time. Rather than take chances on hotels on the way home, we decided how far we were willing to drive and I was able to get a reservation for the Cheyenne Little America for only $86.00. After 10 hours of driving time and a few potty stops along the way, we made it there and splurged on a lumpcious prime rib dinner with more lumpcious dessert. It was a great way to end a very long day in the car with rain all the way through Missouri, Iowa, and most of Nebraska and a few showers in Wyoming.

Day 9

Luckily it was only 6 hours to home, but was the longest 6 hours of the whole trip. This is the first day I was really sick of driving and I HATE driving in Wyoming. It is ugly and curvy and up and down hills and I was so glad to finally reach Utah and familiar roads. We did make another stop at Little America, Wyoming for some lunch, which helped break up the day a little.

It was a relief to reach home safe and sound, as I was a little worried when we left about how I would handle all that driving, but I actually enjoyed it, I guess because it's been so many years since I have really hit the open road. Other than the first night scary hotel, we had no other adverse incidents and we both felt all the driving was worth it for all the things we got to see and do.