What an adventure we have had. We have finally arrived in Hershey for the summer. Our total driving time was a whopping 38 hours. WOW!!! Our poor kids did amazingly well. They were really good. I was quite amazed. Our trip took us through Cheyenne, Omaha, Nauvoo, and finally Springfield before arriving at our destination: Hershey Pennsylvania. If we had to do it all again I wouldve mapped out in advance where all the McDonalds with Playlands were, as looking for those added a bit of unneccesary time to our trip. We spent six nights in hotel rooms- all of them Marriott Fairfields except in Omaha where it was a Courtyard. We were trying to rack up our Marriotts reward points. Our hotels were all very pleasant- with the exception of a very cold pool in both Cheyenne and Springfield, and remarkably the kids slept fairly well in the same room as us. Kenna went through just a short adjustment the first night when as we were trying to fall asleep she would call out to us "Everybody wake up." We were all just very tired most nights- which helped in putting the kids to bed. Here is a photo recap of the trip:
I didnt take a single picture in Cheyenne- not much of note there. Every night after driving we went for a swim in the hotel pool and went out for dinner- so thats what we did in Cheyenne and then set off the next day for Omaha. In Omaha, we spent an extra day and squeezed in as much as we could- just so that we wouldnt feel too rested (joking of course). In the morning we hit the Omaha zoo. Its supposedly one of the best in the country. It was HOT and crowded but still fun. The aquarium was the coolest part but the kids quite enjoyed the gorrillas since there was a baby one that was quite entertaining to watch.
After the zoo, we picked up some sandwiches at Subway and drove off to see Winter Quarters. I must admit I underestimated the signifigance of the site but I was so glad we went. I was really touched by the site and it was a nice preface to our visit to Nauvoo. The temple there was beautiful and the cemetary was also really special. The kids were happy to run around there and hopefully Brayden will maintain at least a vague memory of such a historic visit. It would have been nice to stay longer there but we were off to a picnic Kevin had arranged with some contacts he had at Union Pacific. We want to keep our career options open so we spent some time with them at a park. The kids had a lot of fun playing although I couldnt tolerate the heat. It was in the high 90's I am sure.
When we were done there we went back to the hotel for a swim to cool down before heading out to spend some time walking around the Old Market in downtown Omaha. We stayed at a hotel downtown which made this very convenient. The kids found some slides on our way to dinner.
After dinner we treated our kids to a ride around town in a horse drawn carriage. That was also fun. Once we made our way back to our hotel we crashed- all or us were very tired!
After Omaha, we spent a day driving to Nauvoo, Illinois. Our hotel we arrived at was in Keokuk Iowa. We had trouble finding places to eat in Keokuk. They had a Walmart and every fast food joint but as for "sit down real food" places, this town was very lacking. That night we went to a place called the Stockade. It was a nice taste of the local fare. It was like a mini more homemade Golden Corral. The people there were also entertaining to watch. I should also mention that it was Mothers Day- all day driving in the car and dinner at the Stockade- what more could a girl want. (I am joking as I have a very wonderful husband who make me fell like a lucky mother every single day!)
The next day was all sight seeing. We went to Carthage which was something I have always wanted to do. It was amazing to see and be there.
Then we were off to historic Nauvoo, where we did a horse drawn buggy tour and then lunch at some place called Grandpa Joes or something and then we stopped at the temple, the Nauvoo visitors center, the bakery, the Brigham Young house and a few other stops before ending at the Smith Family Cemetary. I wished I had done some research on my own on Nauvoo and my own pioneer history but I didnt. The kids were tired at this point and not as interested in the history as us so we headed back to the hotel for a swim and dinner at Wendys.
And then after two long days of treacherous driving and one night in Springfield Ohio, we arrived. After a small delay we checked into our new place where everything was ready for us except food, we moved in and have been checking out Hershey ever since. Yesterday we enjoyed Hersheypark and Chocolate World. The park had lots of great rides that we could all go on and a couple crazy roller coasters that they actually let Brayden on (and he survived with a smile on his face). Kenna loved all the kiddy rides and there is lots that we didnt get to that will fill our summer days. I dont think we will be too bored. The Chocolate world had a fun tour and a big store and a place where the kids could pretend they worked at the chocolate factory. That was fun fun fun and with a few more pics I will conclude my blog for now- I can only spend so much time on the computer before my kids become CRAZY.
