Part 8: The Arch to Hyde County.

We stopped in St. Louis Missouri for the night and headed out early in the morning. On the way out we made a stop at the Arch! It was quite impressive!

 The only angle that I could get the whole arch in my picture.

 Flat Stanley visits the Arch

 My boys at the base of the Arch

Isaiah and the Arch

 Kaden and the Arch

 In the museum

 There's our wagon to cross the prairie

 Teepee

 The elevator to go to the top..... I did NOT get in that!

 Cool skyline!

After leaving St. Louis, we drove and drove and boogied to North Carolina. We were ready to get to our new home! We passed a few states on the way.

 Welcome to Indiana

 Welcome to Kentucky!

 Welcome to West Virginia!

 Welcome to Virginia!

 Welcome to your new state North Carolina!

 Land of Moes, Bojangles and Cracker Barrel!

 Welcome to Hyde County!

 Our welcome to Hyde County was a huge rain storm 

 We didn't get a picture on the first day due to the rain so we adventured out the next day.

 Welcome to Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge! Flat Stanley arrived. Can you find him?

 Our house from the road. There is a canal in front of our house, great fishing and crabbing!

 Our House

From the back

 Our quiet street. All the refuge housing

HOME SWEET HOME!

Part 7: Nothing But Grass and Corn

Along our trip while we were driving the same places that the first pioneers did along the Oregon Trail, it was interesting to try to put myself in their shoes and in their wagons. Crossing major rivers, climbing huge mountains, crossing rocky dry areas. I could kind of imagine what that kind of life would be. Hard, tough and dangerous! No wonder many died on the trail. It must have been incredibly hard and I am so glad there are now highways to drive that are not nearly as dangerous to cross. But I must say it was not the mountains and the rivers that got the most groans out of me. It was the FLAT GRASS PRAIRIE that got me to thinking the most about their travels. From the Black hills of South Dakota, you leave the mountains and get on a flat prairie that goes on for DAYS AND DAYS!!! We drove for 2 days and the scenery didn't change. You would take a nap and 1 hour later the scenery was the same as when you went to sleep. It looked like this, it never changed!!!!:

For 2 days! Never changed! Can you imagine being a pioneer on a wagon with 10 kids and every 5 minutes one of your kids asks " Are we there yet?" Yes this is where my imagination made me giggle of all the things parents would hear or say in response! Can you imagine? "Hey Jonny, you can't talk until we see a tree!" "Elizabeth, You can't ask that question again till we cross the next hill!"  Yes this would be an interesting wagon ride! We were driving 70 mph and my kids asked that way to many times. We were also dodging tornadoes and wicked thunderstorms. Sure would not want to be a cow, deer or buffalo out on the prairie during a lightning storm! In my mind I kept saying "get flat" "think small" as if that could help you avoid being struck. You are the highest thing out there! But in defense for cows, this would be heaven if you were a cow! Look at all that green grass!

 We did stop for the night to rest and get out of bad weather. As I said their were tornadoes jumping all over the countryside. While we stopped, we saw the famous Mitchell Corn Palace.... Yep that's right a palace where the walls are made out of corn. They change it every year. The building is a place where they hold different shows and events. The walls were amazing! They were still building it for this year but you can see what they have done and ALL of it was from corn!

 All Corn! Amazing!

 Welcome to Iowa.... Land of Corn

Flat Stanely visits Desoto National Wildife Refuge

 

 2 baby Eagles in a nest

 Checking out some bird

 Big Birds!

 Desoto NWR, A place where you can cross 2 states in one refuge! =) Entering Nebraska

 Flat Stanley in Nebraska

 Oh, Back to Iowa

 Welcome to Missouri

 Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Part 6: South Dakota, Wind Cave, Custer State Park, and Mt. Rushmore

We left the Grand Tetons behind and headed east to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We enjoyed a day of touring around Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park and seeing Mount Rushmore. This area of South Dakota was absolutely beautiful! We saw many different animals and enjoyed the scenery.

Flat Stanley got lost in Wind Cave but we found him. Can you find him?

Wind Cave NP

 Bison

 My little cave explorers

 The Bison almost ate Flat Stanley in Custer State Park

 pretty flower

 Beautiful view

 Some cool rock tunnels

 

  Mt. Rushmore

 So neat!

 Future Presidents?

 Ramos Family photo-bombed by 4 presidents =)

 Awesome

 Flat Stanley at Mt. Rushmore