Road Trip Day 3 & 4

We left Rawlins Wyoming about 10:30 Wednesday morning and headed to Cheyenne about 2 hours away Can I just say that if you are Terry Bison Ranch and you spend some time and money creating a great website full of intrigue and adventure...please be prepared to deliver on your tease.  We arrived to...well no one.  The alpaca's, horses and ponies were accessible, so we parked and walked the cat walk overhead and then took an apple from the car and fed the ponies small bites on small gloved hands, stretched out flat preserving fingers.  Of course, the Deeds insisted on wearing his cowboy hat and I thought a car and three Californians might have raised some interest and a greeting or at least a scolding for feeding their animals, but no one...was around.  There was country music playing from speakers around the different buildings...but without any humans in sight, the thought crossed my mind that we could have just walked in on some major crime scene and the barn might contain more than some tack and baby kittens...perhaps I watch too much CSI.  We seized the opportunity for some good photo ops and finally found the guy that gives the train rides who was more than nice, but seemed a little tired from the three rides he had given earlier that morning.  After the animals, we were anxious to visit and fish from the stocked pond, except that I guess we were supposed to bring our own poles and string and whatever else fisher guys use.  I told them how far we had traveled hoping they would find a loaner in the back somewhere...but alas my charm and sympathy seeking techniques failed miserably.  Dot and I were sorely disappointed...the Deeds seemed just as happy to stand in a mud puddle and pretend to fish with a stick.  My bitterness...it lingers. 

Fireworks are legal in Wyoming and I am hoping Nebraska and Iowa because we stopped to purchase some sparklers to light up a parking lot in the next few days.  Memories...we're making a few.

Dot looked up a great Rodeo Museum and we stopped there for an hour or so and the sweetest grandma in Wyoming sold us tickets and made me want to bring her home with us.  Frontier Days...not this week, but worth planning a trip around in the years to come. 

Then we hit the road and headed for Lincoln Nebraska...7 hours in the car and we were pushing the limit on exhaustion.  Nothing though that can't be cured by an awesome hotel room and a good night's sleep won't cure.  The Deeds celebrates each time we get to go to the breakfast where "you can get whatever you want and you don't have to pay."  That way we can save our money, he tells us, which I believe illustrates he knows our LOVE LANGUAGE.    A morning swim, showers and we were off to the Lincoln Children's Museum...just google "Heaven on Earth for Kids"  it was awesome!  Anyone of the play areas would have entertained our early childhood traveler for hours...he was like a ping pong ball with so many options.  If I won the lottery, I would build one at home...so great.

We hit the place next door for our first restaurant meal and had the best macaroni and cheese since ever to ever. Amen.  Then hit the road cause we thought we had about 2 1/2 hours or driving to Humboldt Iowa.  Except that it was really 4 hours+ but worth every last minute.  This is the place my dad was born and raised and his family is wonderful.  Makes me so wish we had stayed more connected with them after the death of my father and so glad we still have now.  So genuine, kind, unpretentious and loving and a sense of humor that feels familiar.    I am looking forward to a tour of the town tomorrow.  Perhaps I am trying to recreate days long gone and the history of my Dad, but there is a little feeling of home in my heart tonight. 

Until next time..