Day 28 - Through Missouri to Kansas

After attending church with the grandkids in O'Fallon this morning, they headed back to Mapleton...

and we said goodbye to the Rudolph's and the Sanchez's and headed towards Kansas...

On the way over the Missouri River, we enjoyed this great view of the St Louis Arch...

as we entered Missouri...

This is the "Old Cathedral" which sits in the shadow of the arch... (I have a photo on my camera that I will put up later)...

The "Old Cathedral" is really old...

After a long and very straight drive across Missouri, we drove into Topeka, Kansas for the evening. Tomorrow, we will probably visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library on our way towards Denver.

We want to thank Frank and Kathy again for their hospitality! We had a great time with them in their beautiful home!

Day 27 - Grants Farm and Budweiser Clydesdales

Saturday, August 16th, Grants Farm

Brandyn, Jen and the boys came down from Mapleton today and we all went to Grants Farm, one of two places in America where the Budweiser Clydesdales are bred and trained...

Grandma and the boys check out the big guys!

Frank and Kathy enjoying some much needed and rare alone time...

There was a long wait to get in and out of the farm due to the heavy crowd now that the park is back on fall times (weekends only????)

Kaleb shows me his bubble gum...

Ammon flirts with grandma on the tram ride through the park...

These are some of the most famous gates in the country... if you have seen a Budweiser commercial, you have seen these gates...

This a Civil War cabin on the grounds of the Grant Farm...

Kaleb flirts with grandma also...

We finally arrived at the animal interaction area of the farm... Hyrum gets ready to feed the African Pygmy Goats...

Ammon got right into it...

Hyrum was not so sure in the beginning, especially since the goat liked his shirt better than the milk...

He is a little more brave with mom...

It did not take him long to get the hang of it...

Jen used the double bottle technique...

Soon, Hyrum was feeding and grooming...

"There is nothing to this grandma!"

Next we went to the Animal Olympics Show... the flag was raised to begin the games...

Ammon...

...Hyrum...

...and Kaleb, enjoy the show...

Some beautiful Macaws...

strut their stuff as "Budweiser Macaws"...

and the "Anhauser Eagle"...

Then they brought out this beautiful American Bald Eagle!

Then it was on to the camels, which Deb knows all about from here time living in Tehran, Iran as a kid...

Kaleb loved feeding the Llama...

Do these guys look hot and tired or what?

Frank and Kathy's pool is just what the doctor ordered to rejuvenate them...

"Sparkle"

Logan and papa enjoy some time together around the pool...

Hyrum gets to open his birthday present from Aunt Joy...

He wants to be a firefighter like grandpa...

After a nice Barbeque, we settled down for the evening and some Olympics coverage. It was great to see Brandyn, Jen, and the boys again before we leave.

Tomorrow, after church, we will head west towards Utah.

Day 26 - Eagles Nest

Saturday, August 15th - Pere Marquette

Today, Frank and Kathy took us up the Missouri/Illinois River basin to visit Pere Marquette Park... This park is near the limestone cliffs that are the breeding grounds for the American Bald Eagle. (This little guy is not a Bald Eagle... but pretty anyway).

In the visitor center, the girls got inside this mock-up of a Bald Eagle nest... They can be up to 10 feet across and weigh over one ton!

Inside the Pere Marquette Lodge built by the Citizen Conservation Corp (the same program that built Timberline Lodge), Debra stands near this giant chess board...

Another view of the Great Room...

Frank, Kathy, and Deb stand near a model of the world's tallest man (can't remember his name right now, Robert Wadlow, I think) who was a resident of nearby Alton, Illinois...

This is a view of the Illinois River basin from the park... much of this basin was flooded this spring and the damage is still evident as we travelled up the river bank...

These are cliffs where the Bald Eagles breed...

Another view on the way back to Belleville for the evening.

Wendy, Eddie and the kids came over tonight and it was great to visit with them.

Brandyn, Jen and the boys are coming down tomorrow for the day!

Day 25 - More Travel

Friday, August 14th - To Belleville, Illinois

Today we spent another day on the road as we travelled to Frank and Kathy's home in Belleville...

On the way, Deb took this photo that will probably become the cover for the Road Trip Book... It is just more than a little ironic that it is a gasoline truck (although we are averaging around 4o mpg on the open road).

Or, maybe this one... I had to get pretty friendly with this truck in order to get the Mini visible in the reflection!

We've seen Mt Hope and Mt Joy, so we had to have Mt Comfort...

Tonight we went to dinner with Frank and Kathy at J Buck's and had the most amazing ribs that I have ever eaten... the sauce was amazing... what is it with J's and their sauce?