Spacious Skies and Waves of Grain

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Since my blog last Friday, we’ve traveled through Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois. After family stops, we began our journey west. Yesterday, we traveled through the entire state of Iowa and three-fourths of Nebraska. Today, we finished Nebraska and Wyoming, and now we’re in Utah. Many miles and beautiful scenery.

As we drove through Wyoming, I was reminded how as a child the drive seemed endless and boring. Along with my three siblings, we shared the back seat in a family sedan. An older brother and older sister, and a younger sister. The youngest sibling, Betsy, was in the front seat. There were no seat belts or car seats. The back-seat-siblings divided into two teams, creating a rivalry. Roger & Eileen on one side, Joyce and me on the other. We commandeered our section of the car and no one was to enter our side. Sometimes my younger sis and I would take a nap on the floor, resting our heads on the transmission bump. The car had no air-conditioning–only the very expensive cars had that–we used the wing windows and vents to cool off.

My parents were wise to break up the drive with educational stops along the way. Hungry Horse Dam, Devil’s Slide, and many museums and National Parks. The days were long and it seemed like forever before we’d stop for the night at a motel with a kitchenette. Mom would prepare an evening meal. Next morning, we’d get up very early, drive for a few hours, and then stop at a restaurant for breakfast. It was the most economical meal and with a family of seven, the cheapest meal to eat out. Lunchtime, we stopped at a grocery store and got lunch supplies. We’d enquire where the nearest city park was located and eat our lunch. When asking a gas attendant where the nearest park was in “Somewhereville, USA,” he directed us and said, “It’s muddier than a deuce.” It became a family joke from then on to say, “It’s muddier than a deuce!”

The best part about the trip was finally arriving at our destination. Sometimes, we drove to Montana to visit the cousins who lived on a wheat farm. Other times, we drove to the Midwest, visiting families in Nebraska, Illinois, and Missouri.

Our trip this time, was a little like those family road trips from my past. The difference was I sat in the front seat and together with Jim, decided where to go and when to stop. Last week, I told you about the Montana part of the trip. Today, I’ll share just a few highlights from this week.

Below, we stopped at Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument still in construction, and the Badlands of South Dakota.

: Closer look at President Washington

: Badlands in South Dakota

: Badlands, South Dakota

: Crazy Horse, South Dakota

: Model of Crazy Horse 1/60 size

We also visited The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch, Iowa. I learned a lot more about the one-term president. His life wasn’t easy. Orphaned at age seven, he was sent to California to live with an aunt and uncle he didn’t know, and separated from his brother and sister. He overcame many odds and entered Stanford University at age seventeen. We strolled through the grounds where they recreated the prairie near the farm where he lived in his early life.

Driving through Illinois, we stopped in Dixon, the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, the visitors center and house tour was closed. We were disappointed and continued our drive. But then, saw another sign that directed us to Ronald Reagan’s birthplace in Tampico. We were delighted this place was open and we trooped upstairs to the apartment where he was born and lived for several years. The tour guide was enthusiastic about the museum and gave us a lot of information. She was proud that she got to shake his hand when Reagan visited the town in the 1992.

The best part of the trip was the family connections we made. We enjoyed visits with cousins swapping stories. We visited our “bonus family” in Iowa, interacting with the four girls, and strolling through their small farm.

I enjoyed sharing extended family with our grandson, Caleb, as well as beautiful sites along the way. He’s continued east to his destination of medical school in Virginia, and we’re headed west, back to our home. We feel so fortunate to be able to travel and enjoy our vast United States.

The sun was brilliant as we began our drive early this morning. A Japanese proverb says, “We can never see the sunrise by looking west.” That may be true, but we’re headed west and home!