Good Morning Iowa!
We started the day the perfect way with a little family snuggle time. Snuggle time today eventually ended the way most family snuggle time does these days, with a tickling and wrestling fest. Neither Scott nor I got up to exercise. I think Scott was politely waiting for me and I slept in way longer than my usual internal summertime clock of 5:30. That may have something to do with still being a little too sensitive to the sounds of passing freight trains, dogs barking, and the ranger asking the dogs to leave. As with all trips I will eventually get tired enough and learn to sleep through the new noises.
Brooke helped me pack the sleeping bags and mats. She is working hard at learning how to squeeze all the air out and roll the mats up tightly. Scott made a delicious breakfast of French Toast. He picked up a tip somewhere to pre-crack eggs into a water bottle for easier travel. We still have our plastic egg carrier for a dozen whole eggs, but we can go longer between our shopping trips for eggs now.
The kids fit in a few more loops biking around the campground and then they had to fill in the holes they created with their shovels in our campsite. I did my best to try to get a picture of Cody during our quick ten minute park stop before we left beautiful Anita Lake campground. Cody was on a mission to collect rocks for Brooke though. No time for pictures!
Today we are heading along the Loess (rhymes with bus) Hills Scenic Byway heading North from 680 towards the fossil beds Scott heard about on CNN.
About an hour and a half down the Scenic Byway there was a sign stating that the road is closed.
Cody has been entertaining himself playing with his Transformers while Brooke has been playing with her American Girl doll complete with a headlamp and compass (grandparent purchase - her parents are way too economically reserved to think of those things). Their play has included a few disagreements, but today they are mostly singing songs taught by Pastor Paul during Vacation Bible School last week.
So it turns out our scenic byway is having a bridge replaced and the road is closed. We kept waiting for the detour instructions, but there weren’t any. So we turned around and stopped at the Loess Hills State Forest Office. The lovely lady running the office had to step out while she directed the drop-off of some playground equipment. We just roamed around the beautiful visitors’ center while we waited for her help in finding the scenic sites we had come to see despite the road closure. We learned loess is the name of Iowa’s special soil named after a German word which means loose or crumbly. After exploring Cody returned to Color Wonder coloring and Brooke began to dance. Since I let her leave her hair down today she was in the mood to do lyrical dancing.
We found some gravel roads which led to our next little adventure. At the top of the very large hill Cody shouted excitedly, “Just let go of the brakes Dad!” Scott said he was willing to if Cody promised to push the van after we crashed. Cody said disappointedly, “Stop kidding Dad.” It seems someone is a little roller coaster hungry after his first Six Flags trip this month.
We stopped at Jones Creek Pond for some canoe time.
We saw a blue heron and two swans on our ride. While we were canoeing Brooke kept rocking the boat. We all protested as it was a little chilly to be swimming today. Brooke honestly asked, “Why can’t I rock the boat Dad?” I responded, “Because you rock it enough every day.” After her confused silence I attempted to explain the figurative meaning, but Brooke did her best to start a new topic after she started to understand. We cooked up some turkey grilled cheese and gobbled them up with some salsa. Then we headed for some more gravel road driving and a scenic overlook.
The kids were more into throwing rocks than enjoying a scenic view, but it was good to get out of the car and enjoy the beautiful surroundings for a minute. It turns out Iowa isn’t just boring flat cornfields. You just have to get off the interstate and slow down to see the beauty, but isn’t it that way with all of life?
While Scott cooked dinner I set up the tent and the kids biked and roamed around. After a dinner of hamburgers and green beans we headed to the park while Scott went out for a bike ride. I was secretly hoping to use the advertised wi-fi at the park, but no such luck. I instead listened in on the kids’ conversation. When I first arrived at the park Cody filled me in on all the happenings I missed while walking behind my speedy bike riders. “Mom! Brooke made me smell her foot and lick her toes! And they were sandy!” My response after a very disgusted and disapproving look to Brooke was, “Why do you listen to her?” Cody gave me a shy shake of his head and looked at the ground. Brooke defended herself by saying, “Well, he didn’t have to smell my feet or lick my toes if he hadn’t wanted to be first up the slide.” It will be a miracle if Cody makes it to being a teenager.
The kids were super giggly, so they were still wide awake in the tent when Scott returned from his bike ride at 9:20. I hopped out excited to finally get a run in. My first stop was at Willow Lake across the road from where we were camping. I caught the sunset just in time. I also happened to collect exactly one large bug in my mouth while running. I must learn not to smile while running…
I ran for about forty-five minutes and then attempted to quietly slip into the tent when two roaming dogs decided they didn’t like that idea. I had just been thinking how much I love Nebraska because I don’t have to worry about bears yet or any other large critters while running near dark. The camp host, Lynn, who was incredibly helpful with information when we first arrived to Willow Creek State Recreation Area, was also helpful in calling in the camp manager to quickly relocate the dogs.
The kids finally fell asleep one on each side of me tucked in my arms. It may take a while to get everyone calmed down when we camp, but I do love the perk of extra snuggle time.
