More Michigan!

14 starts left after a stop for gas and another at Target to get more supplies for the coming week. After our errands, we headed up to Muskegon to tour the historic Hume and Hackley homes.

There were two really nice family stories that went with these two homes. They were both enormous old homes, but very different on the inside. The tour was informative but the decor really stole the show for me.

The transom windows and lovely fireplaces were just some of the highlights.

12 starts left when we left Muskegon for our campground outside of Jenison and after we checked in. The Steamboat Park Campground was a beautiful location on the shores of the Grand River. It had come highly recommended from my co-worker’s parents, and they weren’t kidding. Our site was close to the center of the park but very quiet and private. It’s great when you’re a short walk to the amenities, and when I say amenities – I mean the showers and the garbage. 🙂

Glamour shot of the Grand River. We did get a good amount of rain while we were there, so I was glad that we weren’t at one of the sites on the river. Really beautiful to walk by, but felt safer off the river bank. Our check-in experience was really great, and we were able to get deliveries, so stocking up on the supplies was easy. The showers were great and the laundry facilities were sparse but accessible.

I didn’t rent a car in Michigan, so I took a few Uber/Lyft rides to get into town and meet up with a college friend and her friends who were in town for a concert. We had a very delicious breakfast in downtown Grand Rapids at Social Misfits before we headed to the Ford Presidential Library. My friend is a real history buff, so she spent a good deal more time actually reading all of the displays.

In addition to the pretty dish ware and the Oval Office re-creation, there was a beautiful garden and walking area around the museum, which is on the banks of the Grand River.

I also got some more quality time with my co-worker and her family while I was closer to Grand Rapids. We had a lovely family dinner where I actually ate vegetables and a fun girls night out at a local cider joint – Farmhouse Cider Co. They had a food truck and flights of cider that were delightful – a lot like my first weeks in Michigan.

Also, I did try some things to see if I could clear the limp mode from Estella, but they were all to no avail. We’re down to 3 starts. 🍫🍫 🍫🍫 Time to call in the reinforcements.

On To The Mitten

(I’ve been on a break from blogging as we finished up 2024 with a lot of travel and some rest. Hope to keep a more regular schedule in the New Year.)

So long Illinois! After a month in IL, Arthur, Estella, and I were ready to make our move further east into Michigan. Our first stop was outside of Holland. We stayed at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds, which was very, very empty, but we did have some squirrel friends that kept Arthur entertained. RV camping at fairgrounds around the country has been hit or miss. This was kinda a miss. 🍫 Certain stays make you grateful for newer bathroom facilities and the safety of just having other campers around – this was one of them. We felt safe the whole time we were there, but it was definitely not the best fairgrounds for a week-long stay.

A lovely part of our location was its proximity to Lake Michigan. A co-worker who lives in the area drove over for dinner one night with her family. We had dinner at The Curragh in downtown Holland, which was a great Irish meal. We also ventured over to Kilwins for dessert. It was so lovely to hang out with their family as we drove around and took a trip out to the lake before they dropped me off. I had forgotten how fun conversation can be with two young boys!

On the Fourth of July, I walked to Holland State Park. For this part of our trip I went without a rental car, and my legs felt it. It was about 3.5 miles each way to the park, but it wasn’t too warm, and I made some stops along the mostly shaded walk and mostly overcast day. The park was packed! There were also numerous boats going through the channel and a lot of people taking in the lake and some beach time. The traffic into the park was unreal. I definitely beat many, many cars on foot.

I also made a pitstop at the Ottawa Beach General Store , which was very busy, but they had everything from ice cream to souvenirs to wine and beer. I picked up some post cards and a magnet and walked a little further down the sidewalk for a snack at Reservoir. I ended up having a Pina Colada, some broccolini, and garlic bread, but it was just want I needed to make it the last 2.5 miles back to the RV.

We spent the rest of the week just working and relaxing during our downtime. (Arthur demonstrating how relaxed he felt.)

A fun surprise greeted us when I started up Estella to head over to our next location. We had the dreaded you-only-have-so-many-starts-til-the-engine-goes-into-limp-mode message that Mercedes kindly provides when something is wrong. 🍫🍫🍫 We’d seen the message before when we were short on DEF fluid, but then it cleared when I put more fluid in. This time, I knew we were good on DEF, so no bueno.

I had already planned to check out of our campsite and drive up to the Hackley & Hume Historic Site in Muskegon, and since we still had 16 starts to go, we made the trip up.

Stay tuned…Did we make it to the next campsite without going into limp mode? Was the Hackley & Hume Historic Site cool? Did Arthur ever manage to catch any fish on the iPad?

A Detour

Even when you’re traveling in an RV across the country, trying to find your forever city, life is still happening for everyone else in their cities and their families. In June, I felt that acutely when I received word that my former co-worker, friend, and mentor had passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.

Sarah was a beautiful soul. Yes, we were “only” co-workers, but she had the ability to gift everyone with being present. When you were talking to her, her focus was on you and helping you grow through understanding, patience, and feedback. We traveled together on numerous work trips between 2020-2022, so we had a chance to get to know one another and spend non-work time together, including this trip when we had a chance to go to Universal Studios in Florida after a work meeting.

The first time I met Sarah, I was impressed. She was just a wee thing – younger and shorter than me. She walked into a tricky situation and came out shiny and bright. I was excited to work with her, but it wouldn’t be for another year or so before we would get to work together more closely.

It’s natural to feel a bit jealous of a colleague who is so skilled and also such a great person. I probably was, but it didn’t matter because there was such an opportunity to learn from her. What was extra amazing about her was that she didn’t just share her awesomeness with just me. Sarah seemed to have limitless energy for others – for her loved ones, her co-workers, her former colleagues, everyone.

So, when her fiancé contacted me about her services in late June, I had to figure out how to make it work. Thankfully, I have a friend who lives outside of Chicago, and she offered for Arthur and I to camp in her driveway. We parked the RV at an indoor parking facility, and I took the shuttle to O’Hare and flew to Jacksonville and rented a car.

I was very grateful that a co-worker, who lives north of Atlanta, could drive down to meet me. We spent some time with her fiancé – who was also a former colleague of ours – and his friends. We reminisced about her, we had cupcakes, and a lemon drop shot in her honor – served by a bartender named Sarah. (Our Sarah had been a bartender when she was in college.) We celebrated her at a beautiful tribute highlighting her life and her spirit and how she loved.

This detour was important – like most detours are. Detours force us to slow down – to arrive late to our next destination. Most of the time, it shows up as inconvenience, but not everything goes to plan. We, the planners of the world, love an agenda, an itinerary, but we must allow for route changes – to take an unexpected journey now and then. It can be a planner’s instinct to get angry or frustrated, but that’s not the point – is it? Take the detour.

Real Quick

So, the only thing that doesn’t keep Springfield on the finalist list for my forever city is the heat. I’m terrible with heat.

We lost power at the campground on June 24th, and it was horribly hot. I was miserable. Thankfully, it was short-lived, but both Arthur and I were both not happy campers. 🍫🍫🍫 (Imagine this chocolate as melting…)

I also made a quick trip down to St. Louis to catch a Nate Bargatze show at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. I ate a quick meal before the show at the Curtain Call Lounge. The food was fine but nothing to write home about. The Stage Left Grille was packed, so I had to settle.

Nate and his opening acts were all great. I’m glad I got to see him perform. He’s been making waves with his Instagram Reels and his appearances on SNL, so – even if you’re not familiar with his name – you’d probably recognize him.

The other star of the afternoon was the theatre – absolutely stunning.

And that’s it from Springfield, Illinois!

More Time in IL

It’s the end of daylight savings today, so I thought I better use my extra hour to post some more blog goodness. We left off after my first week / weekend in Illinois.

One of the lovely parts of downtown Springfield is the ease at which one can find parking. It’s possibly because it’s an unpopular place to be, but it worked out great for me. On Friday night, I went to a community band concert that was hosted at the Lincoln Museum. It was a great concert and had a pretty good crowd.

My favorite was A House Divided by Brian Balmages and conducted by Harry Hill, who was recovering from a health issue, and this was his first concert back. The description read: This piece was inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s famous House Divided speech, which was delivered in Illinois’s statehouse, now called the Old State Capitol, on June 16, 1858. It invokes the dark and fractured feelings during the Civil War by using broken and twisted fragments of the song “America (My Country Tis of Thee)” before resolving into the hopeful melody in the final measures.

While I was not great at playing the trombone in middle or high school, I did enjoy being a drum major and have always loved band music since then. Hopefully, Mr. Lorensburg and Mr. Fuller are proud of the lifelong band-music lover I ended up being.

After the concert, I treated myself to a twist cone at Dairy Queen.

On Sunday, I had to move to our spot at the Double J campground, which was lovely. We had a great pull-through spot that was close to the bathrooms, which were a delight compared to the bathrooms at the fairground. I also ran some errands for groceries and other essentials, sent postcards and Father’s Day texts, and drove around to look at houses.

Arthur enjoyed a cuddle once we got to our new spot.

I made the most of the week after Father’s Day weekend. Tuesday night I did some laundry at New Generation Laundry, which was in the nearby town of Chatham. It was clean, quiet, and not very expensive – all great.

Wednesday was a day off for me because it was Juneteenth. The first time I celebrated Juneteenth was when I moved to Maryland. That first summer, a co-worker invited me out to a celebration. Because I grew up in MN, and, at that time, it was not a federal holiday, I was completely ignorant to the meaning and importance of this holiday. If you don’t know much about it, read more here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth.

In the morning, I had a massage at Spavia in Springfield, which is a great massage chain. If you live near one, check out their monthly membership deal. I had a pedicure after at Westside Nails, which was a lovely nail salon owned by a couple from California. They were very helpful to speak with about the pros and cons of living in Springfield. Afterwards, I wanted something to eat and happened upon a tea room – Village Tea Room – in the same complex as the nail salon. I love getting tea.

I chose the lunch trio with the Caesar Salad, chicken salad sandwich, and the chocolate cake. I had a delicious herbal tea, but I have no idea which one it was – likely some berry tea.

It definitely turned into a self-care day, which I followed up with a hair appointment at Uptown Looks salon in downtown Springfield. It was odd that parking was so hard to find when I went to the appointment, but I soon figured out why. There was a fire about three blocks away from my appointment. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 The fire department had it under control by the time I got downtown, but – unfortunately – it did damage a few buildings.

The hair salon experience was the best I’ve had on my journey so far. The stylist was experienced, knowledgeable, and also the mayor of the small town she lives in. The salon was in a building that used to be the general store, which had some lovely woodwork accompanied by some beautiful sculptures that my stylist’s son had created.

In the evening, there was another event at the Lincoln Museum. The Nature of Freedom: A Literary Commemoration of Juneteenth was an impressive production in two parts. The first part was a performance of Small Beginnings followed by the reading excerpts by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Langston Hughes, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Maya Angelou, Robert Smalls, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Henry Bibb. It was very moving and well done.

One of the things that I really appreciate about Springfield is how much the community and the museum create events for the public.

Literally the Land of Lincoln

In early June, I headed for an extended stay in Springfield, Illinois – one of the lesser known Springfields that dot the US. This Springfield had been on my radar because it had a presidential museum, and it was centrally located with a small college. It was close enough to St. Louis to run down if I wanted something in a city or to catch a plane but small enough to feel build a sense of community – not just be one of many.

As with all of the best laid plans, I had to make some adjustments once I made it to the IL State Fairgrounds where I planned to camp for the month of June. It wasn’t on their website, and no one mentioned it to me when I called, but you are only allowed to stay for 14 consecutive nights. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 The kind security guard must have noticed my disappointment (or how my hair instantly went a shade more grey) at this news because he did give me the senior citizen discount, which brought the cost down to $20 per night.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever really explained the logistic work that it takes to manage this lifestyle, but this was my first real challenge. Typically, I book when I’m going to stay months in advance and do not cancel or make changes. What can I say? I’m a planner. I was wary of staying at IL State Fairground because they don’t take reservations, but when I called, they were pretty confident it wouldn’t be a problem. Indeed, space was not the issue, but the amount of time I could stay there was. So, I had to scramble. I looked at county and state parks nearby as well as campgrounds and eventually called Double J Campground – just outside of Springfield. Thankfully, they had space for the dates that I needed, so I made my reservation and was all set. Then I needed to navigate my rental car.

Arthur still isn’t in love with riding in Estella for errands or when we travel between locations, so renting a car is an easy way for me to explore without traumatizing him. I planned to have a rental for most of my time in Springfield, so I had to figure out how to get Estella to the new campsite and then retrieve my rental car. It wasn’t hard, but I also wasn’t expecting to have to do it.

Alas, there’s so much more to talk about, so let me move on.

My first week in Springfield was very low key with work and rest, and I needed it. During the course of about a month, we had driven over 1,000 miles and set-up/tore down camp at least 14 times. 🍫 That’s a lot of transitions, and I was exhausted. The part of the campground with sewer hook-ups was basically a parking lot. In hindsight, I didn’t need the sewer hook-up, and I should’ve opted to stay in the treed, grassy part of the campground. The showers were pretty awful, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

By Friday, I was more than ready to pick up my rental car and start checking out the area. I had done some planning online and found a tour that started at the Springfield Lincoln Library, which is not the same as the presidential library. It was a walking tour of the city and a discussion of historic events in the downtown area — This Pride Month, join Lincoln Library’s Sangamon Valley Collection for a free walking tour of historic LGBT+ sites in Downtown Springfield. We followed a bright, knowledgeable guide with their rainbow umbrella down the streets of the city for a couple of hours, and I learned much from the guide and the other participants. I also was able to page through a 1st edition of a gorgeous illustrated book by Robert Lewis Stevenson and illustrated by E. Mars and M.H. Squire.

Just beautiful. Also, the library has an abundance of events and is located across the street from historic Lincoln home site. It absolutely checks the boxes for the kind of library I am looking for in my unicorn city.

I was feeling ambitious, so I also tackled the Lincoln Presidential Library as well as the home site.

(Left) The Lincoln Presidential Museum – I heard – was developed by some of the Imagineers from Disney, so there were a lot of animatronics – including this one-room cabin replica where Lincoln grew up, and it was very interactive. It was definitely one of the best presidential museums I’ve had the chance to visit. (Middle) I’m a sucker for a transom window; look how cool this one is! (Right) A street view of the Lincoln’s home and the historic street recreated on this home site.

On Sunday, I schedule a tour of the FLW house in Springfield – the Dana-Thomas house. This home was massive and a renovation gone wild. With an unlimited budget and a lot of requests, Frank went to town. There were multiple musician balconies, an expansive dining room, multiple sitting areas, and some lovely art glass corridors. We couldn’t take pictures inside, but their website has an extensive gallery of photos.

This picture doesn’t really do its grandeur any justice. I wish there was a picture of the entry way on their website as it was just lovely.

Unfortunately, no one showed to give the tour of the Vachel Lindsay House. A couple from another part of IL had also signed up and thought that I was the tour guide. I had left in such a hurry that I put two different flip flops on, and I must’ve looked like a mess. 🍫🍫🍫 We had a good laugh about the shoes, and then we left after waiting about 15 minutes.

We were in Springfield for almost a month, so more to come!

On Wisconsin…and Iowa!

Over Memorial Day, I headed out to Wheeler, Wisconsin, to experience some wilderness and all that Menomonie had to offer. My friend and her hubby bought some land in Wheeler and have their camper trailer parked up there. So, for the long weekend, we ate pudgie pies, paged through magazines we’d subscribed to and never got around to reading, went a movie on a rainy day, drove around the UW Stout campus, and took in the sights of Menomonie – including the local Fleet Farm and a lovely greenhouse between Wheeler and Menomonie. We didn’t shower and sat close enough to the campfire that it didn’t matter.

We were basically boon docking, so I had a go at turning on my generator to get some power, and the good news is that it worked! It worked after several attempts, but it worked. 🍫🍫 I promptly celebrated with coffee and chocolate while charging my devices.

Our set-up in Wheeler and me, gaffawing at something very hilarious.

On to Iowa

Capping the trifecta of Midwestern states was a trip to Iowa. It’s possible that you’ve heard me refer to Iowa as Idiots Out Wandering Around, but it really isn’t that bad. I stayed outside of Ankeny and was able to visit my two favorite cousins who live in Iowa, go to Adventureland with a grad school friend and her family, and have dinner with a co-worker and her family at Hickory Park. Iowa was great.

I stayed at Cherry Glen Campground in Johnston, Iowa. They had great bathrooms, and their showers featured this push-button system, which is something I hadn’t encountered before. It was actually pretty great and probably even better for conserving water. The bathrooms were so clean – such a luxury. We had a limited view of the lake from our spot, and I even made a new friend when I went to take out the trash.

My new friend – just sunning itself and living life. Because I am a good friend, I just let it do its thing. 🍫 I did tell another camper about it, so he wouldn’t be surprised.

NOTE: WordPress has this feature where you can generate an AI image with a few key words. I went with “fun in Iowa alone”, and this is what I got. Absolutely brilliant output. While I do have other pictures in Iowa, there are kids in them, and that’s just not something I want to put on the internet.

Off to make some brownies. Only a short break. I’ll be back to discuss Springfield, Illinois, next.

More MN Time

Well, I’ve been waylaid on my journey by my own stupidity or wishful thinking, so I thought I should probably take advantage of the time and catch up on ye olde blog.

A glorious sunrise on the farm in early May.

Alway a Good Time on the Farm

Growing up on a farm leads to a wealth of knowledge that just never really seems to come up at a corporate job or when traveling in an RV around the U.S., so it’s always nice to go home and exercise the old brain box with talk of planting season, gardens, flowers, endless hours of mowing the lawn, and all the bits and bobbles it takes to keep a century farm running.

My parents have two rescue cats and a rescue puppy. As you can clearly see, the puppy is under monitoring at all times.

While I was back in early May, we went to a pancake supper fundraiser. I’m honestly not sure how it happens that I end up in my hometown when there’s a pancake supper, but I attended the one in November 2023 as well. (Also, it’s breakfast, dinner, and supper in the Midwest – or at least where I grew up – not breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You may be asking, “What happened to lunch?” Nobody knows.)

After the supper, my parents, aunt, and I went to hear Patty Wetterling speak at the Best Western at the north end of town. If you don’t know much about Mrs. Wetterling, here’s a video of an interview done by the MN Historical Society. Her son, Jacob, was abducted in his small MN town on October 22, 1989 (35 years ago), at only 11 years old. At that time, I was also 11, and this story shocked and frightened everyone across the state. Because of Mrs. Wetterling’s advocacy, much legislation and even more awareness has been raised to protect children. American Public Media (APM) did a recent podcast, covering the events and the investigation. If you’re interested in “true crime”, I recommend this one for the confounding nature of the investigation, and the keen journalism that went into reporting it.

Mrs. Wetterling and her co-author, Joy Baker, were compelling speakers and shared much of their journey authoring Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope. The ballroom of the hotel filled quickly, and there was barely a dry eye in the house when they finished.

When I was in southern MN, I also had a chance to reconnect with a dear friend from high school. We met at the Hi-Lo Supper Club in Lakefield, MN, to catch up. Later that week, the northern lights were showing off above the barn

I absolutely did laundry while I was there, had a facial, enjoyed a birthday dinner with family, made homemade cinnamon rolls for Mother’s Day, had an awkward conversation with my parents about where I want to be buried, and dined out at the Amboy Cottage Cafe with my parents and brother. We also made time to see Machinery Hill perform at the Red Rock Center for the Arts, a former church now arts venue. Since a couple of the members are from my hometown, they even played the school song while everyone sang along.

In mid-May, I continued my journey through MN and stayed at Town & Country Campground & RV Park in Savage, MN. I had a great spot under a tree, and Arthur and I spent many glorious evenings enjoying the pre-summer weather. Some days warmed up to the 70s, and we even used the AC a couple of times to mitigate the heat.

While we were in MN, I needed check some items off my list. My hair needed attention, so I went to the LolaMax Salon in Minneapolis and had a great experience with Tanya. Then I did one of those things I used to do when I lived there and just went over to a friend’s house and spent some time with her and her family. Being on the road helps you gain a lot of appreciation for the ability to just stop by and visit with someone.

I also needed to go to the dentist. 🍫🍫🍫 When I lived in Minneapolis, I had the best dental experience of my life, and – frankly – I’ve never found another dentist that compares. Lakeville Family Dental Centre is still amazing. I was able to make an appointment, get a referral to an oral surgeon, and get my pesky broken crown and root removed in a matter of days. My oral surgeon at Advanced Oral Surgery was amazing as well, and I felt no pain. I am grateful for an amazing friend from college who works from home and could cart me around that day and make sure I ate the soft foods I was supposed to.

Could I have walked? Maybe…but it was more fun to be carted around.

While I spent much of my time in MN with friends, family, and one fantastic former student, when I wasn’t working, I did make time on an exceptionally rainy evening to get a massage at Luxology. This had to be one of the best massages I’ve ever had. I highly recommend Ashley at this spa!!

I think MN will always feel like home to me. There are so many memories there, but I don’t think it’s where I will end up after this journey. I am so thankful for my decades in that state, and the growing I did there, but my unicorn city is still out there. So, on we go….

South Dakota Sunsets

In early May, we drove from Kansas City to South Dakota. When we got to Sioux Falls, I had to stop for Godfather’s Pizza for a mini taco pizza (no onions). It was worth traversing the road construction and turning around in a random parking lot instead of the U-turn my navigation app suggested. It did cause me to be a little past my planned check-in time, so I called the RV park I was staying to let them know I’d be late. The owner answered and said she totally understood the need for some Godfather’s Pizza; I knew she would be a kindred spirit.

The drive from Kansas City was a windy one, but not as bad as our travel through Kansas. We didn’t detour into Nebraska at all, but – just knowing that tornados had torn through that part of the country – made the drive heavier than some that we’ve done. We have been blessed to be spared anything more than wind and hail and snow on our journey, and my heart hurt for them.

When we arrived at Dakota Sunsets outside of Salem, SD, we had one of the best check-in experiences we’ve ever had. The owner, the same gal who answered the phone, was a delight. She was curious about our trip and instantly helped me feel at ease and wish that we were staying longer than one night. She also gave us chocolate chip cookies! *swoon*

They had some rain earlier in the week, so there were sites that weren’t habitable, but our spot was dry and cozy and, as promised – a beautiful sunset.

The next morning after a glorious, quarter-powered shower, we drove the rest of the way to Mitchell where we met up with my friends’ parents for warm conversation and a good breakfast at Blarney’s. There is a comfort – after being alone for so long – to spend quality time with people who know you and share a meal and conversation with you. It was hard to leave, but we were on our way back to Minnesota, which has a draw of its own.

The rest of our day was uneventful, which was welcome. We arrived on the farm in the middle of the afternoon and were able to get set-up and enjoy the quiet of the farm.

Arthur enjoying the fresh farm breezes and the possibility of a new, little bird friend.

Annie, my parents new puppy, was very curious about Estella and Arthur, but Arthur was not at all curious about Annie.

RV Site in the City

I am still not certain what state Kansas City is in – maybe it’s both Kansas and Missouri? I don’t know, but I wanted to get closer to wherever that city is for my next spot. I found an RV park that was basically in the middle of a suburb, which is kinda rare to see – or, at least for me, I don’t see it that often. Although it was not my favorite spot to camp, it was convenient and close to an Enterprise rental car location.

(left) This was a really neat, classic truck camper. (right) I’m new to this camping thing, but I think – even if you auto-level – there should still be something under the front wheels…. It made me nervous for that family.

Having a rental car outside of Kansas City was great. My friend from Topeka recommended Jack Stack for BBQ, and it was amazing. I would highly recommend. I didn’t order the whole menu, but if you like meat, their baked beans (Hickory Pit Beans) are a wonder. The beef burnt ends were also very delicious, but those beans…. I’m drooling just writing about them.

I also found a theatre that had a buffet and live performance of Squabbles – New Theatre & Restaurant – on one night that I had the rental car. The play was good, and the theatre brings in known actors for their productions. One of the male leads had played Ralph on Happy Days. The buffet was what you’d expect, but there was a pasta dish that was outstanding.

Other than the severe weather – just rain and hail – while I was at Walnut Grove RV Park, the only other inconvenience was a water outage. It looked like they were doing some work on a different, unoccupied site that might’ve been the cause of the issue. Running water is now a luxury and living without it for a day isn’t the end of the world. 🍫

We also stopped by the Truman Presidential Museum and Library while we were in the area. I was curious to see how his library would be different from Eisenhower’s.

I think my 7th grade social studies teacher would be disappointed in how much surprised me about Truman’s two terms in office. The biggest surprise was that FDR died in office. Because the presidents were so different and their libraries capture such different times in our country’s history, it really is hard to say if I liked one more than another.

I’m getting a good sense of the tourist traps I enjoy the most on this trip: national parks, Frank Lloyd Wright houses, historic homes, and presidential museums/libraries. Let me know if you have any recommendations!