* Image taken in Laura Ingalls Wilder's yard
We just drove 1600 miles in less than 72 hours...but more than that we traveled back in time! We started out Sunday morning for Saint Louis. My friend from high school is a zookeeper and we wanted to meet up with her. We met up with her about 11:00 and had a fun tour. It was also a hot tour, a 104 degrees hot tour! We spent the evening in the pool at our hotel cooling off.
The next morning we made the trek to Mansfield, MO to visit the Baker Creek Seed Co and their Pioneer Village. Besides buying seeds and looking at the gardens and different shops we were able to eat at their vegan restaurant where they serve in season produce grown on their farm. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time!
Then we drove to what was my highlight of the trip...to the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead! It was amazing! I have always loved Laura. I read all of her books when I was a girl, an since I have been an adult I have read her journals and published articles. She was an amazing woman. To think that as a child she traveled the nation in a covered wagon, and before she died had flown in an airplane, had electricity & phone! How times changed during her lifetime!
We were able to go to the museum that contained so many of the Ingalls & Wilder family's things including Pa's fiddle! Then we toured the farmhouse. Laura & Almanzo purchased 40 acres and 400 apple trees in the late 1800's. The home then was a 2 room cabin. By the early 1900's they had turned it into a beautiful home as it stands today along with 200 acres. The home is full of their personal items, left the way they were at Laura's death in 1957 at the age of 90.
After touring the farmhouse, we drove down the road to her "Rock House". This house was built by her only daughter, Rose, in 1927, and was given to Laura & Almanzo as a Christmas gift. They lived in this house for 8 years, while Rose lived in the farmhouse writing several books. As soon as Rose moved out and to New York, Laura moved back to the farmhouse. They said it was really "home" to them. During the 8 years that Rose lived in the farmhouse she had electricity installed. Laura's kitchen today has a small electric stove next to her wood cook stove. They used timber & stone from Rocky Ridge Farm to build both homes. They are truly beautiful.
We then left Mansfield and headed back to Saint Louis for our hotel. The next morning we visited the Laumeier Sculpture Park. We walked the "outdoor gallery", which is several acres of large modern sculptures. It was fun & I am glad we did this at 8:00 in the morning as the heat was all ready creeping up into the 90s.
After the sculpture park we headed home. As we were going through Illinois we recognized a town we were about to pass from a movie we had just watched called "Odd Roadside Attractions". We were about to pass the world's largest catchup bottle! We made a pit stop so that we could drive through town to see it!
Then further in IL we read a sign for the Lincoln Historic Home Site, and thought that sounded fun. It was so neat! It was the cabin & barns of Abe Lincoln's dad & step mom, along with an adjoining farm. They had actors, farm animals & gardens...they were "living" back in 1845. It was so much fun!
Then after several more hours of driving we finally made it home! Home Sweet Home!
