Des Moines, IA

Have you ever seen The Goofy Movie? Remember the part of the movie where Max erases the map and changes the direction, so he can go where he wanted to instead of where his dad planned? Well I am MAX haha. Matt was def wanting to kill me, but I kept changing the map, to get where I wanted to go. The typical route from NC to WY probably doesn't include a stop in IL.  But, one of my best friends moved back there a year or so ago, and we HAD to stop along the way.  So we stopped in Elmwood, IL for lunch with Leslie and her kiddos.

My oldest and her youngest have been friends since they were babies. It's crazy to see the 10 year olds they have become. And this little girl I met when she was maybe 6-ish (can't remember exactly) has grown into this young lady (feeling old here). So grateful for the chance to stop and see them, Ive missed them like crazy. 

Then we hopped back on the road to Des Moines. It was another FULL day of driving. We finally reached our campground Cherry Glen Campground.  The campground was BEAUTIFUL! I was shocked it was only $20 for the night, a serious steal. 

I may of happen to strategically plan this stop so it was near Ames, IA. Growing up we lived in Ames for 3 years while my dad taught at Iowa State. So after arriving we checked out the campground and then loaded up to go see mommy's old house. 

Matt thought it was getting weird when I wanted a picture, so we quickly left. 6 am came very early every morning, but we wanted to get as much driving out of the way while the boys slept. So we were back up again at 6 and on our way to Mount Rushmore (another one of my "out of the way" stops :)).

Here are some extra pictures we took along the way between Kentucky and Iowa.

Kentucky Horse Park

The first night of our "across country trip" we stopped at a campground called the Kentucky Horse Park. We really loved this campground, and wish we could of stayed longer. It think this is typically used for people attending a derby. It is definitely geared toward horse owners. It was fairly empty for us, and was perfect.

 It was still daylight when we arrived, so we took the boys geocaching. If you haven't heard of geocaching you really need to look into it. Its pretty much a scavenger hunt, all over the country. People have hidden little containers, some with items in it and some with just logs to sign. Read this post my my aunt-in-love (Matt's aunt-but pretty sure Ive stolen her ;) Pig Tails and Boxer Shorts, she describes it pretty well. We have been geocaching for a few years and the boys LOVE it. They are EVERYWHERE.... many in our small hometown.

 As it got dark, we grilled some hotdogs and the boys ran around catching lightening bugs. Maybe I am just missing them, but I have never seen them in South Georgia. I can remember catching them growing up in Iowa, so I'm thrilled the boys got that experience.

Also Brayden lost a tooth somewhere while driving in Kentucky. Cant wait to here him tell the story later, about losing a tooth in Kentucky. 

Next Stop Des Moines, IA- by way of Elmwood, IL :)