The Long Road Home

After I got back from my West Texas Whim trip the season was busy through the end but the last week was extra special because mom and dad came out to visit! They had been to the ranch in May when they drove me out but only spent a couple hours. This time they flew into ABQ and spent a few days touring around New Mexico before arriving. It was nice to have them there (especially to help with chores ;)) and I loved being able to show them the beautiful scenery and what I do every day. After the other guests left we spent a few days cleaning and getting everything wrapped up for the season. Then it was time to head back east! We packed up the Mazda again and headed out at dawn. 

Supermoon on the drive out

The first day we drove to Oklahoma City. I was amazed at the miles of wind turbines we passed.

Wind turbines!

As we were driving I heard on the radio that there was a shooting at the Oklahoma City airport! We were wondering whether to stop or keep going but by the time we arrived they had found the shooter. Luckily we got a hotel room because the airport was shut down for the night and all the passengers were dispersing to find hotel rooms.

OKC Memorial

The next day we hit the road and stopped at the Oklahoma City Memorial. I'd missed it when we drove out because it's not really advertised as an NPS site. It was a still a special place to stop because it commemorated the bombing in a truly beautiful way. After leaving Oklahoma we detoured into Arkansas for more NPS sites.

Fort Smith

The first stop was Fort Smith. It was on a beautiful spot overlooking the convergence of two rivers and had a lot of history in its buildings and on its grounds. After lunch we hopped back in the car and headed to Pea Ridge, AR.

Pea Ridge

It was a battlefield site and seemed pretty similar to others I had seen. My favorite part was the gift shop where I got a NPS Centennial t-shirt and Christmas ornament (both 30% off). We layed over in Springfield, MO for the night and went into St. Louis in the AM.

Previously we'd done the Arch but this time our destination was the Science Museum. Last winter they released a National Parks IMAX film but it was only released to large cities so I knew I wanted to stop and see it somewhere on this trip. We spent the morning playing around in the science museum before seeing the film. It was gorgeous and the soundtrack was great. Then we were stuck on back country roads heading to Vincennes, IN.

George Rogers Clark

It is literally right across the border and that means it's in Eastern Time. We didn't get there until 4:15 because of a detour and it closed at 4:45 so I was pretty pissy and wasn't really into it. It commemorates the older brother of Clark (of Lewis and Clark). It is a memorial that is filled with murals depicting his contribution to American history. I just wanted to get to our hotel and sleep but we had another couple hours on the road, most of it country highway again. After a good nights sleep we got up early to make the final push back home to NY. We made it home at 3:30. The trip was shorter than the way out in May and the temperature was in the 70s and 80s the whole way which was amazing. After all the traveling through, it felt nice to finally be back in my own  home and in my own bed.