Down on the Farm

Our first campsite of the trip was a first for the Hess Family: camping in the parking lot of a Walmart in Des Moines. Reading about other people's experiences traveling in an RV we learned that there are places that allow you to sleep overnight for free! It seemed silly to get a campsite where we arrive at midnight and then leave a few short hours later. Michelle called ahead to the manager of the Walmart, who was happy to have us! (Calling ahead was recommended.)

We weren't alone! There were probably ten - fifteen RVs, campers, and semis camping out for the night. The next morning having Walmart so close was useful. Kevin was able to get shaving supplies and Drew forgot his swimsuit so they were able to pick one up for him. On the outskirts of the parking lot was a Burger King where we pick up breakfast and got back on the road! Another beauiful, sunny day on I-80, where the highway is lined with windmills.

About an hour and a half on the road and we see a sign saying there's a "scenic overlook" in a mile. When thinking about Iowa cornfields come to mind more than overlooks, but this was a nice stop.


The viewing tower reminded me of climbing up to do a slide at a water park. Going up, not so bad. Coming down was another story ;)

Mere FaceTiming with Gracie, Maggie, and Norah.

And then all of a sudden the boys started playing baseball...

Around 2:30pm the caravan arrived at Jeff and Joan's. We couldn't have planned a better start to our trip. Jeff and Joan, along with Baby Nola, live with Joan's parents on the family farm. Not five minutes after the boys got out of the RV and a wiffle ball game started up. Meredith headed straight to her baby cousin.



If you want to be treated royally, head to Parker, South Dakota! Jeff ran electric out to the yard and built a box just so we could plug in our RVs. For dinner we had a delicious spread filled with produce from their garden and pork chops from the neighbor's farm. They even managed to whip up a mild evening to sit outside and watch the clear sky--with multiple shooting stars!


From the kids' perspective, they could have stayed at the farm for the whole trip. After the wiffle ball was hit on the highest peak of the 100+ year old house Uncle Jeff had an activity for the boys: shooting bb guns in the barn. They have a problem with pigeons roosting up in the cupola so he had the boys get to work by pegging them with bbs. It took quite a bit of twisting of their arms to get them to finally say yes. ;)

The barn: the cupola is the spire like thing at the top.
                                     

Charlie, Benny, and Nick ready for those pesky pigeons.

Their yard is a kid's dream. They have two swing sets, a see-saw, and even a merry-go-round, which provided tons of entertainment...and a few injuries. Rolly the dog was a lot of fun, too. Both friendly and chill, he's the perfect farm dog. 


 Today was the first we saw signs that Meredith doesn't have a buddy on the trip. When Nola went down for a nap and her brothers were being mean to her I found her sitting all by herself on the swing set. Not getting a good night's sleep probably didn't help her demeanor but she was definitely feeling sorry for herself. Spectacular sights over the next couple of weeks will hopefully cure her of that! In the meantime, Drew and Nick have been absolute sweethearts to her, which I'm eternally grateful for. Hoping after a busy day at the Badlands will result in a great night of sleep and a happier Mere.








The pony was one of the more popular attractions.

One person in this picture is much happier to be spinning around than the other!

Our fabulous hosts: Joan, Jeff, and Gloria (Don was on a hunting trip)


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