Vacation Part 3 - Final Installment

We're ready for day three of our glorious vacation!  Aren't you excited?  While it was still very hot this day, it didn't feel quite as oppressive as the two previous days.  We started our day off right by cooling down in a cave - Spook Cave.  This cave is toured completely by boat with cheesy monologue from the guide. 

The kids still thought it was pretty cool though.  And we remembered how to feel cold and goosebumpy again in the cool 47 degree air.  Here is David pretending to be thoroughly impressed by all he hears.

They had more cheesy cutouts to pose in saying how much you loved Spook Cave.  Ana loved it.  :)

David too!

We had a picnic lunch at the campsite near the cave and went on to visit the Effigy Mounds.  David, Ana, and I had been there last year on a school field trip.  We enjoyed the hike and learning a little more about some history.  Abby unfortunately declared herself VERY tired and VERY thirsty about three minutes into our two mile hike. 

So she and I didn't do any extra stuff while Aaron and the other two hiked a little further to see some other mounds.  The main saving factor on that hike for her was the chance to do a little activity book along the way for a chance to become a Junior Ranger.  Once she had completed the activities, she got a bracelet and a badge declaring herself to be a Junior Ranger.  She was quite pleased with that.

David and Ana also completed their books to get their prizes as well.  We didn't have anything else planned to do for the day and it was only early afternoon.  So we wandered into Wisconsin for a bit and enjoyed the scenery as we looked for something to do.  We found a little ferry boat that takes traffic from Wisconsin into Iowa, so we decided it would be fun to take that. 

It was a fun little trip - took about 15 minutes since you didn't go immediately across the river, but travelled a bit along the river before being let off back in Iowa.  The kids thought it was pretty fun too.

We got back to near our campsite around 6:00 and decided it was time to cool off once again by going swimming.  This delighted Abby to no end as she got to continue her going down the "big kid waterslide" for several more hours.  It was 8:00 when the pool closed and we were hungry.  Ice cream makes a great appetizer to supper.

Day four contains no pictures - I did really good for three days of picture taking, but apparently four days in a row is asking a little too much for me.  It was a pretty low-key day.  We packed up our campsite without 5 minutes to spare from a torrential downpour.  We decided to change our plans and went to Galena, IL, for awhile.  We stopped at two wineries to make Aaron happy.  We walked around in Galena looking at some of the historic things.  We played mini-golf.  I was clearly in the lead until the pressure overwhelmed me on the final hole and I choked, allowing Aaron to come back and tie me for first place.  Sigh.  We ate out for the first time all week - we found a decent Chinese buffet to enjoy.  I enjoyed not cooking for once!  Then we headed home.  But not before we made one final stop for ice cream!  Being on vacation means doing things we want to do - like eat ice cream every day.  We arrived home in the evening and unloaded and unpacked.  I was delighted by the new arrival in our house while I was gone.

Now I have burners that work and don't overheat!  Very exciting!

So there you have our vacation in all of its wonder and glory.  This week is time to catch up on gardens and other things I've let slip while preparing for vacation.  What are you doing this week?