LHOP Adventure Days 1 & 2

This one will go down in my memory book as one of my favorite vacations. I had many doubts about going on the road with a group of women I had only met online; never mind the expenses, my fear of flying, and the heartache of not seeing my husband and children for eight days. It ended up being well worth it.

Day 1

• I flew out about 7:15 a.m., switched planes in Detroit where I met up with my Canadian Diva friend, and then landed in Madison, Wisconsin about two hours later. 
• Our Wisconsin friends picked us up at the airport and we ate out for lunch.
• We enjoyed a light supper in town and hit the hay so we could get on the road early. Our Austrian Diva and another Wisconsin Diva arrived after I went to bed, but they surprised us early the next morning.

Day 2

• We left Wisconsin before 5 a.m. Ugh! I think I forgot to tell everyone that I wasn't a morning person.
• We ate breakfast at the Sparta Family Restaurant in Sparta, Wisconsin. 
• Crossed over into Minnesota and then into South Dakota, where we had lunch in Brookings. Ingalls fans will remember that Charles Ingalls filed on his De Smet homestead at the land office in Brookings. 
• We arrived at the Prairie House Manor Bed & Breakfast in the afternoon. It's a great place to stay and its owners are lovely people. Ingalls fans will remember this historic home belonged to Banker Ruth in The Long Winter. 

• We walked along Calumet Avenue and visited the Loftus Store, which Laura also wrote about in her books. I bought some lovely note cards there with a picture of the famous painting, "Good Morning, Mrs. Ingalls." 

• We also visited the cemetery where some of the Ingalls family members are buried. There are also other people Ingalls fans would know from the books buried there.
• Our final stop was to the Ingalls Homestead. You can actually camp out there in a covered wagon, but none of us was up to that. 

• After a quick supper, we headed back to Prairie House Manor for a night of relaxation and good conversation. The next day of our trip was going to be busy, so we wanted to make sure we were well rested.