LHOP Adventure Day 8 - Heading Home

I had packed most of my belongings before going to bed, so when we woke on the final day together, I just had to wash up and get dressed. We packed all our luggage into the car and headed out to breakfast at Walker's. To our great surprise, our honorary diva, Dorothy, arrived while we were there, so we got a chance to say our final goodbyes to her before driving to the airport in Madison.

It was tough for me to say goodbye to Divas Beth and Lorrie, but I was also eager to get home and see my family. We had chatted via FaceTime every night, but it's not the same as talking face-to-face.

Divas Marilyn and Martha and I made it into the airport and decided we would hang out at each other's gates until each of us left. Marilyn flew out first and then Martha a while later. Then it was just little ole me in the Madison airport waiting to head home. Once I arrived at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, I still had to wait for the valet to pick me up and get my car before I could drive home. By the time I pulled into my garage at 8:35 p.m., I was beat, but the reception I received at home was exhilarating.

Reflecting upon last year's Little House on the Prairie adventure, I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it was. I had always dreamed of visiting these places, but it seemed impossible. The Little House on the Prairie cast reunion gave me the incentive to take the kind of road trip I never imagined I would have the chance to embark upon. My girls don't share my love of Little House, and I had never taken a vacation without them.

So, what did I come away with from my LHOP Adventure?

First of all, I have the greatest friends in the world. They had all met each other before, but this was the first time I had been able to join them. From the moment I first landed in Wisconsin until the moment I left, they made me feel like the most important person on the face of the planet. They were so excited to meet me in person...though I was equally as excited to meet them. For a kid who endured more than her fair share of teasing (what we now call bullying) growing up, it was so strange to be met with such enthusiasm and kindness. I wasn't sure how things would turn out when we had never met in person before, but those ten years of being online chums made it so easy to fall in step with each other.

I re-learned how to read a map. If I have never told you this, I'll admit right now that I am directionally-challenged. I could get lost leaving my backyard. I never, ever drive to a new place without using my GPS. These friends don't use--I don't even know if they own--a GPS. At night, the map would get pulled out and Lorrie and Beth--the main drivers--would discuss the route to take the next morning.

I'm now eager for more road trips and to do something like this with my girls. A tiny challenge will be to find somewhere we all want to go because the girls and I like very different things. Their tastes are also very different from each other's. But a road trip to a new place doesn't sound so intimidating as it once did.

There are two sites I would definitely like to visit one day: Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri and the Wilder Farm in Burke, New York. I also wouldn't mind paying a visit to the home of Rose Wilder Lane, which also happens to be for sale right now. I would love to see someone come along and turn it into a museum, but the Danbury Museum and Historical Society is located about 10 minutes from her home on King Street, so there really doesn't seem to be a need for it.

My road trip last summer was truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of adventure. It was eight days filled with laughter and friendship; the memories of which I will never forget.

To read Day 7 of my adventure, please click here.

LHOP Adventure Day 7

Hard to believe we are almost done. Thinking back on my trip more than a year later, I can't believe I did it. The girl who rarely travels and who is petrified of flying got on a plane all by herself and traveled across the country to meet a bunch of women she had only known online. I ever learned to use a map. Wow!

Day 7 started with a quick breakfast at the hotel in Spring Valley. We knew we had a lot of driving ahead of us, so we got on the road early and headed to Burr Oak, Iowa. Laura fans will remember that after leaving Walnut Grove, the Ingalls family spent some time with Uncle Peter and his family in South Troy, Minnesota before making their way to Burr Oak, Iowa to help their friends manage the Master's Hotel.

Now a museum, this is where I am fairly certain I purchased not only some note cards, but t-shirts for my girls. 

After eating lunch at The Family Table in Decorah, we drove back to Wisconsin. To do that, we took a nice scenic route and crossed over the Mississippi. Oh, my gosh, how scary it was going up the bridge. I like bridges about as much as I like flying, so my knuckles were so tight around the steering wheel, I was afraid I might crush it. In the seat next to me, Dorothy kept asking, "Are you all right?" I couldn't look sideways or down because that bridge just kept going up, and up, and up. It was well worth the view once we were down on the other side. Check out the neat boats.

Finally back in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, we had supper at Ponderosa--didn't even know those still existed because we haven't had one around here in more than thirty years. 

It was tough to settle in that night because I knew all of us were flying home the next day. It would be hard to say goodbye to my wonderful friends, but I was also thrilled to know I would see my family again soon.

You can read our Day 6 adventures here.

LHOP Adventure Day 6

I'm coming close to the end of sharing my 2014 LHOP Adventure. My last post was on Day 5. It was great meeting the cast members and hanging out in Walnut Grove, but I have to admit it was a bit hectic there too, and we had to stay on a strict timeline to get everything accomplished.

We decided to go back to Red Rooster for breakfast, but before we left Walnut Grove, we made sure to take pictures with the entire cast. Then we made our way to Spring Valley.

For those familiar with the real life of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, Spring Valley, Minnesota is where Almanzo's parents moved their family in 1873. The Spring Valley Methodist Church was built in 1876, and James Wilder (Almanzo's father) contributed to its construction.

After Almanzo's stroke, he and Laura lived in Spring Valley for a year before moving to Florida.

The church is now a museum and holds numerous artifacts, including records that indicate Almanzo and Laura attended the church from 1890 to 1891.

We also visited the cemetery and Wilder barn, which the owner allows people to view from the street. The Wilder home has since been torn down. 

The night ended with supper at Pizza Palace, before we tucked ourselves into bed at the Spring Valley Inns and Suites (perhaps our nicest accommodations of the trip--besides Beth's house).

LHOP Adventure Day 5

I can't believe it has been six months since my last LHOP Adventure update. You will have to excuse my tardiness, because my new career as a real estate agent is booming and I haven't had time to blog much.

If you want to remember what happened on Day 4, you can check it out here.

We started the fifth day of our adventure by having breakfast at Nellie's "Little Cafe on the Prairie," where they only accept cash. I really didn't think my friends were serious when they told me to bring a lot of money. Who doesn't take credit cards? Well, now we know Nellie doesn't.

It had been raining, so some of the cast got a bit wet before sitting down to sign autographs. That morning, I waited in line for Hersha Parady (Alice Garvey), Radames Pera (John Sanderson Jr.), and Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle). All of them were so pleasant. 

Divas Beth and Lorrie get their autographs.

We did more sightseeing and had lunch in the park. I chatted with some local authors and collected their business cards. We also waited in line to get autographs from Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), Dan McBride (Henry Riley--the guy who always ate at Nellie's Restaurant, but always complained about the food), and the Turnbaugh Twins who played Grace Ingalls. 

Nasty Nellie Oleson (but Alison is very nice).

We ate at Red Rooster for supper and then we hung out together until bedtime. Another day of traveling awaited us. 

LHOP Adventure Day 4

The fourth day of our LHOP Adventure was both sad and exciting. As I mentioned in my post about Day 3, we had to leave De Smet early in the morning to make it to Walnut Grove, Minnesota on time.

Not sure whose camera this is from. Photo snapped by the B&B owner.

After a couple days in De Smet, my fellow Divas and I were truly comfortable with each other. Did I mention that three of us had to sleep in one bed? While driving around town and hanging out in the parlor and dining room of the Prairie House Manor Bed and Breakfast, we learned the story of the owners and met some fellow Laura fans with whom we became fast friends. We had also explored downtown and met some nice people.

Not being a morning person, eating breakfast at 7 a.m. to be on the road by 8, was not the highlight of my adventure. But it was all worth it once we arrived in Walnut Grove.

We arrived shortly before noon and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and grounds were packed. If I didn't know how popular Laura, her books, and the Little House on the Prairie show was, I did the minute we drove up.

The town and museum staff had everything organized so well. Autograph sessions were taking place in three different locations. In the park were several activities, local authors and artists, and food vendors. Being members of Dean's Divas, we decided to head over to the area where Dean Butler was signing autographs with Lucy Lee Flippin (his TV sister, Eliza Jane Wilder) and the Greenbush twins, who played Carrie Ingalls.

Here is where it gets exciting. Though several of the Divas had met Dean before, I never had. I'll do my best to paint this picture for you, because it is one of the highlights of my trip.

The morning autograph session was just about over by the time we made it to where Dean, Lucy, Lindsay and Sidney (real names Rachel and Robyn) were signing autographs and chatting with fans. Lindsay had gotten married just a few weeks prior under the oak tree at the Ingalls farm where the show had been filmed. Her husband, Danny, was also in Walnut Grove. When he caught sight of six ladies in pink shirts with Dean's picture on the front walking up, he immediately started calling to Dean to get his attention. Dean looked in our direction and waved. Lindsay, however, got the biggest kick out the Divas in their pink shirts.

Not sure whose camera this is from, but Diva Beth and Honorary Diva Dorothy are missing from this shot.

As soon as the autograph session ended, she walked over to us and insisted upon having her picture taken with Dean's Divas--many of whom she had met before. Then Dean came over to greet us and we got pictures with Lindsay and Dean. Not only that, a multitude of complete strangers took our pictures because two LHOP stars were standing between us. Talk about making a grand entrance.

We visited the museum quickly and made it over to the park to get some food. Later that night, we attended the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant, which was preceded by a Little House on the Prairie cast reunion. All the stars in attendance fielded questions from the audience. For once, I didn't ask any questions.

Thanks to Diva Lorrie for this shot.

The Divas had bought their tickets early--plus we were traveling with an Ingalls relative--so we had fabulous seats. After the cast reunion portion of the program was over, the stars sat in the audience to watch the pageant. Lucy Lee Flippin, Hersha Parady (Alice Garvey), and Radames Pera, who played John Sanderson Edwards (the love interest of Mary Ingalls) sat in our row.

Thanks to Diva Marilyn for this shot: she is also the one taking the picture.

It was late by the time the pageant was over, and we knew we had another long day of fun ahead of us, so we drove back to our motel (the worst part of the trip because the motel was disgusting) to get some shut-eye.

LHOP Adventure Day 3

The third day of our Little House on the Prairie adventure started out with a delicious breakfast at Prairie House Manor Bed & Breakfast in De Smet, South Dakota. We had a variety of selections to choose from and everything was hot and scrumptious. The owners made sure we had plenty of coffee and tea to start the morning off right because we knew we had a busy day.

After breakfast, we got in our cars and made our way over to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, where we took a tour that started at the Gift Shop, then moved on to the Surveryor's House, the First School of De Smet, a replica of the Brewster School, and finally to the Ingalls home on Third Street, which was just a few houses down from the Prairie House Manor Bed & Breakfast. We didn't visit the Discovery Center because it seemed geared more toward children.

We took a trip out to the Wilder Homestead after that.

We also got a chance to check out Silver Lake and the Big Slough. When I think of the Big Slough, I remember Pa seeing how thick the muskrat dens were in The Long Winter.  

We spent the rest of the day walking along Calumet Avenue, getting some shopping done at the Loftus Store, and reading the historical markers along the way. This one caught my eye and made me remember how Almanzo and Cap Garland went after the wheat to keep the people living in De Smet from starving during the hard winter. 

As a lover of history, I enjoyed learning more about the history behind some of the buildings. I also found it sad that some of the buildings in town were vacant. I was actually surprised how early the businesses close. Many close at 4 p.m. The public library is open until 5 p.m. The Loftus Store usually closes at five too, but has special hours during pageant weekends. 

It's definitely a different culture in the Midwest than I am used to here in the Northeast. Here, we have an ATM in every bank (and there are a ton of those), plus ATM machines inside convenience stores and malls. In De Smet, I could only find an ATM in a convenience store. They only had one bank that I could see. I thought I might be able to pick up an extra memory card for the camera while I was in town, but they didn't have any and there were no big box stores nearby. 

We ended the day by relaxing in the parlor of the Prairie House Manor Bed & Breakfast. After tea and coffee, and a yummy homemade snack, we went to bed early because we had to be on the road before 8:30 the next day if we wanted to arrive in Walnut Grove, Minnesota on time.

Look for more news about my LHOP adventure soon. You can go back to Days 1 and 2 by clicking here.

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.