Science Class

The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center proved to be the most pleasant surprise for us in our time in southeastern Missouri. Like most things run by the Missouri Department of Conservation, it is a first-class set up. A beautiful setting. An outstanding visitors center. Both fun and educational programs free of charge. We visited often.


One Saturday, the whole gang attended Monarch Magic, and helped celebrate this amazing insect. First, we participated in Monarch tagging. They marked these beautiful creatures, then released them so they could begin their migration to Mexico. There, the local people are paid to collect their bodies, so that scientists can study more about this sensational migration. The girls also played butterfly games, and made some Monarch crafts. They even learned to tell the difference between a girl and a boy Monarch.

Those dots, straight across from her nose, make that a male Monarch

Look how interested they all look!

The Wizard of Oz Train

      Next year is the 75^th anniversary of the greatest family film ever made. To kick off the celebrations early, MGM studios has released the film, remastered in IMAX 3D. Also, for the first time, the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical adaptation will tour North America. All across the country we are starting to be inundated with Dorothy, Toto and the gang. Here in southeastern Missouri, the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway paid homage to this endearing classic with a Wizard of Oz themed train ride.

Miss Gulch rode after us, yelling for "That dog!!!"

     The region's only full size passenger train took us on a three hour ride, while characters acted out parts of the movie, and mingled with the riders.

"I'll get you my pretty."

The train was quaint, and everything had a small town feel to it. The girls bought some homemade cupcakes from the snack bar, colored pictures for a coloring contest, and enjoyed talking about one of their favorite movies. The costumed characters were pleasant, but I had to keep reminding myself, “This isn't Disney.” I hadn't noticed it before, but we were suffering from a Disney hangover. Our expectations had been tainted. Everything down there was so perfect and seamless, that now, anything else paled in comparison. The Disney characters were... well... they WERE the actual people. That was Belle. That was really Minnie. That was the actual Eeyore. They were perfectly convincing. Flawless. And, while it is unfair to expect other entertainers to live up to those impossibly high standards, this definitely wasn't Disney.

     We stopped halfway through the ride at the fictitious old time town of Iron Mountain Junction. As we stepped off to stretch our legs, Norah states “Look, the tree is smoking.” At first I thought, “Oh they must have a fire burning somewhere in this little village as part of the show. That will be nice. Why does she think the smoke is coming from the trees? Hmmmm...” She said it again. This time with more purpose. “Look, Poppa, the tree is smoking.” I looked closer. Indeed, right there was the man dressed up as the Angry Apple Tree, puffing away on a cigarette. He waved at us with his one free limb, as we got off the train. The curtain had been lifted. This wasn't Disney.  Not that our kids had any delusions that any of these people were more than just actors. After all, Dorothy's roots aren't gray. The Tin Man's head was not made by Speedo. The Wizard wasn't 30 years younger than Dorothy. They knew. Yet, in Orlando, the magic of Disney had made believers of all of us. That was really Cinderella. That was her actual castle where she lived. Of course, we never caught her in the middle of a smoke break, sucking down a quick heater.

Bollinger Mill

     In the hilariously named town of Burfordville. (say it out loud to yourself...not Bu-fordville... Burrr-ford-ville) stands the Bollinger Mill. Adjacent to the still functioning 200 year-old mill, spans a historic covered bridge. The bridge dates back to the Civil War, and is one of just four covered bridges remaining in Missouri.

A gorgeous, fall afternoon was a perfect day for a picnic. We explored, played a fierce game of tag, and ate lunch by the edge of the Whitewater River. Joining us that day was a fellow wanderer, a playful black Lab who loved chasing sticks. He hung out with us for an hour, before trotting off to find some more new best friends. Happy wandering doggie!

Odyssey Roadschool for Girls

     One of the main reasons we're even able to take on this family adventure, is the fact that we homeschool. Although, now that we are without a home, we needed to come up with a better name for it. When we sold our house, the name 'Wesford Academy for Girls' went away with it.
So, a quick Google search later, we found others that do this, and call it "Roadschooling". With that, we came up with the name of our new school. 'Odyssey Roadschool for Girls'. Partially named for the odyssey that we are on, partially named for our Honda minivan; it suits us well.
    For now, our time in Cape affords us the luxury of having an actual school room.  In addition to covering the basics, the girls have enjoyed learning about the things we've discovered along the way.  The Mississippi River. Native Americans. Walt Disney. The local library here in Cape was a pleasant surprise, and has been an invaluable resource for us. We also found the Southeast Missouri homeschool group, and have a couple field trips scheduled with them.

The Cape Riverfront

      The Mississippi River played a large role in the founding of Cape Girardeau. Since the riverfront and downtown area are just blocks from our apartment, we thought we'd meander along the river, and maybe learn a few things about this town. Sure, it's the same river that runs through St. Louis. Yes, it shares a similar historical significance to the town we've lived in our whole lives. But this town has a river wall with cool murals on it! The1000 foot long mural features 24 panels that tell a portion of Cape Girardeau's history. The kids were bound to find it interesting, right? At first, they were. Native Americans. Trappers. Pioneers. Fascinating stuff. Then around the 1700s, Norah asks "Momma, is this the time when you were born?" Perhaps we need to cover history a little more in our schooling. Onward we pushed. Railroads. Civil War. Steamboats. Their attention was waning. Look, there's an ice cream stand! And, just like that, our mural walk abruptly ended.

Cape Rock - the site of the original trading post that became Cape Girardeau

Lambert's Home of the Throwed Rolls

      One day in 1976, restaurant owner Norman Lambert was really busy passing out dinner rolls. When Norman couldn't get through the crowd, one of the customers yelled to him "Throw the dang thing!". And with that, the "Home of Throwed Rolls" was born. Located in Sikeston, Missouri, Lambert's Cafe was just a short drive down the highway from our place in Cape. With Haley joining us, we pigged out, caught some rolls, and enjoyed this southern Missouri institution.

    For those of you unfamiliar with Lambert's, it's pretty simple. They feed you a ridiculous amount of food, and chuck bread at you. When you hear them call out their signature "Hot Rollllsssss...", you better be ready. The bread starts flying.      And, I don't mean they walk around to each table, and softly underhand toss the bread around. No. They chuck these things.



 The seating area is large and wide open. Plus, it has high ceilings, making it a prefect launching pad for these warm, delicious rolls. The teenage boys (who have the best high school jobs ever) heave the rolls from across the wide open eating area. They hurl those things as far as 30 or 40 feet sometimes. Over other customers heads. Avoiding servers and bussers. And hopefully (although not always) caught and devoured.

Me thinks I like the way that looks.

Second Stop: Southeastern Missouri

     So, now what? What's the plan? After Disney, there was nowhere to come home to, as the kids would remind us. If we happened to utter "When we get home...", it was routinely followed by "We don't have a home!" They seemed to be grasping the concept pretty quickly.
     As luck would have it, we didn't need to worry about our first stop. Clark got a job on a movie down in Cape Girardeau, MO for almost two months. So, we found an apartment to rent short term, and headed about 100 miles down the Mississippi River to 'Cape' as it's called. The plan is to hang out and explore this part of Missouri for awhile. Then Jenny and the girls will hit the road, while Clark finishes up his job. We already have a lot of things lined up for the girls to do. It should be a great few weeks.

The Best and Worst Rides

      Disney has some amazing rides. Some were a big hit. The kids laughed. They gasped. Their eyes opened wide. The adults cheered. Others were not. The kids screamed. They cried. Their heads buried. The adults consoled them.

Primeval Whirl - Norah's face is the perfect mix of fear and exhilaration. 

Fast! (check) A Blast! (not so much)

     Blizzard Beach is one of two fantastic water parks at Disney. The kids enjoyed all the slides, but really loved the zip line (left). The 120 foot drop makes Summit
Plummet the second-tallest and fastest free fall slide in the world. The grown kids braved that one. (right)

      Before we even left for Florida, Nadia proclaimed that the only thing she wanted to go on, was the flying Dumbo ride. Having never seen that movie, we weren't sure what her fascination with that ride was. Yet, true to form, it ended up being her favorite.

     Even the wild animals at Disney were courteous and accommodating. Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom was a hit for the whole crew.

     The Hollywood Tower of Terror is the coolest ride in Disney. Scary, thrilling, and awesome. Nina loved it so much, she did it twice.

Disney Characters

Taking pictures with Disney characters was hit or miss for our gang. Nadia didn't always like posing for the photos, but loved hugging all of them.

Pluto and four Goofy's

Minnie loved their outfits.

Hugs.

More hugs.

Dinner with Winnie the Pooh and his pals.

Biggest hug of all.

First Stop: Disney World

     We decided to kick our travels off with a nice, quiet, stress-free, last-minute trip to Disney World. Or rather... We had a crazy, busy, well-planned trip to Disney World coincidentally fall at the beginning of our journeys. Either way, it was a great way to kick things off. We spent one week in Orlando with Jenny's parents, her sister and our nephew. We stayed on the Disney property, at the Port Orleans Riverside Hotel. Six days worth of parks, tons of rides, lots of restaurants, and numerous shows made for an exhausting, yet memorable time. Everything that Disney does is truly first rate, and we will all never forget this trip.
     A special thanks to Jenny's Mom for footing the bill for the whole thing. Without her generosity, we're pretty sure our kids would never have had the opportunity to go. Thanks Grandma Terry!