I'm baaaaack

Last time I posted I was heading on a road trip. Ten thousand kilometres round trip in total.

It was long, tiring and AMAZING!

Since we're speaking about characters, I can say NOW that I've visited the home of one my childhood heroes. The character Laura Ingalls from the Little House of the Prairie books, only she wasn't fictional. Far from it!

Though, she was quite small in her adult hood. Four foot one to be exact. The same height as my 9 year old daughter. I'm 5'11", so yeah, Laura was quite smaller.

I got to travel some of the route the Ingalls family travelled. I can say now I've been in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, though most of the big woods have been levelled for farm land, as you can see ...though some woods remain.

Then it was onto Minnesota. Walnut Grove, Minnesota where Laura and her family lived On the Banks of Plum Creek:

Then we came to De Smet, South Dakota. The final home of the Ingalls, where Laura married Almanzo Wilder. A very emotional moment for me. I was also sick as a dog, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Heck NO. I've dreamed of coming here my whole life. So I drugged myself up and moved on!

Above is the last house Pa Ingalls built. Sadly, he only lived in it a couple years before he died of heart failure. Ma & Mary lived here for twenty years further until they passed.

The final resting place of Carrie, Mary, Laura's infant son, Ma and Pa. Grace is buried a few feet away with her husband Nathan Dow. Laura, Almanzo & their daughter Rose are in Missouri where the Wilder's finally settled.

I read all of the Little House books when I was 8. I devoured them and their the first "novels" I ever read so whole heartedly. Laura, started my love of reading and writing. When I was 8 I wanted to be a writer, like Laura.

This was a dream come true. I saw so many amazing sights on my trip. I have over 600 pictures. LOL! But De Smet, South Dakota was so much more, a dream come true. Lots of happy tears will spilled and the tears started about Walnut Grove, Minnesota and they didn't stop until we were leaving De Smet on Monday June 25, 2012 heading toward Rapid City, South Dakota.

I'm still recovering from my trip, but my creative well is really full and as much as I enjoyed it. I'm glad to be back.