Fast and Furious Driving Trip from Manitoba to Disney World 2015

Yes, it's true!  Our girls are crazy ~ well, they can work like crazy anyhow.  They worked and saved so we can go to Disney World again this year.  In a few weeks to be exact!  Tickets are purchased from UnderCover Tourist once again (same price, different dollar exchange amount) and the townhouse at Oak Water Resort is booked from May 1-15, 2015.

We are feeling somewhat rushed with this, due to timing in our life and what is all going on, but we are determined to enjoy this trip!  We may need to drive through the night this time to save some motel costs, but what is the worst that could happen?  We could arrive tired and cranky at Disney.  Ah life!  Maybe more aprons will sell in the next 2 weeks and we'll do a motel?  It always works out in the end anyhow.  We are getting excited about being able to see some of the things that we missed out on last time.  I'd love to see Tennessee in the daylight!!

In the meantime, we will prepare and be thankful that I didn't throw away our packing list from last year and that some of the girls summer clothes still fit :)

Stayed tuned for updates on the 2015 Disney World Thiessen Trip!

Last day of travel Iowa to Manitoba, Canada

8 am Iowa 22C
Mt Pleasant, Iowa to Boissevain, MB Canada
865 miles, approx. 13 hours driving time

Lots of painted quilts on barns!  So fun!
Holland, IA 14.497 @ $3.449 $50
pink skittles
Construction on the #218 so we took some side roads #20, #14, #8

We're seeing many little to large country farms.  Their rhubarb is already going to seed, ours isn't even popping up yet!

We noticed the thinning of traffic as we headed back north towards Canada.  The land is looking more "familiar" to us as it is has more farming.

Mei bought "Funyons" with great buyers remorse.  Then she saw some "Flamin' Hot Funyans!"  When we arrived back home, our friend from California told us how she had adored Funyans when she was a teen.  They were not our thing, but the chickens seemed to tolerate them.  Next time we'll stick with the gums, chocolate bars, cereal or sweet tea.

They still have very nice tourists stops, and we sure appreciated that while we were travelling.  So nice to get a bit a feel for a state when you are literally breezing through.

Iowa Pig Poop ?

Minneapolis.  Opened our bottle of "sweet tea"  All in favor. YUM!  We'll buy some more of that next time.

Of course I'm looking at the quilts!

Beautiful tourist booth, rest area for our picnic

We did notice some lack of landscaping around houses?

 Then we're getting more northern and the rest stops along the highway make you a little scared...

We're almost home, it's getting colder and less populated.  Colder, less traffic and we know we're almost home when we start seeing Bison Transport Semi's with Manitoba license plates.

I drove while Gregg got some sleep. Gas stations in Dunseith, ND were closed, so good that we had enough fuel to get home.  Reached the Peace Garden International Border Crossing at midnight.  We had all our receipts in hand, all written down and added up and categorized for them.  They asked the typical questions "How long", "where", "drugs", "alcohol", "weapons".  $847.93 declarable goods, plus the girls little purchases. We were waved through and arrived just after midnight to my folks near Boissevain, MB.  Ahhh sweet sleep!

A whirl wind trip and we arrived home to the grass just starting to get green and "the first hot days we've had".  Guess we hadn't missed anything while we were sunning ourselves in 30C weather :)  YEAH!

Girls are already plotting how to go back again next year.  So we told them, well, if you save up your portion of the costs, we'll go again.
**** Note to self **** Be careful what you promise, it looks like you'll have to come true on it!  Girls worked in the summer at a few different jobs and saved up their portion for the trip!  Now I'm scrambling to sell some more aprons, hats, etc to make up my portion :)

DISNEY WORLD 2015 trip is in the works! Stay tuned! May 1-15

Kentucky to Iowa ~ Superman! Farms! St. Louis!

Monday, May 19th
11:30 23 C
Clarksville TN to Mt Pleasant, Iowa  480 miles, 7.5 hours estimated


I don't know when we got rolling again this morning, but I'm still feeling the extremely sore and swollen legs, so I hobbled around a lot.  Not really looking forward to another long day of driving.
I was looking forward to traveling through some of Kentucky though.  I had gone to Hazard Kentucky in grade 11 and helped fix up a small school there.  I loved the countryside and had always wanted to go back.

Reminds me of Ontario, large rocks cut out

Something we've never seen before.  Aren't they usually tucks?

Can you read the sign?  "Love God. Repent"  Also note the buildings!

BABY PIGS!

The great thing about not exactly knowing where you are going ~ is that everything you see is a surprise. It's overwhelming to think that "we could go see this, or that", but in the end, whatever we saw was good.

Gregg was chatting with an engineer "M" and I finally sent the girls to remind him that we need to drive on

 Kentucky!
Lake Kentucky and Lake Barkley
Biggest man made lakes in the US, built in 1940's they dammed and made locks
Ate our not so ripe Georgia peaches
Gregg met "M" by the lake and visited about Jesus and Life

 More open spaces, but still very densely treed. Super green and lush folage

They were looking at rocks or something.  Some people were swimming off to the left, but we noticed HUGE dead fish floating on the side of the water.  "M" said it was from the winter kill.

Adorable farms

One of the neat things we came across happened at one of the tourist stops when we entered Illinois.  There was the cut out of Superman...and yes, the town was just 10 minutes away and did we want to go see a bunch of Superman stuff?  Why of course!

Metropolis, Illinois SUPERMAN 25C 3pm

We drove by a Sonics... it was a real old style drive in restaurant!

 When the Superman movie came out, they made this town it's honorary town, because it was the only one with it's name "Metropolis".  They have a huge gathering once a year and it's a big tourist draw for them.  We didn't realize how many states have the same city names in them!  My oh my, confusing!

Superman actors over time

Superhero family

Superhero loves

Gift shop.  We didn't go into the museum attached though

Metropolis Link for your viewing pleasure.

It's getting later, my legs are still aching and our tummies are rumbling.  We were careful to look up the Cracker Barrels and make sure we didn't miss it before we came home.  A sibling had given us some cash to spend on some "American food" so we wanted to go there again.

A very small handle on this brush.  Also "loved" this gas stations name...and the biker...

Passing time playing the games at Cracker Barrel 

I really enjoy the gift shops at the Cracker Barrel and I think we found a few more items to bring back for my Mom, etc.

Cracker Barrel main website for the Old Country Store.  I think our closest is now near Minneapolis, MN.

Our last Cracker Barrel meal... so sad

All this and corn bread for under $10

Our meal came to $56, and we are already making sure we get to stop here on our next trip.

Her shirt should say "Southern Food"

Packing up our plug in cooler.  What a blessing it was!

Gregg did a lot of packing and unpacking!

More Cracker Barrel fun in rockers and playing checkers

This was me ... before I actually ate one.  They were better when I was 17.  Way too sweet now..they went in the garbage.

Abandoned buildings near St. Louis.

St. Louis ~ old dark red brick buildings and industry along the railroad are abandoned and worn down.  Poor areas along the N #70.  Giant Gateway Arch was amazing!  HUGE!  Couldn't see what way it was truly facing while we crossed the river.
Mississippi River and Missouri River and Ohio River ~ all so broad compared to what we are used to.
Older highway #70, bridges are older.
Site of the first interstate project in 1952
Turned radio to 88.1 (it was a Christian radio station in Florida) and BLUES came on!  Perfect for driving through St. Louis!
Lots of churches.  "Faith Church" was as big as Superstore.
Element church.com HUGE

St. Louis Arches

Yes, "Meet me in St. Louis" was being sung in our van!

Turned onto #61 and actually saw some tractors working and on the fields.

"Welcome to Troy"  ha ha.  Took this for my brother

Mark Twain Cave ~ Hannibal .. black flies biting Gregg's ears
Mark Twain Cave Link
So Many Bible signs, Pro Life "Abortion Alternatives"
White hwy sign "ww" "K" F" "WW" RA ~ what is that all about anyhow?

Buy You Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks!  ha ha.

We found a good "Country Market" for some groceries again, but my oh my, we sure get a kick out of their advertising and some of the products they have.  They also have alcohol out freely in their grocery stores and it is very very cheap.  We purchased 2 large bottles for $33.97, as this is all we were allowed to bring across the border.

Things we don't normally see in Canada

We were getting distracted with all the things to see along the way ~ finally pulled in very late to a motel. Lots of motel competition there so we got a nicer room for a normal price.  For some reason, I remember motels being much cheaper!  haha.  We need to see if we could do some of this differently on another trip.

Mt. Pleasant Best Western $75.58
Finally had a clean room!  Breakfast was fruit, yogurt, waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage and gravy, biscuits, muffins, donuts, oatmeal, bagels.  2 queens, fridge, microwave
Wal Mart across the street.   Cheapest BW in that area

It's hard to wake them up to get going again!

Ina, IL "Loves" 21.99G @ 3.639 $80 Fuel
Country Market groceries $63.89
2 alcohol $33.97
Wayland Iowa 19.661Ga @3.359 $66.04