Maumelle, Arkansas (State #16)- Maumelle Public Use Area

We have been to Arkansas a few times in the past and it is still one of our favorites. Typically, we would choose to stay in one of the state parks due to the great experiences we have had there but internet accessibility would be an issue. So, we chose to stay at Maumelle Public Use Area, which is a Core of Engineers Park. I am so glad that we did. It's a very nice park located on Lake Maumelle. The sites were pretty, full of trees and spacious. And best of all..... the showers were AWESOME! I don't think I have had an endlessly hot shower since June! Needless to say, I did not rush through them.

There was also plenty of room for Jacob to practice with his new bow and arrow and to hang our hammocks.

Our stay here seemed pretty short and we didn't get out to do a whole lot, but it was enjoyable.

We had the most fun going to visit Uncle Kirk (my stepbrother) and Aunt Dianne. They live in the country about 45 minutes away from the park. The kids got to see their chickens, check out their property, play with toys and shoot slingshots. And after we ate pancakes and eggs, we got to try wild persimmons and raccoon! The kids did not want to leave.

Back at the campgound, we carved pumpkins for the first time, EVER! I don't even remember carving one as a child (although, I remember watching my brother do one).

It was a little messy but not as bad as I expected. Jacob did pretty well on his own but Jordan needed quite a bit of help. They both turned out pretty cute.

And then Halloween came. Jordan chose to be a bride:

And Jacob wanted to be a military person:

We had checked out our options for trick or treating and the kids decided on the Trunk-Or-Treat at a nearby church. It was really cute. They had each trunk set up with a theme like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Charlie Brown and each had an associated game. This one was an Angry Birds game where you tossed a roll of toilet paper into a toilet. They had a lot of fun playing the games and collecting the candy prizes at the end.

And Jacob won a huge bag of cookies at the cake walk. He is nice enough to share them but he watches them like a hawk! Ha ha.

So this was our final state in our journey for 2014. We are heading back to Texas. We have had an amazing journey but also look forward to spending time with our family and friends.

To be continued... January 2015

Chesterfield/St Louis,MO (State #15) -Dr. Edmund Babler Memorial State Park

Dr. Edmund Babler State Park was located just outside of the St Louis area, close to everything but tucked away in the woods. While I would not choose the actual campsite we had again (too close to the entrance), the other loops were very nice.  

Our first outing was to the St. Louis Zoo. It was a pretty nice zoo and it was FREE and it is ALWAYS free!  We spent most of the day there. There were a couple of “attractions” (like the train and carousel) which you had to pay to do but I have found that to be the case at all zoos. But even that would cost a maximum of $10 per person to do all of the extras.

This little guy was funny as he sat right up against the window pondering why everyone came to stare at him.

Another place that the kids really enjoyed was Purina Farms. Yes, this is the same Purina that makes dog chow. They have set up a really great visitors center not too far from the campground. We did have to call in advance to make reservations, but this too was FREE.

We spent hours here. There were animals to pet,

rope swings in hay lofts,

a 20 foot tall, multi-level cat house,

tractor toys,

hay rides and a little area to explain how dog chow is made.

One of the most fun parts was the cow-milking demonstration, during which any child who wanted to, was able to try milking the cow. Each child looked like they were a little weirded-out by it, but most were successful in shooting a stream into the pail!

The other really fun event was the dog frisbee and agility show. It was probably 15 to 20 minutes in length and the dogs were so energetic and fast. It was amazing to see them in action with their trainers, jumping across their backs to catch frisbees and doing flips in the air.

Purina Farms was another one of those places that my kids could have stayed all day and would have loved to return to again and again. But if we stayed any longer, I am afraid they might try to accuse us of stealing all of their hay.  Look how much Jordan collected in just one boot!

The next place was a surprise... And I thought it was really cool but my kids didn't quite share the same enthusiasm. :( I took them to see Big Foot 5!

After one of the kids asked me “Why would we want to see that?!”, I made them go stare at it anyway.

Of course, their interest grew a little and they began to see the “coolness”.

Inside a little store, their were several cars to sit inside and they had a blast “driving” around. In the end, I had to force them to leave!

Our final day in St. Louis was special. Our little boy had his 8^th birthday! So for his birthday breakfast, he chose the same as last year: bacon, ham and doughnuts (except this year, he only wanted one doughnut because that was healthier :)

But before any more celebration, we HAD to go visit the Gateway Arch and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

I must admit that before having visited the arch, I did not know that the Arch symbolized St. Louis' role in westward expansion of the United States. I just thought it was a decoration of sorts!

It really is quite beautiful. There are national park facilities there but instead of building it under or to the side of the arch and destroying the beauty of the area, they built it underground.  (This is a view across the grounds from under the arch).

Inside, you can buy tickets for the tram that takes you to the top of the arch! Look closely at the picture and you can see little black specks at the top of the arch. Those are the viewing windows.

Each pod, that looked like a slightly larger egg than what Mork arrived to earth in, could hold 5 people. Since the arch is not straight up or horizontal, it would travel up the rail a little ways and then pause to right itself. It was very interesting!

At the top, the windows looked out on both sides.

Back down at the bottom, we toured the museum,

tried on the pioneer look,

and watched a very interesting and informative video on Lewis & Clark's journey with Sacajawea.

And the kids earned ANOTHER National Park Junior Ranger badge!

Nearby, the arch was the Gateway Arch Riverboat tour. It was about an hour long ride and took us up and down the surrounding areas on the Missouri River. Not anything to rave on about, but fun (however, it might have been better if I could actually hear the man on the speaker rather than my kiddos).

But we saw a few things we would not have otherwise, like this bridge and this old power plant.

Then it was time for the birthday celebration. We took Jacob to Pei Wei, one of his favorite restaurants, then to Chuck E. Cheese's for some game time!

Afterwards, we went back home for some cake. I love this kid so much!! Happy Birthday, sweet boy!!

Next stop: Maumelle, Arkansas