The Mills Family ditched their "regularly-scheduled programming" at the last minute (literally, the night before we were set to leave on our trip west to the Rocky Mountains), and decided to enjoy a Staycation! It might sound a little crazy to scratch a beautifully planned vacation in a lovely ski resort nestled in the cool and relaxing mountainside, but that amazing trip also came with a 13+ car ride (one way!) with two boys under the age of 5 who both light up like the Fourth of July at the sight of a balloon in the grocery store ;) And, do you realize how many activities are within 50 miles or less of grand old Des Moines? We've known about all the wonderful natural, scenic, and historic attractions around Central Iowa, but sadly, we had only enjoyed a few in our 20+ years of living in their backyard! So, we spent a few hours googling, planning, and putting together our plan for the week and it truly is amazing to look back at all we did in such a short amount of time. As we sit here nursing our sunburns and blistery feet, we can't imagine spending Summer Vacation 2012 anywhere but America's Heartland!
My high school band (insert American Pie joke here) played a song about the
Dragoon Trail, but I never really thought much of story or all the signs you see around our part of the state until this week. Our staycation never really deviated from this scenic and historic drive along the Des Moines River and we found the signs to be a guiding light towards our next adventure.
Our first stop, a run/walk on the
High Trestle. We've seen pictures and heard stories about the 1/2 mile long bridge, but it really is something you must see for yourself! And, our firstborn ran a whole mile with his mom on her morning jog! Fun for all :) We then took a gander at
Jester Park and the Bison and Elk Exhibit. After a look at the wildlife, the boys put on their swimsuits and took a dip in the park's
Natural Playscape before hitting up some serious water and BEACH fun at
Big Creek. It may be far from the white sand serenity of the Caribbean, but there is something very peaceful and relaxing about throwing an umbrella into the sand and watching your kids build a sand castle. Plus, the playground has a great zip line that Jack put on his Top 5 things we did on staycation :) Day One ended with haircuts and a dip in the pool at Aunt Kim's before I took the
birthday boy out for a date, which was complete with a super romantic stroll around
Grey's Lake. (I have to give credit to our fabulous weather all week long!)
Day Two was centered around a place we had visited once with our firstborn in
2009 and I can honestly say, it IS a fun-filled day! With the addition of Adventure Bay, this
park kept our young kids running around ALL day long. We had to pull Jack out of the park kicking and screaming (partly because the promised "last ride" on the carousel was closed due to unplanned maintenance and even more largely to going full speed all-day without a nap) to have him fall asleep before we could get out of the parking lot!
As a contrast to the crowds of an amusement park, Day Three began with a quiet stroll around
Iowa Arboretum. The boys enjoyed running around the grounds under the large trees, hearing the names of all shrubs and flowers as we made our way through the trails. Only a few miles away, we enjoyed a scenic drive and picnic lunch at
Ledges State Park before we climbed aboard a
train for a 2-hour trek through the Des Moines River Valley in Boone. Will slept in my arms during the entire train ride, but feeling the nice breeze through the open air train car was the exact amount of tranquility you need on any vacation. After deboarding, we drove a short distance (still on the Dragoon Trail) for a few rides on the
carousel in Story City. Jack loved the merry tunes and go-rounds. We then met up with Nana and Papa for some birthday ice cream at
Hickory Park. Does it get any better?
Day Four was a lazy day that included a few errands and some long naps in our own beds, followed by a night enjoying America's Pastime at Principal Park. Not only did we see our own
Iowa Cubs beat the Nashville Sounds with a homerun in the bottom of the 8th, but we let the boys stay up late to watch the firework show. And, the $5 unlimited play on the slides helped our stamina for the night :)
For our last day, we scaled things back a little farther and spent the morning selling our goods in our
neighborhood-wide garage sale. After making some serious dough :) we jumped in our swimsuits again for an afternoon swim in Grandma's pool. We are sad to see our staycation come to an end, but with a pit in my stomach knowing the real world starts again in only a few hours, I am making a commitment to myself to not forget the freeing, relaxing, joyful, loving, and content feelings I embraced during our week at home enjoying us. I will strive to worry less about the laundry pile, the grocery list, the endless emails, watering our lawn, cleaning up the messes, and what my hair looks like :) in place of longer walks, laughing more, tighter hugs, abundant devotion, and time
together.
*This is
not a paid endorsement for
Travel Iowa. If you were wondering :)
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