Little Trailer on the Prairie

Our last stop was entirely for me/The Dear Wife. We visited Walnut Grove Minnesota, staying on the Banks of Plum Creek. Do you get the reference to the Little House on the Prairie books, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder? I have read the series of books at least 3 times, plus watched the TV show that was on in the 70’s and 80’s and read the books to our kids. They are a piece of my childhood and the visit just brought it all back. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove was lovely and really conveyed the bare bones living of the Ingalls family while they were in Minnesota. On the museum site they even have a replica dug-out house to walk into and imagine life living like moles underground. After the museum, we headed out to the location of the original dug-out that Laura and her family spent a year living in next to Plum Creek. Again, it was amazing to be walking in Laura’s footsteps. While our little trailer isn’t very big, it is a little bigger and fancier than anything Laura lived in on the banks of Plum Creek.

Some thoughts on our recent travels: It has come to me that the last few stops have been a pilgrimage, a journey to a sacred place. The Grotto in WI, the quirky side of my Catholicism. The Shrine to our Lady of Guadalupe in WI, the Artist and standard side of being Catholic.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Minnesota, the bookish adventuring part of my childhood. We’ll see what other things are in store for my spiritual search and path.

Some of the sights we have observed along the road. As John is doing all the driving, I have a much better opportunity to watch the scenery go by so here are some of my observations: We have only seen 2 other Northwood Arctic Fox trailers so far on our journey. We’ll keep watching as we get further west as it is a company based in Oregan.

Black soil! To us it is an unusual sight.  We have spent most of our marriage in either Maryland with orange or gray clay for “soil” or in Florida with sand, sand or more sand!

Wind turbines are everywhere in the mid-west! The winds today in Presho SD are gusting into the 30-mph range, so that explains why so many wind turbines. The truck and trailer really get shoved back and forth on the road by the winds. Actually, further west and north of us the winds are much higher so I’m glad for where I am.