What a great day! We left Omaha about 8:30 and headed north. As we drove north on I-29, I noticed that we were on the Lewis and Clark trail. When I saw a sign for Lewis and Clark State Park, I just couldn't resist a quick detour, so we went a few miles out of the way and saw a beautiful lake with a keel boat like the one Lewis and Clark used for exploring the West.
Our next stop was in Sioux Falls, SD to eat a quick lunch and see Falls Park. Unfortunately we only had a few minutes there. It is a beautiful part of the Big Sioux River that cascades over many short waterfalls running over red, smooth rocks.
We finally made it to De Smet about 2:30. The first stop was the Discover Laura Learning Center. It was set up as a one room school room and had a of couple exhibits about how Mary (Laura's big sister who became blind at 14) learned, plus about pioneer life. One hands-on exhibit had the girls glue split peas on to a piece of paper to spell their names in Braille. Another exhibit showed how Mary would use a special slate that had raised bars to be able to write in a straight line.
Then we had a guided tour of the Surveyor's House where the Ingalls lived that first winter in De Smet.
Then we saw the school room where Laura first taught school at 15.
We also saw the school that Laura and Carrie attended, although it is still being renovated. Our final stop was the home Pa built two years after Laura and Almanzo were married. The girls loved this home because they got to play a fiddle (not Pa's real one of course...it is in Missouri)...
and the pump organ.
A garden had some stones with quotes by Laura engraved on them. I'll leave you with one of my favorites, "The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes - it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies."
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What a fine day and trip! You planned it out so well! The girls are having a fun time and learning so much! Love from Mom, Gigi
Posted by: Joanggol | May 18, 2011 at 09:30 PM
I love the pix of the poppets with the respective musical instruments. And I am as jealous as green cheese that you're in SD without me! Always wanted to get up there.
Posted by: Anne Ivy | May 18, 2011 at 11:10 PM