I Got You Babe

We thought about going back to Devil's Lake State Park to hike on the east side of the lake this morning, but we didn't because...

1. I was still tired and sore from yesterday's hike.
2. It was raining.
3. We decided to go to another Cubs game tonight with other friends, so we needed to get back to Chicago.

After checking out of the hotel in Lake Denton, we started driving back on I-90, which brought us around the opposite side of Madison from where we were yesterday. Near Janesville, we got off the interstate and onto US-14 because we intended to stop in Woodstock, IL along the way. Unfortunately, we missed a turn going around the town square in Walworth, WI, so we got rerouted onto smaller roads instead.

180 miles, 3.75h

On the Trail of Manny, Sid, and Diego

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, so we went to the church we attended when we lived here in Chicago. Easter breakfast has been a long-standing tradition, so it was nice to have a chance to chat with many old friends and family before the service.

After church, we went back to R's aunties' to pack our bags for a quick trip up to Wisconsin. Then we headed over in the late afternoon to crash the gathering at R's cousin's son's house. (This is his dad's side of the family that we usually see when we come back to Chicago, as well as in Vegas at our reunions.) Most of the cousins' kids now have littles of their own, so it was fun to watch them scramble around the backyard to hunt for Easter eggs! We hung out for a bit after dinner (so much good food!) and then hit the road straight from there. Once on I-90 west, it took us about 2 hours to reach our hotel in Madison, WI.

Summing It All Up

Now that we've been home for two weeks, I thought I'd poll the family for their reviews of our vacation...

What was your favorite national park/monument/historic site?

M: Yellowstone National Park, because of all of the wildlife

R: Arches National Park, for the rock formations and hiking

J: It's too hard to pick!

Me: Yellowstone National Park, awesome thermal features and wildlife

Barn Sour

We woke up on the western edge of Minnesota, but the boys were determined to make it to Chicago TONIGHT! So, today was just "go, go, go"!

Before leaving Pipestone, we headed back to the monument visitor center so that the boys could get their Jr. Ranger badges (and I could get my picture of the sign!)