European Adventure 2024, Day 9: Utrecht

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

Day 9, 10:14 AM, July 4th, 2024

Netherlands rail system, Netherlands

Hello! I am currently on a couch, that’s on a train. We are going to Utrecht! I am going to climb the Dom with my mother, while my dad and Sis are thrifting. I am going with Mom since my dad doesn’t like heights. We will also see our old base in Utrecht. It’s gonna be fun!

Yours,

Dorrel

We finally found a lunch spot! (photo: Stephanie)

Selfie the other direction. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 9, 11:41 AM, July 4th, 2024

Utrecht, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently at a table, waiting for some food. We have just spent 30 minutes looking for a restaurant that sells food. Fortunately for us and our relationships, we have found one. We have got tickets for 1:00 PM for the tour of the Domtoren (clock tower). We also visited our old base, which has now got another family staying in it. Well, I’ve got a Pepsi, and ima drink it!

Yours truly, 

Dorrel

Walking from lunch to the Domtoren. (photo: Stephanie)

Waiting for our tour to start. There are 465 steps to the top. I love my kid very much. (photo: Stephanie)

Nearly to the top! This is the level where the carillon is housed. (photo: Stephanie)

Y’all I nearly had a panic attack on those last stairs, but I made it. Barely. (photo: Stephanie)

Dory was much happier with the whole experience. (photo: Stephanie)

The tour guide pointed out the optical illusion painted onto the top floor of this parking garage, just for the benefit of people who climb the Dom. (photo: Stephanie)

Back home in time for dinner, and the cat is warming up to us. Also, the kids had chicken, which helped. (photo: Stephanie)

European Adventure 2024, Day 8: Amsterdam City Museum

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

Day 8, 10:14 AM, July 3rd, 2024

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently eating breakfast, toast with eggs. Well, today is a rainy day. But yet we will still have fun. One thing we will do today is learn the ropes for taking care of the apartment. We also might visit a museum.

Yours, 

Dorrel

Fortunately, the rain didn’t last. It often rains here, but usually not all day. While we were out walking, Vivian spotted this 1946 sticker on a pole. We just watched this documentary right before we left the US! So we had to take a photo. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 8, 1:54 PM, July 3rd, 2024

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently at a table. We just got some things from Albert-Heijn, after we left the “Grand Cafe”. because they did not have enough staff. Anyways, the situation here is much better and manageable. We are also eating so we must go. But before I go, I have to tell you that we are going to go to the Amsterdam City Museum after this.

Silly after lunch selfie in the courtyard of the museum.

Restaurant service in Europe is a lot different from the United States. We couldn’t get a table at the museum cafe, and the only option was to just stand and wait for a table to be free and then to pounce on it. (In the US there would be a carefully managed waiting list.) So we defaulted to our usual, which is to get some pre-packaged sandwiches and other lunchy things from Albert Heijn, which is a ubiquitous grocery store chain in the Netherlands. We found a dry spot under some giant umbrellas in the courtyard of the museum and had a picnic. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 8, 8:27 PM, July 3rd, 2024

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently at a makeshift desk in my bedroom/attic. We had a pretty exciting day today. We went to the Amsterdam City Museum, where we learned about the history of Amsterdam. We also went on the metro. Well, we are now planning for what we will do tomorrow. Bye!

Yours truly, 

Dorrel

On the escalator coming up from the metro at Amsterdam Centraal. (photo: Stephanie)

European Adventure 2024, Day 7: Walking around Amsterdam, Pannenkoeken

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

On our way to find the giant chess set in Amsterdam, which is behind the Rijksmuseum, pictured here. (photo: Dory)

Day 7, 2:14 PM, July 2nd, 2024

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I just got a new fountain pen, and I am writing with it! I just watched some people play chess, and I think I learned a bit! Well, we are about to eat, and I ordered pancakes with bacon and cheese! Anyways, I just got my Coccy Cola that I ordered, so everything is great!

Yours truly,

Dorrel

New fountain pen, tiny bottled Coca-Cola. Thomas is happy with his beer. (photo: Stephanie)

Vivian is quite pleased with her hot chocolate. The restaurant is located in a converted carousel, which was a fun gimmick. (photo: Thomas)

Dutch-style pancakes (pannenkoeken) are frequently savory and are more like French crêpes than what Americans consider pancakes to be. (photo: Stephanie)

Vivian opted for the restaurant’s signature dish, which included every fruit they offered, plus powdered sugar, plus whipped cream, plus ice cream. (photo: Thomas)

Day 7, Time uncertain (I copied from the last entry), July 2nd, 2024

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I just got back from a very exhausting walk in the city and a very nice walk in Vondelpark. We are going to have pizza for dinner, and my pizza is gonna be cheese pizza. No surprise there. Anyways, I have the chance to screen, and I am gonna take it! Bye!

Yours truly,

Dorrel

A view in Vondelpark, a large and lovely park in Amsterdam. (photo: Dory)

Vivian’s Cat Pizza. Dory’s cheese pizza was too boring to photograph. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 7, 10:02 PM, July 2nd 2024

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently in my bed, writing. Well, I must get off to bed, because my mom is standing over me being very impatient. (I always hate when she does that.) But before I go, I have to reflect. This day has been a pretty walking day. We went to HEMA and got some (illegible), Dad took us on a death march through the city, and we had some nice experiences in Vondelpark.

Yours,

Dorrel

The apartment we are staying in is on the third floor, and the apartment also has three floors. Dory is staying on the very top floor. Also, we are staying up too late because at this time of year, the sun doesn’t set here until 10pm. (photo: Dory)

European Adventure 2024, Day 6: to Amsterdam

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

Day 6, 12:22 PM, July 1st, 2024

Maastricht Centraal

Hello! I am on a train, waiting for it to leave to Amsterdam. Well, it has been great living in Belgium with Auntie Casey. I have had a great time, now it is time to leave.

Yours,

Dorrel

Transcribing some journal excerpts on the train and enjoying the view from the window. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 6, 3:03 PM, July 1st, 2024

Amsterdam Centraal

Hello! I am currently on a bench in Amsterdam Centraal. We have just gotten off the train and we will eat some food. The train trip was uneventful, but maybe the tram trip won’t be.

Yours truly,

Dorrel

On the tram, leaving Amsterdam Central Station. (photo: Stephanie)

Thomas never sits on the tram, and he always has his Waco face on. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 6, 8:32 PM, July 1st, 2024 

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hello! I am at Lisa and Nidi’s apartment, writing. The tram trip was a bit crowded, but that’s fine. We are near a park, and it looks great! I know because I took a walk there with my family, Lisa, Nidi, and Elliot. The cat is responding to the laser pointer, and that’s great!

Yours, 

Dorrel

“Nidi” is a nickname Dory invented on the spot last year when he couldn’t remember Neil’s actual name. We had a lovely dinner which included Elliot, another friend from our Utrecht University days. (photo: Stephanie)

The view from Lisa & Neil’s (aka Nidi) apartment, which overlooks Rembrandt Park, where we took our after dinner walk. (photo: Stephanie)

European Adventure 2024, Day 5: Maastricht cave tour + parsonage party

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

A car built for two people maximum. These are popular in cities because they are cheap to run (on gas or electric), they are easy to park, and you can ride them in the bike lane. We saw this one on our walk to the cave tour. (photo: Dory)

Our approach to Fort Sint Pieter, under which the caves we toured are located. (photo: Dory)

Day 5, 11:56 AM, June 30, 2024

Sint Pieter Fortress, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently on some brick steps waiting. We are about to do a cave tour and we are talking about being hooligans (not like my family is a pack of hooligans already) but whatever. Anyways, I will update once we are in the cave. (Note: I did not get the chance to update in the cave.)

Yours truly, 

Dorrel

Selfie on the steps of the fort, waiting for our tour, contemplating hooliganism, (photo: Stephanie)

Entrance to the caves (which are technically tunnels, since they are primarily human-made). (photo: Dory)

We presumed these numbers were to help identify various branches of the tunnels. We were warned by our guide not to attempt to find our own way out, since we would inevitably be lost. The tunnel system has been built up over centuries and is very extensive. (photo: Dory)

One of many charcoal drawings in the caves, this one depicting the Mosasaurus (Maas+saurus) which was discovered here. You can buy rocks with Mosasaurus teeth embedded in them in the gift shop. (photo: Dory)

Day 5, 2:50 PM, June 30th, 2024

Maastricht, The Netherlands

Hello! News flash: I did not write in the caves, but the tour was amazing. It was more like a tunnel tour, but it was still amazing. Anyways, we are now in a parsonage that our friend Atticus lives in. Definitely has that parsonage feel, with all that wood. Anyways, my family is actively trying to annoy me to eat. Goodbye!

Best wishes, 

Dorrel

Walking from the fort to the party. (photo: Stephanie)

Once again, I was having too much fun catching up with old friends to take photos, so this one photo of two teens giving very teenagery looks will have to do. They were both infants 14 years ago when we last saw all the people at the party. (photo: Stephanie)

European Adventure 2024, Day 4: Limburg & Maastricht

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

Day 4, 11:01 AM, June 29 2024

Riemst, Limburg

Hello! I am currently on a bench, taking in the Belgian scenery. It is a very nice view, with rolling hills and a lot of grass. We just saw the chateau in the area, and it is just a old castle. We are also taking a walk, so I must leave this bench.

Yours truly,

Dorrel

A view from Château Neercanne, located on the border between Belgium and The Netherlands. There is a forest just behind it with hiking trails. (photo: Dory)

Another view from the château, but with Casey & Vivian also. (photo: Stephanie)

The bench where this entry was written. Note his Serious Writing Face. (photo: Aunt Casey)

Hiking in the forest above/behind the château. (photo: Stephanie)

A very large snail. (photo: Dory)

Day 4, 3:12 PM, June 29 2024

Maastricht, The Netherlands

Hello! I am currently on a couch, relaxing to some music. The adults are chatting about things pertaining to them, while Sis and Lucie are playing some badminton. Well, we are going to Amsterdam very soon, and I cannot wait to be distracted by something new. Maybe I should join the girls in badminton. Welp, time to stop journaling, and do something. Goodbye!

Yours, 

Dorrel

Note: The adults were doing too much chatting to take photos at our friends’ house. Regrettably, the badminton was not captured. -SSH

European Adventure 2025, Day 3: Maastricht

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

Day 3, 12:14 Friday, June 28th, 2024

Kanne, Belgium

Today is a very relaxing day. We woke up at 11 and we had lunch. I just finished copying some journal entries onto a Pages doc. We are preparing to go to Maastricht, where we will walk around and enjoy ourselves.

Regards, 

Dorrel

A view from Aunt Casey’s apartment in Kanne, a tiny village in Belgium just outside of Maastricht. (photo: Dory)

Day 3, 14:17 Friday, June 28th, 2024

Maastricht, The Netherlands

Salutations! I am at a giant chessboard, watching 2 kids play against each other. They seem to be in the middle game, and they both have equal points. I have to play a game of chess with these people. I visited this spot because I saw it last year, but our trip was more rushed so we had to skip it. Right now, there is a cool breeze that I like. Anyways, ima try to play.

Yours,

Dorrel

Giant chessboard, outside of Maastricht’s City Library. It turned out that the kids had to leave, so Dory played his sister. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 3, 16:00 June 28, 2024

Stadspark, Maastricht

Hello! I am currently on a park bench in a park. But not just any random park in the USA. A European park, with exotic bird songs and exotic trees. And let me tell you, it is great. I just beat my sister in a chess game, I crossed a modern bridge, and I am now in a park, one with a (illegible) annoying bird.

Yours truly, 

Dorrel

We stopped on the modern bridge over the Maas to take a photo. (photo: some random guy walking past who offered to take a photo with all of us in it, including Auntie Casey)

A very algae coated pond in the park. We think that the city hadn’t cleaned it because we spotted several nests that these coots were building. (photo: Dory)

A cool graffiti covered wall on our way from the park back to the car. (photo: Dory)

European Adventure 2024, Day 2: Arriving in Netherlands/Belgium

Excerpts from Dory’s Journal

Day 2, 8:40 June 27th, 2024

Amsterdam Schipol

We are there! We are in Europe! Currently yours truly is starving, cranky, and in a line. Something will happen at the end of this line. Either I will go mad, or I will keep it (not legible).

Anyways, I will keep it together with a smile and a promise.

Yours truly, 

Dorrel

Starbucks at Amsterdam Schipol airport. (photo: Dory)

Day 2, 10:15 July 27, 2024

Dutch National rail system, Netherlands

Hello! I am currently on a train to s’Hertogenbosch, where we will change for a train that will take us to Maastricht, where we are going. I am enjoying the scenery as we progress further away from Amsterdam Schipol. We are now stopping at Amsterdam Zuid (south) where some people will get on. We will stop at Utrecht Centraal, where I will reminisce in our old trip and our place there. 

Always yours,

Dorrel

After zero sleep on the overnight flight, Vivian was the only one to catch a nap on the train to Maastricht. (photo credit: Stephanie)

Day 2, 13:37 June 27, 2024

Aunt Casey’s apartment

Hello! I am currently on a couch, and getting humid & sweaty as(not legible). Well, I recently discovered that I will be sleeping on a mattress. The trip from the train station to this apartment was very cramped. Like, if economy seating and a car were combined, it would be European cars. Welp, my pen is getting sweaty, so goodbye.

Punctually, 

Dorrel

Daily Reflection: Day 2

Today was a day in which I barely slept, set up our base in Belgium, and generally relaxed. I saw the stereotypical European village, and I ate some frites. In short, uneventful.

Love, Dorrel

European Adventure 2024, Day 1: Leaving the US

These following quotes are from my (Dory’s) own journal.

Please enjoy.

Day 1, Wednesday, June 26th, 2024, 8:12 AM

Today is the day!

Today is when we leave for our trip! Today is also the day in which we say, ‘goodbye’. Anyways, I have waited a period of 3 days for this. I am so excited! I will start a blog and do daily reflections each day. This is truly going to be a exciting trip!

Yours truly,

Dorrel 

Day 1, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 10:14 AM

Waco, TX, USA

It is time! We are currently in our car, a Honda SUV that is colored “Galaxy Blue”. Anyways, this is the kickoff in a soccer game, the starting event, the prelude to a book. Yet this car trip is more psychologically exciting than any of those examples. This trip is gonna be journaled (and blogged). Anyways, I will miss the familiar buzz of the cicadas, and the screaming cry of the jay.

Best wishes,

Dorrel

Day 1, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 11:36 AM

I-35 N, TX, USA

An hour has passed since we have started the car trip, and everything is almost the same, but we are a bit closer to our destination. But yet we are not there. The expected arrival time is 12:34, and I will update once we are there.

Talk soon,

Dorrel

Day 1, 1:13 PM, June 26, 2024

DFW Airport, TX, USA

We have arrived! Currently yours truly is guarding some bags while the rest of the family goes to Einstein Bros to get me a bagel and a Dr. Pepper. Well, I have to say, DFW is certainly an amazing place to be. The architecture is beautiful, but there are random balloons that taint the beauty in some areas. Welp, I am about to leave the States. This trip will be fun.

Respectfully,

Dorrel

View from our departing gate at DFW. (photo: Dory)

Day 1, 2:28 Wednesday, June 26, 2024

DFW Airport, TX, USA

Well, I have eaten a pretty reviving meal, one that will be better than the airplane meals. That was great, but these ads are not. There are PR ads for New Mexico, for god’s sake! The plane leaves at 4:10, but I am gonna have to wait and get peppered by ads. Well, I will now relax on these airport chairs and ponder why 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. I will update when I am on the plane.

Yours,

Dorrel

Another view from our departing gate at DFW. (photo: Dory)

Day 1, 4:13 PM June 26, 2024

DFW Airport Tarmac, TX, USA

The experience is now!

We are taking off!

This moment is profoundly exciting. We are starting the adventure, for real this time. We are about to take off from the Texan soil and go abroad! Well, it is truly time to say goodbye. I have said goodbye in DFW, now I will say goodbye for real.

Thanks,

Dorrel

Day 1, 5:18 PM, June 26, 2024

USA

Salutations! I hope that you, dear reader, are in a nice, relaxing chair, on the ground. Well, it has been a hour and 5 minutes since I last wrote. My math isn’t all that great, but I think we are about 8% of the way there. That really isn’t all that far, but anyways, I have to get back to watching Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.

Best wishes,

Dorrel

Day 1, 7:11 PM, June 26, 2024

Somewhere over the Great Lakes area

I have just eaten some airplane food, and boy, is it bad. Well, at least I’ve got some Dr. Pepper. I have just decided that at 10:00 PM, I will write my daily reflection. Anyways, I have a person to talk to that isn’t a member of my family. Since I love to be social, I will try to do a interview with them. You will find the interview on a notepad sheet.

(Note: The interview is not available since some identifying details are in it. Sorry!)

Yours truly,

Dorrel

Daily Reflection:

Today was a soccer kickoff of our European adventure. It was a day of goodbyes, and a day of new beginnings. I am looking forward to being in Amsterdam and seeing Schiphol again, more specifically the train hall. Well, I definitely must be getting off to try to sleep, but if I fail, I am not gonna have a happy morning tomorrow.

Yours ever so truly,

Dorrel

The Final Leg of the Trip and Reflections

Vivian:

Hey guys, this is the last post on the blog, so I’ll try to make it memorable. When we left Springfield, we drove for three hours to our halfway point. The halfway point was Arrowhead State Park in Oklahoma. We chilled for the rest of the day until water started coming out of the walls. Apparently, since the park is next to a lake, the flow was too strong for us. We cleaned it up and had no more disturbances. The next day, we drove for five hours. We got home and we’ve been here since Sunday, May 15, 2022. I’m writing this on Monday, which would be the next day. Anyway, Mom wrote us some questions we need to answer.

-What was the best part? Where? Why?

The answer is my favorite place was Dollywood. Dollywood is in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and why is because I loved the roller coasters.

-What was your least favorite part? Where? Why?

My least favorite part is either when we broke down, or when water came out of the walls. As my previous answer stated, either in Louisville or Arrowhead State Park. I think it’s really quite obvious why.

-What is your favorite souvenir? Where did you get it? What do you like about it?

My favorite souvenir is probably the tiger necklace. I got said necklace at the zoo in Louisville. I like it because tigers are my favorite animals, and it’s shiny.

Photo by Vivian.

-What did you learn about yourself or your family? 

I learned that if you keep to yourself and try not to antagonize people, you’ll get out relatively unscathed. Like if you have a sibling, its hard not to antagonize and essentially mess with them, but if you manage to, your life will be a lot more peaceful. (I don’t know the relationship with your sibling, or if you even have one.) My brother is younger than me, and we clash with certain things.

-Is what you learned a good or bad thing? Why?

I think it’s a good thing. I think that that’s a good thing because it’ll help me in the future.

---

Dory:

Catching up from Springfield, Missouri: We traveled from Cook’s RV Park to Arrowhead State Park, getting some new sunglasses and a big bag of Lays at the Choctaw Nation’s gas station. Then we had to get some gas at another gas station because the previous gas station made you pay at the cash register. And then we traveled some more miles to the RV Park. Some incidents happened like the walls spewing water and we had to clean it up. Sadly I could not relax because the park had no wi-fi. We went to sleep and then woke up, ate some breakfast, and left to go home. We went through Dallas, and we stopped at a rest stop to eat some lunch, and then we were home.

Reflection on the trip: My favorite part of the trip was New Orleans where we rode on a streetcar, went on a walking tour, and had some high quality wi-fi. The worst part of the trip was Montgomery, where I was stuck there without wi-fi. I lost it several times while I was stuck there. My favorite souvenir was the Freedom Riders museum model Greyhound bus that was also a pencil sharpener, but it came with a free pencil. I liked it because it was small enough to fit in a Hot Wheels™ track.

I learned that when you are in a motorhome for 3 weeks, you start to miss a permanent home with a yard. You start to miss the people who are not on the trip with you. You start to miss feeding pets. You start to miss having a permanent home. It’s a bad thing because you want to settle down at the places you visit, have a permanent home there. 

Springfield, Missouri

Vivian:

Hey friends and fam. When we started the day, we were feeling kinda lazy. We woke up, got up, ate breakfast, and got on the road. We aren’t traveling today, which means we have to do stuff. We drove to Getaway Golf, a mini-golf place, and golfed. I had a purple ball, Dory had a white ball, and mom had a nice green ball. We did both of the courses, one was USA, the other international. They had like, pyramids, Stonehenge, The Great Barrier Reef, The Gateway Arch, and a Komodo Dragon. My favorite hole was the Great Barrier Reef, because it had a tunnel shaped like a shark. After we did the courses, we got snow-cones, I had peaches and cream, Dory had watermelon, and Mom had pink sour lemon.

Photo by Stephanie.

After our snow-cones, it was time for lunch, we found a Natural Market and ate food in the deli.

Photo by Stephanie. If you are ever in Springfield, MO, you really should stop at MaMa Jean’s Natural Market. This sandwich and coffee saved me.

After I finished my food, I went into the grocery part of the store and found necessary items for purchase. We bought the stuff and got back in our RV. We then drove to Fantastic Caverns. Fantastic Caverns is a cave tour that you ride in a Jeep to explore.

Photo by Dory. Actually only the guide rides in the Jeep, and the tourists ride in a wagon pulled behind.

Our tour guide was very smart and I thought she was rather patient for putting up with Dory’s constant questions. I had to duck multiple times because the roof of the cave was so low. It was also very cold in the cave, about 60 degrees.

Photo by Stephanie.

The tour wasn’t that long so when it ended our minds weren’t completely overflowing. We left after visiting the gift shop and drove back to our RV park. We were visiting our Great-uncle Kevin later so we chilled out while we could. We had a snack before we left so we wouldn’t get too cranky. When we got there great-uncle Kevin and his family were very accommodating. His dog was a pug and her name is Bellatrix. His daughter, Krystle, is building a house for herself out in the backyard and we could see it through the window. We left after awhile and chilled when we got back to the RV park.

Photo by Vivian of the sunset at Cook’s RV Park.

---

Dory:

Yesterday we played mini golf at Getaway Golf and we golfed through many famous attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, and etc.

Photo by Stephanie. The Golden Gate Bridge hole, situated near Old Faithful.

My favorite attraction was the Glacier National Park because there was a shortcut through the mountain. Then we ate lunch at a deli and got some food at the market, and then we took off in our RV to Fantastic Caverns, the only drive thru cave in America.

Photo by Dory.

The cavern was exciting and fun because the names of the first cave explorers were on the wall, but the most interesting was that they were all women.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Vivian.

And I knew most of the technical terms for the different types of zones like the twilight zone, the dark zone, and the entrance zone. Then we had some downtime at our RV park (which is called Cook’s RV Park) but then we went to Great Uncle Kevin’s house where our mom talked but I didn’t. But then we had to leave to go to our RV park and brush our teeth and sleep.

St. Louis

Vivian:

When we woke up on Wednesday we went downstairs to the little breakfast bar that the hotel provided. We had exactly the same breakfast as the day before, and went back up to our room to write our posts. When we were done with those, we had a little screen time until our RV got out of the shop. It got out much earlier than we expected so we were on the road earlier than expected. We drove for a few hours and ate our lunches until we got to a Walmart. We got to this Walmart at six, and mom called the person we were to stay with next. Her name is Laura and she has three kids. The kid’s are ages nine, six, and two.

Photo by Laura. This is Rachel, being her very amazing two-year-old self.

When we got to her house, we (that is to say I) played with the kids until dinner. After a dinner of tacos, me and Dory screened. Apparently mom, Laura, the two year old, and the six year old went to get ice-cream. After they got back we all went to bed. I don’t know about the others, but my bed was super creaky. Anyway, when I woke up the next morning I had chocolate waffles. After we all had breakfast and Laura got back from the carpool, me, mom, Dory, Laura, and the two year old got in the car and drove to the Gateway Arch.

Photo by Stephanie

When we got there, we read the signs about St. Louis and what it was like a long time ago.

Photo by Laura

After a little while we went to the movie theater inside the same building and watched a movie about how the Arch was made. We finished the movie and left the Arch.

Photo by Laura

We went back to the car and drove to the city museum. The City Museum was unique at best and dizzying at worst. I think you could climb on anything unless it expressly said “do not climb.”

Photo by Stephanie

Photo by Stephanie

By lunch I was a sweaty mess, and it was hot outside. I didn’t even go outside because it was just that hot.

Photo by Stephanie. Dory and I did go outside, but we soon wilted.

At like two thirty we got back on the road. We drove for three hours until we got to Cook’s RV Park. We chilled the rest of the day.

---

Dory:

So yesterday we woke up in the basement of Laura’s house and I watched some Simpsons on the couch, and then I ate breakfast and we went to the Gateway Arch. We were not able to go to the top due to all of the school groups getting all the tickets, but we still had some fun going to the museum and watching a movie about the building of the arch.

Photo by Dory. He took this and the following photo after we left the Arch.

Then before we went to Laura’s house to grab all of our items, we went to the City Museum in St. Louis where most of the objects in the museum were taken from a junkyard. There were 2 planes and there was an aquarium inside and there was a rooftop with a school bus hanging off of the side of the building.

If I was going to build a museum out of junkyard parts I would use them better than building a giant playground.

Photo by Laura

Photo by Laura

Photo by Laura

We ate lunch at the cafe and we played a bit more then we left at 2:23, but we went to the gift shop and I got a pressed penny collector to collect the pressed pennies that are at so many locations.

Photo by Laura

Then we went to Laura’s house, and grabbed all of our stuff, and then traveled to the RV and said goodbye to Laura, then we took off to Springfield, Missouri.

Louisville (our unplanned stop)

Vivian:

When the day started we didn’t think anything special was going to happen. We were wrong. Brooke drove us back to our broken RV by lunch. She had lunch with us and when she was done she drove back to her house to take care of her daughter, Miriam. We called over the mechanic and he fixed up the front wheels pretty easily now we had the part. It was at this point things started to go downhill. The parking lot we had stopped in was the parking lot of a truck fixing company named Kenworth. A man came out and diagnosed our RV. Apparently the back wheels were broken as well.

Photo by Stephanie. Note the completely missing lug nut, plus the wearing around the other lug nuts. The Mercedes guy said, “The wheels were trying to come off.”

They directed us to a Mercedes-Benz car repair shop. We got there with some difficulty and yelling, but we got there. Bad news is they were already closed. Luckily there was a Residence Inn right next to it, so we stayed there for the night. The next day, early in the morning Mom talked to the people at the repair shop and got them to tow the RV into their shop and work on it. She came back and we got breakfast downstairs. Mom had coffee, oatmeal, and yogurt, Dory had water, fruit loops, and hard-boiled eggs, while I had hot chocolate, fruit loops, and toast. After breakfast, we called an Uber and he drove us to the zoo. The zoo had these things called Wild Lights, and they were like lanterns shaped like animals.

Photo by Vivian.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Vivian. Photo #1 of Mom looking silly.

Photo by Vivian. Photo #2 of Mom looking even sillier.

My favorite animals were either the pinnipeds or the snowy owls that looked like Hedwig.

Photo by Vivian, Pinnipeds are seals, btw.

When we were looking at the penguins I started to sneeze really bad, those of you who know me will know that that’s not good. It got so bad that we decided to leave the animals for awhile. We ended up getting Icees and left the zoo. Mom called an Uber and we went back to our hotel. When we finished chilling, we went to the indoor pool at our hotel and splashed for a bit. After we got back, we decided to watch a movie, eat dinner, and go to sleep. 

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Dory:

This is basically a copy of Yesterday’s News now and not a blog. Well let’s get started anyway. So we had to wait a entire day to get the RV fixed and then it was not fixed, they still had the back wheels to fix so we went across town clanging and Mom yelling until we got to the Mercedes-Benz dealership and luckily there was a hotel right next to the dealership so we unpacked and got the second to last room in the hotel (owned by Marriott Bonvoy).

Photo by Vivian. Unpacking the RV so we can move into a hotel for a couple of nights.

I watched some Simpsons for a bit and then watched videos. The next day we went to the zoo and we saw some wild Canadian geese and a Mallard duckling following his parents in the flamingo exhibit. My favorite animal was the lorikeets and I liked them because nobody could compare them to any movie animal (like Hedwig and my mom loved the snowy owls).

Photo by Stephanie. For $2 you can buy a little cup of nectar, and then the lorikeets will land on your arm and sip from the cup.

Photo by Stephanie. Dory loves birds. So much.

The zoo to me was a school-group filled chaos filled with animals and schoolchildren. (See Vivian’s blog for more info on the zoo.) Then we went back home and there is this WONDERFUL office chair that I am currently sitting on. 

Photo by Dory.

Indianapolis

Vivian:

Hello friends and fam! This post will be going over two full days, so if you get confused that’s probably why. First off, if you looked at the previous post, you’ll know we broke down. So, here we are, in a car, with my mom’s friend Brooke.

Photo by Brooke’s husband, Brian.

We got to her house, as you know. I’m just going to skip to the next morning because I can. I was woken up by little running feet, I’m here thinking “Whyyyyyy” but I got up anyway. I met Miriam and Nora, Brooke’s two daughters. I had breakfast with the family and went to relax a little and watch my screen.  It coincided that it was Miriam’s birthday party that day. So I was given the job of giving excitable 6-year-olds tattoos.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Stephanie.

They weren’t real but they may as well have been. This was my first time giving tattoos and I was quite nervous. It went well in the end and soon the 6-year-olds were running around in a circle for who knows why. After a little bit of running and eating the special guest arrived. Hedgehog Hannah’s animal show was, to say the least, a hit. There was not only a hedgehog but a tarantula, ferret, chinchilla, legless lizard, bunny rabbit, and BABY ALLIGATOR.

Photo by Stephanie. I meant to focus on the chinchilla in Vivian’s lap, but instead I focused on Miriam, the birthday girl, in the background.

The party ended when everyone left and we went to get lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I had nachos.

Photo by Stephanie. Dory preferred to sit with the adults.

With that, the first day in Indianapolis came to a close. The next day when we woke up Brooke sprang on us the news we were going to The Children’s Museum Of Indianapolis. We took an Uber there and walked around for a bit. We started with the dinosaur exhibit, when we got through with that, we went to the railroad, then the ancient history wing, then we sort of drifted to the science part. We took a STEM lab thing where we diagnosed a dinosaur. Me and Miriam went on a carousel ride, I rode a deer while she rode a black horse.

Photo by Vivian.

Photo by Miriam.

We were getting pretty tired, so we looked at the water clock and saw that it was 3:00 already.

Photo by Stephanie.

We left and after chilling for an hour or two, we watched National Treasure. I had never watched this and was pleasantly surprised.

Photo by Stephanie. Miriam and Vivian getting a cuddle in during the screening of “National Treasure.”

With that, we ended the day.

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Dory:

Indianapolis was good, I liked going to the children’s museum and seeing a water clock (records the time through siphons) and looking at model trains.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Stephanie. There were several more cases full of model trains. We stopped at every one.

Indianapolis was not good in some other ways, like our RV getting broken down and we had to get Brook to use her car to get us to Indianapolis. I liked Indianapolis sometimes and I did not like it sometimes too. One child which was the daughter of Brooke had a birthday party but I just watched videos outside the party and I had to put up with all the children.

Photo by Stephanie. The party was located in a community room at a library. Dory enjoyed the good wifi with his headphones on for the duration of the party.

Mammoth Cave and The Breakdown

Vivian:

Hello…friends and fam. Today was the kind of day you only have once or twice in your lifetime. It started out ok though, when we woke up we drove to the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

Photo by Stephanie. Notice that everyone is wearing jackets. It is a brisk 64 degrees year round inside the cave.

Photo by Stephanie. These are the only photos we have because they keep lighting inside the cave to a minimum to protect the animals that live in there.

The guide was super nice and answered all Dory’s questions of which there were many. The caves were very interesting and me and Dory were right behind the guide almost the whole time. We passed through a trail called Fat Man’s Misery, if you can’t guess what that meant, I’ll tell you. It meant it was incredibly thin and windy. When we got out of the cave, mom decided we should walk up a flight of stairs instead of walking up a gentle slope. After we left the National Park, we drove for awhile until mom got hungry. We ate lunch inside the RV and got on our way. It was after lunch things started to go wrong. After lunch the RV started making weird noises, it was making a mechanical noise whenever Mom turned. There was also a vibration in the front that shouldn’t have been there. We pulled over to check it out, mom could only see an open side door, and we tried to drive again. It was still making a mechanical noise so we pulled over once again. When mom still couldn’t discern what the matter was, she called roadside assistance to see what was wrong with the vehicle. They told her to wait so they could send someone over to check it out. Turns out that the earliest they could send someone out was in three or four hours. We didn’t want to wait that long, so Mom called a 24-hour mobile mechanic. He was there in less than an hour, and was very nice. He had two 4-month-old German Shepard pups, and he said he was going to try to breed them when they got older. But that’s not the point. He said that we needed a new part that he didn’t have. We were told to wait until Monday, when he could check all the open part businesses. He left and we gave up. We were two hours away from our destination. My mom’s friend came to get us instead, we were going to her house anyway so why not. Her name is Brooke and she has two daughters named Nora and Miriam. Of course, Dory wouldn’t let me get a wink of sleep in the two hour drive! It was about 1am when we arrived and we dropped like flies. 

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Dory:

So now this is a yesterday blog as you probably have heard, and this is purely yesterday (well maybe not since midnight is when the day changes) and so we are currently fine and safe. Well my mom is probably going to make this little thing, but we have not published in a while because we did not have the time to do it. Now to get on with the story! So we went to Mammoth Cave National Park and we looked at Mammoth Dome and saw butterscotch falls which is just moving flowstone and witch’s hair. Then we paid our respects to the enslaved man who explored Mammoth Cave for us.

Photo by Stephanie. Our guide referred to Stephen Bishop several times on the tour, crediting him with many discoveries. The original explorers and guides in the cave were enslaved men. Stephen was able to eventually buy his freedom.

Photo by Stephanie. Even after he bought his freedom, Stephen Bishop remained in the area because of his love of the cave. He is buried near the historical cave entrance (up a flight of stairs, not a gentle slope).

(Speaking of enslavement, do not buy Hershey’s chocolate because they are made by enslaved people in Africa. Buy Tony’s Chocolonely. Not Hershey’s.) Then we went on the interstate, heard a bumping noise, and pulled over and called the most amazing mechanic ever. We spent hours and hours before Brook got us and drove us to her house. Now our RV is currently being fixed.

Gatlinburg, and then on to Kentucky

Dory:

Today we do not have a Dory Quote of the day, because mainly if we had a Dory Quote today it would be a lot of displeasement. So yesterday we went to Gatlinburg, and we first went to Hollywood Star Cars where they had the ECTO-1 and the Batmobile. My Mom can make a gallery of the cars so you can see them. (All but one of the 50 photos were taken by Dory.)

Then we took the Skylift to the Skycenter to cross the Skybridge. Then when we crossed the bridge we took the Skytrail back. Afterthoughts of the whole Sky thing: I was terrified of the heights from the Skylift, the Skybridge was wobbly, and the Skytrail had the Tulip Tower where the bridges to it were wobbly too.

Photo by Stephanie.

I bought this tourist photo because Dory was smiling.

Photo by Stephanie. This selfie more accurately reflects how he felt about “the whole Sky thing.”

Then we got lunch at a  chain restaurant called Mellow Mushroom and the restaurant we went to was actually the headquarters of the whole chain and was the biggest. Then we went to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!™ Odditorium where we saw things I believed. Then we went back to the RV and crossed states to get to Kentucky to see the Mammoth Cave. 

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Vivian, whose reflection is titled, “Tourist Trap Day”:

Hi friends! (And fam!) when we woke up today, we hustled to get ready to drive to the nearest trolley stop. We got there soon enough and waited for the trolley to come, after a minute, it did. We rode on the trolley until we got to the aquarium and got off. We didn’t go to the aquarium, mind. We walked to the Hollywood Star Cars museum, it had a lot of cool and famous cars inside, there was ECTO-1 from the Ghostbusters, Christine from the horror movie Christine, The Batmobile, and the Flintstone’s car. When we were finished looking at all the cars, we walked to the lift for the sky bridge. We rode up and walked across the bridge. We crossed and walked back on the sky trail.

Photo by Vivian. The SkyBridge is the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Vivian. Dory was not a fan of the glass floor on the bridge.

Photo by Vivian. The Tulip Tower, built to replace the tulip tree that survived a big fire they had a few years back. The tree was damaged ,though, so they had to cut it down.

Photo by Stephanie. Dory insisted that he walk alone, so it would be less wobbly.

When we got back we were all feeling hungry, so we rode the lift back to Gatlinburg and found a restaurant that served pizza. Mom had a beer. After lunch, we crossed the street to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! There were a lot of weird-looking people inside.

Photo by Vivian. We did not get photos of any of the weird-looking people, but there were several optical illusions and sciency-fun things like this to play with as well.

We rode back to the RV and drove to Kentucky. We chilled for the rest of the day.

DOLLYWOOD!

Vivian:

Welcome friends! (And fam) today was the day I had been waiting for! DOLLYWOOD! We started of waking up and having breakfast, then we packed up the RV and set of! We got there at like 10:15 and entered.

Photo by Vivian. There was a food & flower festival happening in the park.

The first ride me and my mom went on was called The Thunderhead, it was ok, not the amount of thrill I was looking for, but ok. The next ride was undoubtedly one of my favorites, it was called the Mystery Mine. We actually went upside down on this one. We then walked around to the Wildwood Grove and I went on one of those ship rides that goes back and forth. We went back up to show street, where the shops and exits are.

Photo by Vivian. Walking through the park we saw many flower sculptures.

Photo by Vivian.

So we walked through that, at this point, Dory had pitched a fit about the bumper cars, so we rode those. It was fun and after we were really hungry. We got lunch at a hotdog stand, ate, then went on the sky rider. Mom controlled the little cart we were in while I tried to kick the trees. We got on the train and rode for what felt like half an hour.

Photo by Stephanie. The train was an actual retired steam train that used to run in Alaska during WWII.

After the train ride we waited in line for thirty minutes, until we finally got on the water ride we had been waiting for. It was called The Smoky Mountain River Rampage. We got soaked and were soaked for the rest of the day. After the Rampage, we left to go to the blazing fury ride. It was cool how they used animatronics. We walked for awhile until we reached the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, there were real live Bald Eagles here!

Photo by Vivian. They had netted in an entire hillside for a convocation of bald eagles that cannot be released into the wild.

The ride Firechaser Express was next and this one was FAST. After that we rode on Daredevil Falls, another water ride. Next was the one I had been waiting for, the Wild Eagle. After this we were pretty much pooped. We bought something each, Dory got a lanyard for his Swiss Army knife, Mom got a t-shirt, and I got cat-eye sunglasses.

Photo by Vivian.

We left the park, got in the RV and went back to our park. We were all tired, so we chilled until mom decided we should have a fire. The fire was nice, and we made s’mores.

Photo by Vivian.

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Dory:

Today we are starting our blog with my own quote of the day, the Dory Quote. Here it is: It’s like Russian Roulette, except you don’t die, you just get soaked. Now onto Dollywood! so yesterday we went to Dollywood, and in the very start of the day we went to Timber Canyon, and I crossed the Thunderhead roller coaster because I was not riding. Then we went on the Mystery Mine roller coaster, and I had to cross it again. Then Vivian and Mom went on the Great Tree Swing. then we crossed half of the park to get to the bumper cars. Then we ate lunch. Then Vivian and Mom went on the Skyrider, and after that we went on the Dollywood Express, and then after we got off we went on the Great Smoky Mountain River Rampage and this is where the Dory Quote of the day comes in. Our shoes got wet. Also our clothing. Then we went to Daredevil Falls but I did not ride. Then we went to the Eagle Sanctuary, where we saw bald eagles, and then we went to Blazing Fury. and then we went to Firechaser Express, where Vivian and Mom tried to extinguish fire. Then Vivian and Mom rode the Wild Eagle, and Vivian rode it a second time. Then Mom and Vivian rode the Dragonflier, and then I got a lanyard for my Swiss Army Knife and then we went home.

Photo by Stephanie.

The Northwest Corner of Georgia to Pigeon Forge, Tennesee

Vivian:

Hullo friends! (And fam!) today is Tuesday and I needed help to remember what happened.

Photo by Vivian. This is the person who remembers everything.

When we set off we drove to the New Echota Cherokee National Capital.

Photo by Vivian. You can peep our RV parked in the background.

There were some very cool monuments outside the doors, which I noticed had Cherokee writing under the English meaning. When we got in we watched a video about the Cherokee and their history on the land we were standing on top of. I got a little mad at the video because the white people HAD to do the whole Trail of Tears thing. Once the video was over we went outback and looked at the recreated buildings. We took a lot of pictures and walked around for a while.

Photo by Vivian.

Photo by Vivian.

After we looked at everything we got back in the RV. We drove until we got hungry and decided to eat at a Waffle House that was next to the road. I had pancakes for lunch, which was fine by me, Dory had waffles with pecans in them, and Mom had sandwiches. We payed and left and got back on the road.

Photo by Vivian. Typical scene out the window for this leg of the trip.

We drove through THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS and got to The Smoky Mountains National Park’s visitor center. Dory bought a Swiss Army Knife and we left the visitor’s center. We drove until we got to Clingmans dome. We looked at the skyline, which was impressive.

Photo by Vivian.

Photo by Vivian.

We left, drove through Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge, and chilled in our RV park.

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Dory:

We went to New Echota (it is pronounced like the ch in chug) which is the capital of the Cherokee nation but is not the capital anymore because they were led on the Trail of Tears from there to Oklahoma.

Photo by Stephanie.

We looked at some replicas of buildings and then we took off.

Photo by Stephanie. This building is actually the only one that is not a replica. It belonged to a white missionary who lived in New Echota and moved to Oklahoma when the Cherokee people were forcibly removed.

We had lunch at a Waffle House, which has the name Texas on some items on the menu, and the toilet was not flushing in the men’s, and it had a yellow color in the toilet bowl. Then we went to the Great Smoky Mountain national park, and hiked up to the observation tower in Clingmans Dome.

Photo by Stephanie. It was a steep half mile walk up to the observation tower.

I did not like the heights of the observation tower.

Photo by Stephanie. Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the park. This concrete tower replaced the wooden one built by the CCC during the Great Depression.

Photo by Stephanie. The view really was fantastic. We learned that it is usually hazy like this, due to air pollution. Acid rain is what is killing some of the trees in the photo.

Photo by Stephanie. Mountaintop selfie. It was quite windy, as is demonstrated by Vivian’s hair.

Then my mom made frantic calls to get unlimited data, and we had to use Vivian’s phone to get to the RV Park, which is called Gateway to the Smokies RV Park. The wi-fi is good enough to watch videos in 480 p with. 

From Montgomery to the Northwest Corner of Georgia

Dory:

Etowah Indian Mounds are big mounds with stairs leading up to them.

Photo by Stephanie.

Photo by Stephanie. Preparing to climb the tallest mound.

They were built around 1000 CE and the Indigenous people who built them lived there around 400 years. Bumblebees are everywhere and I don’t like them. We saw Canadian geese in the river.

We also saw beavers. I also bought a walking stick.

Photo by Stephanie. Dory felt that this pose really demonstrated the mighty power of his new walking stick.

The wi-fi here is fine for video watching. I only can watch at 360 p and 240 p but that’s fine.

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Vivian:

Hey friends! (And fam!) today, as a Monday, I was extremely tired for most of it. We woke up, ate breakfast, and buckled up. We drove into a rural northwest corner of Georgia, and looked for a place to eat lunch. We found a place named Marietta Diner and ordered. I got pancakes with strawberries and cream, Mom had French toast, and Dory got shrimp and French fries. Dory also got strawberry-flavored Jell-o, with cream on top.

Photo by Stephanie. He really was very excited about this Jell-O.

After lunch, we drove to the Etowah Indian Mounds.

Photo by Vivian.

They were built around 1000, which is 1000 years after the time when Jesus was alive (sorry if I offend your religious beliefs, I’m a Christian).  The Indian Mounds were made of packed dirt and very tall.

Photo by Stephanie. View from the top of the tallest mound.

I, unfortunately seemed to be allergic to something around there cause I was sneezing almost constantly, and am still sniffing while I write this. We climbed the stairs, which were not very high but long so you couldn’t take them two at a time without long legs. After we climbed the mound, we walked over to the river and looked at birds and stuff.

Photo by Vivian.

We left after Dory bought a walking stick. We drove to our RV park, which is more like an apartment on the ground and chilled out for a bit. We ate dinner outside until it started to rain, Mom will refute this but I felt several large drops of water on my skin. We went inside and finished our dinner there. I think that that’s all- WAIT A MINUTE HERE, HOLD UP, STOP THE PRESSES! Apparently Dory hooked up the cable and we are going to watch the tv! I gotta catch this, goodbye!

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Stephanie:

We did not, in fact, figure out how to watch cable on the TV. But since the wifi was passable, it didn’t matter.

Montgomery Day 2 of 2

Dory:

We got up and we used the RV to drive to the Legacy Museum.

Photo by Stephanie. Photography within the exhibit was not allowed.

I thought the museum was interesting because it had wave effects. The wave effects drew attention to the fact that enslaved people came here from the shores of Africa and many of them drowned.

Photo by Stephanie. “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” —Maya Angelou

Then we went to the National Peace and Justice Museum to go and see bricks hanging.

Photo by Vivian.

On each brick there were names of persons who were lynched in each county. More than 4000 were killed by lynching between 1877-1950.

Photo by Vivian.

Then we went to a Starbucks for a change and watched videos with their wifi. Then we went home.

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Vivian:

Hi friends! (And fam!) Today was reasonably slow-paced, we had a breakfast of cheese and crackers and got to driving. We drove to The Legacy Museum, unfortunately we were not able to take pictures because the people working at the museum didn’t allow it. I think we can describe it ok though. Anyway, when we entered we were subjected to bag searches, it went peacefully and we went to the first exhibit. There were these really cool sculptures made by an artist in Africa, and we moved on to an exhibit with a lot of video screens.

Photo by Stephanie. A memorial to lynching outside the Legacy Museum.

Photo by Stephanie. These busts were made by the same artist whom Vivian referenced above. There were many more in the museum in the room after the wave effects that Dory mentioned. They were there to memorialize the kidnapped Africans who were thrown overboard during the Middle Passage.

In the next room there were very interestingly spooky holding-pen-cell things that had holograms projected by cameras on the floor, the holograms were all Black and they told their stories about what it was like to be treated less than human. After all the exhibits we were feeling both hungry and tired because all the exhibits had little to no benches, so we went back to the RV which was parked in the parking lot and ate some food. Soon after we left the RV we boarded the shuttle that would take us to The Peace And Justice Memorial.

Photo by Vivian.

When we got there we entered the memorial, walked around, found the McLennan county’s history with the Lynching of several Black men, women, and children.

Photo by Stephanie. Jesse Washington was lynched in downtown Waco.

Photo by Vivian. Inside the Legacy Museum they had a whole wall of jars filled with soil from the sites where Black people were lynched. There we found the one with Jesse Washington’s soil.

Photo by Vivian. This section of the memorial was devoted to replicas of plaques memorializing lynchings in the locations where they occurred. We did not find one for McLennan County.

It was, to say the least, disturbing. I remember thinking, back at the museum, “I have no right to be here, but I need to learn this stuff.” That phrase came at me again and I steeled my nerves. 

Photo by Vivian.

After we left the memorial we got on the shuttle that would take us back to the museum, and walked back to the RV to plan the rest of the day. We decided to go to the closest Internet cafe that just so happened to be a Starbucks. When we got there me and mom ordered a cold drink each because it was hot outside and there was little air conditioning. Mom got an iced coffee and I got a…wait for it… DRAGON DRINK. I didn’t even know that that existed! For those who don’t know, a dragon drink is a purple-pink iced drink with coconut milk and dragon fruit. Anyway, after an hour and a half we left to drive back to our RV park.

Photo by Vivian. We thought the tree at our RV park in Montgomery was particularly nice.

We chilled for the rest of the day until Dory decided to make a big fuss of writing his blog post, but we ate food and got it done with, so no harm done. Au revoir!