Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, West Branch, Iowa

Tonight we're staying near West Liberty, Iowa, in a very affordable Econolodge surrounded by nothing but cornfields. This afternoon, we visited the Herbert Hoover National Historic site, in West Branch,Iowa, the town where President Hoover was born and where he lived until he was 9. Above is the two room cottage where Hoover was born and lived with his parents and his brother and sister. President Hoover and his wife are also buried there; above is a photo of the gravesite. In addition to the Hoover cottage, there are also a collection of historic homes, the schoolhouse Hoover attended and the Friends Meetinghouse where he worshiped, along with a reconstruction of his father's blacksmith shop. Also on site is the presidential library and museum.

I think it is really interesting where Presidents' choose to be buried and where they build their libraries. Hoover left here when he was 9 and never lived here again, but chose this spot for his library and burial site. He must have had great affection for his hometown; the town, in turn, is very proud of its President.

Indiana Amish Country

We're taking I-80 out to Colorado and trying to find interesting places to stay along the route. Yesterday, we spent the morning in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. (Photo Above) This is one of the 10 most visited national parks in the U.S and a lovely place to spend a few hours or a couple of days. There are a number of trails and walking paths, including a towpath along the Cuyahoga River, once part of the Ohio-Erie Canal System. There is also a scenic railroad, some historic sites, and a really pretty small town nearby, Peninsula, Ohio. If we have time, we'll spend a couple of days here on the way home.

We stayed the night in Indiana Amish Country, in a town called Shipshewana. Like Lancaster County, this is a big tourist area, for the same reasons Lancaster is popular. We had a very nice Amish-style dinner at the Blue Gate restaurant, which was a welcome break from road food.

Camp Tweedale, Oxford, PA

We dropped off Grace & Lucy yesterday for five nights at Girl Scout Camp Tweedale. This is Lucy's first year at sleepaway camp! (Grace's 5th). With the girls enjoying themselves at camp, it gives us a few days to pack up and prepare for our trip.