You can do this, whether you travel abroad or stay home.
All you have to do is make a list of the things you have done.
Below, I have listed the elements of our successful vacation:
- Drove 1,213 miles on 4 wheels
- Drove on Eisenhower Interstate Highways
- Crossed the Missouri River three times
- Crossed the Mississippi River twice
- Saw the oldest two houses in Illinois
- Found Nemo (five miles south of Preston, Missouri)
- Traveled through Nevada, Mexico, Lousiana, and New Berlin
- Tented on the property where Abraham Lincoln owned a store
- Enjoyed the company of Little Gentleman’s ladybug buddy, Mr. Punypants
- Watched the kids make friends and eat s’mores in the campground
- Heard gunfire as we fell asleep in our tent
- Awoke at sunrise to owl hoots and bird singing
- Saw the original model for the engraving of the VDB penny
- Toured the only house Abraham and Mary Lincoln owned
- Directly touched the same handrail the Lincolns used
- Saw toilets in which Abraham Lincoln may have pooped
- Saw departure point of the Donner Party
- Looked at the Abraham Lincoln law office
- Admired the Missouri and Illinois state capitols
- Walked on streets where race riots inspired the creation of the NAACP
- Saw Sally Field’s and Daniel Day-Lewis’ costumes from Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln
- Visited train depot Lincoln from which Lincoln departed for the presidency
- Encountered the ghost of Abraham Lincoln
- Admired a full-sized White House replica
- Witnessed our own reflections in Lincoln mirrors
- Imagined chopping wood with Abraham Lincoln’s axe
- Admired workmanship of a replica Lincoln hearse
- Saw Mary Todd Lincoln’s wedding dress
- Contrasted our own heights with the Lincolns’
- Saw a piece of Abraham Lincoln’s body
- Witnessed John Wilkes Booth sneaking into Ford’s Theatre
- Contrasted Generals McClellan and Grant
- Gazed at the original Gutzon Borglum bust of Abe Lincoln
- Touched castings of Abe Lincoln’s face and hands
- Admired dozens of Abe Lincoln statues
- Entered the holding vault and Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery
- Found a tree with multiple cannon balls embedded
- Explored a World War I trench replica
- Visited Santa Anna’s artificial cork leg
- Toured the Melvin Price Lock
- Watched tugs push 15 barges each up the Mississippi River
- Photographed the original Missouri and Illinois capitols
- Watched a family of ducks enjoying a swim
- Took a hike in the highest mountains in Missouri
- Played in the water and climbed the big rocks at Johnson Shut-Ins
- Permitted a bobcat to cross the road in front of our car
- Spent a day at Silver Dollar City
- Attended a bluegrass concert with the Willis Clan
- Rode PowderKeg (rollercoaster) for the first time with Little Gentleman
- Watched the mist rise on Lake Taneycomo
- Shopped for bargains at the outlet mall
- Ate fast food from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Hardees, Dairy Queen, and Little Caesars
- Saw license plates from at least 36 U.S. states and one Canadian province
What have you achieved in the first weeks of your summer break?