Part II - Good bye Ike Hello Mr. Lincoln

September 14: 
After a stormy night at the Park Hills Motel and RV lodge (sorry, again Mr. Manager, for waking you up at 12 am), we continued our journey. We were more determined and feeling a little more confident in our ability to deal with the unexpected. Being several hours behind Ike now, we made great progress through Missouri after a quick stop for more fans to help dry out our carpeting. Our final destination for the day was Springfield, Illinois.
I was becoming very anxious to get to Springfield. Out of all of our destinations this was the one I was most excited to see. Springfield, Illinois as most of you know, is the “Home of Lincoln” and the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library. President Lincoln is one of my personal heroes.
We arrived in Springfield late in the afternoon and had to be guided into the KOA/Springfield via cell phone by a very nice lady named Linda. Springfield has just had its close-up with Ike and the main road into the campground was flooded. So, we wound our way through corn fields and farms until we reached our site. Thankfully there was a laundry room so we could wash and dry the pile of wet towels we had accumulated trying to stop the deluge from the previous night.

September 15
Next morning we were off to the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. We were greeted by the Executive Director, Rick Beard, who was very gracious in offering us a tour of the museum vault where thousands of Lincoln related items are stored. Unfortunately, we only had about an hour to see and do everything the museum had to offer, so we never made it to the vault. We had to be back in St. Louis by 2 p.m. to meet with a class of 5th graders, so I made a mad dash through the museum to take in everything I could. And there was so much!
The museum is a state-of-the-art experience, thanks to BRC Imagination Arts. Every exhibit has something for the eyes and ears. You start your journey in Lincoln’s boyhood cabin and wind your way through scene after scene. Lincoln grows into adulthood right before your eyes. Next, after Lincoln is elected President, you follow him through his White House years, the civil war and eventually his tragic murder. As I rounded the corner that leads to the scene of Lincoln lying in state, I became unexpectedly emotional. The exhibits are that powerful.
In addition to the exhibits, we had just enough time to watch two film presentations, “The Eyes of Lincoln” and “Ghosts of the Library.” Both are exceptional and full of surprises, from moving chairs to hologram technology—not to mention the content, which is educational and fun. (What a great combo!) If you ever get a chance to go to the Lincoln Library, whether you’re a fan of Lincoln or not, this is an experience everyone should have.
We said our farewell to Mr. Beard, but I was sad to leave.  There was so much more to see in Springfield. But we were on to our next stop and one that was equally as rewarding.
Back in St. Louis we had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Decker’s 5th grade class at Kennard Classical Junior Academy. What a great group of kids! They were all very smart and asked some really great questions. After my presentation, they all wrote letters to a 4th grade class at Mary E. Silveira School in San Rafael, Calif., near San Francisco. After the letters were collected the class came down to see the RV and meet Eddie and Charlie.  (Class, the letters are safe and sound and on their way!)
I know they are reading this, so I want to thank them again for letting me come into their class for a visit, and to talk with them about the Butterfield Overland Mail and Wells Fargo. It was a great visit!
After a full day, we were starved and headed to downtown St. Louis for some BBQ, and then to our next campsite, KOA in Granite City, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River. Tomorrow, the official trip begins and we’re really excited to get started. After traveling for hours and hours and miles and miles every day, it will be nice to only have to go a few miles a day and to finally get to stop and take in some of the interesting sites along the way. So, stay tuned!