Thanksgiving - Day 6

It was sad, but we had to leave this morning. We didn't hurry, though, and the kids were able to visit with lots of people while I packed the car. It was a little harder to get all the loot back in the car than I had expected... We were ready to go by around 1130L. As we were saying goodbye, I noticed that we had a very low tire. After changing several tires this year (see JUN 2010), I was worried. Managed to make it to a gas station in nearby Eagan, where they were nice enough to let me top off the tire (turned out to just be under-inflated - maybe the cold?). With a full tank of gas, we drove almost to the IA/MN border before we had lunch (Burger King in Albert Lea). Drove south on I-35, once again getting through Des Moines with no problems. We had seen some signs on the way up that mentioned the Bridges of Madison County and birthplace of John Wayne, so I got off the interstate at the first available opportunity. The road was rather rural (very curvy), but the scenery was very pretty. Found a few of the bridges that were in the movies (Eastwood and Streep) - Nicky is always happy to see those (e.g., JUN 1997). Ended up in the town of Winterset - where John Wayne was born. It was a nice little town with a few more covered bridges and a statue (memorial) to the Duke. We took a few photos and bought some souvenirs before getting back on the road (IA-92). We saw a stunning sunset as we got back on I-35... Made good time, stopping only to eat dinner and get gas in Osceola, IA (1730L). The rest of the driving to our hotel went pretty well (no delays in Kansas City). The only tough part of the trip was when we got close to our hotel - we arrived from a different direction and ended up on a poorly lit road near the Kansas Motor Speedway. Eventually located the Village West area (whew). We stayed in the same place as we did last time we were here, the Holiday Inn Express (see JUN 2010). Went straight to bed...