I Like Ike, but the ER can Take a Hike!

Before you read any further--everyone is okay.  We just hit our first "bump" in the road. Rosalie tripped and fell outside the Eisenhower Museum, smacking her head.  We wanted to get it checked out at the hospital and she is okay.

Since we did oversleep and miss the continental breakfast (although, I am suspicious about there even being one - that motel was not exactly as advertised, but when you roll in at 1:30 a.m., I guess you can't really complain about no hot water and a smoking room).

Our first stop was the Boot Hill museum.  We cruised around a found a t-shirt for Arthur and Dad and added to Jane and Grace's ever-growing penny collection.  It was a little pricey to go in, so we contented ourselves with looking through the fence at the mock-town (and were just in time to see the gunfight between Wyatt Earp and the outlaws. Jane was impressed.  Grace, not so much).  There was a neat locomotive parked in the parking lot so we climbed aboard so the girls could pretend to be engineers.  Then we "got the heck out of Dodge."  (Man, I've been wanting to say that ever since I knew we'd be driving through!)

The girls were excited to eat in a stagecoach at the
Dodge City McDonald's!)

Cute little "Stinger" at the Boot Hill museum. Arthur noted
it had a HAM license plate.

Getting out of Dodge. (You knew that was coming.)

Getting out of Dodge. (Bet you didn't think it was coming again!)

Good-bye, Dodge City!

It was only a four hour drive to Wamego (Wah-MEE-go) and so we figured we'd get to the hotel early. Take a swim, maybe do some laundry and get the kids to bed early. (Insert foreshadowing here.) As we were driving through Abilene, we noticed a historical sign saying that it was the childhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  We couldn't say no to that and so veered off for a little side trip.  Very well worth it! The grounds were beautiful and the lady in the gift shop patiently listened as Jane and Grace told her pretty much every detail of our trip so far and what we're doing next.  She then offered to play the Eisenhower film for us in the auditorium, even though it was almost time to close and we were the only ones there.  We were excited to watch it.  Grace and Rosalie jogged around the front of the room getting their wiggles out while Jane, Arthur and I found out all about the Eisenhower administration.  We then got our souvenir pennies (the girls are up to four each now) and toured the grounds which were open until sunset.  

Grace spotted a bunny eating flowers. Can you see it?

Eisenhower's boyhood home.

The chapel where President Eisenhower,
Mamie and their young son David are buried.

Burial site.

Jane told me she is going to name her son Ike
someday and when he gets older and decides
he doesn't like it, she'll tell him he's named
after a president.

Let me down, Dad!

Really, we're not horrible parents--this is
what she was doing when disaster struck.

Arthur had carried Rosalie up to this point, but she was both sick of being carried and extremely exhausted and just wanted DOWN. Arthur was holding her hand, but it was a little warm and she was sweating and just slipped out of his hand and fell, hitting her head on the concrete.  I was rushing ahead to help Grace make one last stop at the bathroom before we left and her the screams. By the time I got back, Arthur had her in her car seat with a icy Capri Sun on the bump, but it had swelled to the size of a lemon.  Neither of us had seen anything like that happen before and were very afraid.  I called 911 and they sent an ambulance. The security guard heard it on his scanner and came rushing out to help us flag the paramedics down.

We were so relieved when they checked her out and said it didn't look to be a concussion and that we shouldn't waste $600 for an ambulance ride, just head to the hospital ourselves five minutes away.  The swelling had started to lessen a little and they gave us a better ice pack for her head.  Meanwhile, poor Jane was inconsolable.  Poor thing, whenever something bad happens she immediately concludes that it's somehow her fault.  I was busy giving my information to the ambulance people, but the sweet paramedic took the time to talk to her and help calm her down.  Meanwhile, Grace was super excited to see an ambulance close up and really wanted her picture with it.  The paramedic very kindly acquiesced.  I spent the next two hours slow-dancing to Beatles Muzak in the hospital with Rosalie.  But, they examined her and were pretty confident that all was as it should be.  Just in case they gave us the information for the Wamego Hospital and Arthur and I took turns rousing her every now and then during the night last night, but she appears fine.  Of course, she'll have a walnut-size knot in her head today, but other than that, she is fine.

Memorial Hospital System - Abilene, Kansas
The nurses are very nice there! In fact, one of them will be
out visiting Disneyland later this month and was excited to
talk to Southern California natives.

Interesting roadside attraction on the way out of town.

No, I can't actually believe they invented an
"Atomic Cannon" either--but there it sits on
the top of the hill.

We did finish reading The Wizard of Oz on our way to Wamego.  Can't wait to see the Oz Museum tomorrow.  And then, we have two big, soft, comfy Queen size beds in our room and where does Grace insist on sleeping? (Answer below.)