Vacation Part 3

The next day we were in Mississippi.  God obviously has a sense of humor.  After all the Civil War battlefields I was forced to visit as a kid, I swore I would never go to another one as an adult.  Then I married Kevin who is apparently just as enthralled with battlefields as my brother was (sigh).

We also drove part of the Natchez Parkway.  Some time we would like to drive all 400 some odd miles of it- from Nashville, TN to Louisiana.  We didn't have time this trip, but we did go to the Visitor's Center, walk part of the Old Trace to see the unknown Confederate soldier's graves, and see one of the Indian burial mound sites.

Back on the road again!

We made it to Georgia!

Oh look... another day... another battlefield!  Although I have to admit now that I have one of the National Park Passport books, I actually like going so I can get the stamps!

The kids were worn out and Oma, Opa, and Uncle Robert hadn't even arrived yet!

The next morning, we went to the Martin Luther King Jr's Historic Site.

The cart that transported MLK's coffin.

Kaitlyn working on her Jr. Ranger booklet.

The church where MLK was co-pastor with his father.

The firehouse that served MLK's neighborhood.  It has been turned into a museum that tells the story of the desegregation of the Atlanta Fire Department.  After we left, a fire truck went racing by with its lights and siren on.  Kaitlyn was so excited that one of the firefighters waved at her from the truck.

The house MLK was born in.

Vacation Part 2

Our first stop of the morning was Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.  Kaitlyn earned another Jr. Ranger badge.

We continued our trip south and stopped at Mammoth Cave next.  It was so hot out!  We loved going into the nice and cool cave. Kenzie liked the dark, cool cave so much she fell asleep almost immediately after we got inside!

We spent the night in Memphis, so we could go to panda stop number 1 the next morning... the Memphis Zoo.  It was so exciting to be there for the eclipse!  We already had our own glasses, but the zoo had a thousand pairs to give out as well.  They also had viewing stations set up in front of certain animal exhibits, so people could view the changes in animal behavior during the eclipse.  Memphis experienced 94% totality. We watched near the elephants.  The zoo's streetlights came on and the elephants headed for the back of their enclosure towards bed!  It was so cool!

I have tried to put various hats on Kenzie for pictures while she slept, but the little snot always wakes up immediately and rips them off.  I actually laughed at Kevin when I saw him try to put the glasses on Kenzie, but she was out!

There were 3 baby giraffes.  One was born just the week before!

Of course, we had to swing back around to visit the pandas one more time!