Total Eclipse Vacation - Quick Recap

Okay guys, so now that I've had some time to relax and get all of the blog posts written and videos made and photos edited, how about a recap? 

• Day 1 - Flying from our city to Jonesboro, Arkansas
• Day 2 - Exploring Cairo, Ft. Defiance State Park, and dining at Lambert's 
• Day 3 - Fitz's, Crown Candy Kitchen, and The Gateway Arch 
• Day 4 - Rocky Valley Hike and a Brush with the Law
• Day 5 - Enjoying a Lazy Day at Home
• Day 6 - The Entire Reason We're Here: the Eclipse
• Day 7 - Uranus Fudge Factory & Redmon's Candy Factory 
• Day 8 - Memphis, Flying Home, and Air Sickness

This vacation was certainly not the one I planned... I had a ton more activities that I wanted to do, but thanks to that cold/sinus infection/whatever it was, we both had to scale back on what we could get done. 

What we didn't get to do:

• Take the tram to the top of the Gateway Arch
• Ride the St. Louis Light Rail from one end to the other
• View the Arch from the Mississippi Overlook across the river
• Visit St. Louis Union Station and ride the Ferris Wheel
• Walk across the Mississippi River in Memphis via Big River Crossing pedestrian Bridge
• Hike in Mount Magazine State Park or Petit Jean State Park
• Drive more of Route 66
• Spend more time in Little Rock, Arkansas

Yeah, I'm bummed about some of these (like the Arch, and the hiking), but all in all, this was still a good vacation, and frankly, I'd take a crappy day on vacation over a great day in the office every single time. I think we spent much more time driving than I first expected, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because I love the open road, but I think that Garmin being a bitch about avoiding highways added way too much extra time that could have been spent elsewhere. 

What did we love or hate?

I was thoroughly surprised by two things... how much Hubby loved hiking, and how well he tolerated the flying. He was positively giddy about getting on a trail, and cool as a cucumber during the entire flight process. Personally, I also loved the hiking, though maybe not that specific trail, and definitely not while sick! I was really wanting to do a hike that was pretty and had a great view or payoff at the end, and this wasn't the one. But that's okay. 

Neither of us were impressed with Lambert's... it's one of those places that seem so cool when you see it on TV, but when you get there, it's blah and unappealing. Although, if I could get a dozen rolls to go, that would be amazing. 

Cairo & Fort Defiance was probably the biggest bust of the whole trip. I was expecting a cool fort and the opportunity to touch two rivers, but I got a sad tugboat and a failing Union town. There's a great YouTube video that details why Cairo has fallen, you can watch it here. 

I wish we'd tried all of the treats from Crown Candy Kitchen while we were still there. You'll see in our video (Day 3) how delicious everything was... I would have stuffed my suitcase full of those peanut butter eggs if I'd known they were that amazing. 

The weather was great - highs in the 60s kept us sweat-free and gave us reasons to cuddle together!

I, of course, hated that I forgot my freakin' Dramamine and was miserable for four hours! 

What would we do again? 

• Go to the Gateway Arch - this time with pre-purchased online reservation in hand!
• Buy more candy at Crown Candy Kitchen
• Hike at more locations
• Fly! Now that flying is a possibility, there are so many places we can explore! 

What did I learn from this trip? 

• Reservations are important! I had made a note to reserve Arch tram tickets before we left, and I forgot. And that came back to bite me in the butt. 
• Research is important! I need to review restaurant menus more closely so we don't end up in a restaurant that doesn't have food we don't really want to eat. 
• Bring the good Sudafed all the time! At home, I use generic pseudoephedrine when I'm stuffed up because I'm just chillin', not out livin' my life, so I can be a little more stuffed up and miserable. But if I'm on vacation, I don't want to be miserable! 
• Take. The. Dramamine... 'nuff said.