Today we got up early to see the Eisenhower Museum and Library before we headed out of Abilene, KS. This is one of the places we wanted to go on our last road trip, but did'nt have enough time to do so. This is a beautiful museum! We started off in his home where his family moved to when he was 6. He lived here until he was 22 with his parents, grandfather, and 5 brothers. A sixth brother died of diphtheria at 2 yrs old. The last one to live there was Ida, Dwight's mother, until she passed away in 1946. Upon her death, the home was declared a National Monument, and everything inside remains exactly as it was when the family lived there. All furnishings, nick-nacks, and pictures actually belonged to the family.
As if being one of The United State's most decorated Generals, and President of the United States were't enough accomplishments, he was also President of Columbia University and most trusted and knowledgeable advisor to every President since his own administration! He retired from the Army when he became President, but then was reinstated after he left office to his rank of 5 Star General. After his Presidency, he preferred to be addressed as General, not Mr. President. When he died, he was buried in a simple Army regulation casket.
There are so many things to see and read here! I really learned a lot about WWII, how all the different countries were involved, how much impact our leaders had on the outcome, and the overwhelming gratitude and respect General Eisenhower received from leaders across the globe! His gifts included countless crests of freedom from dozens of countries, silver tea service, gem encrusted swords, ivory, china, rooms and rooms full of really ornate things! After gaining a great deal of respect and understanding, we visited his grave site.
Then it was off to as far west as we could get today. We wanted to be able to stop by and say Hi to Amy, Kurtis and the kids at some point, but didn't think that we would make it there this soon. We decided since we were so close, we would keep driving and see if we could make Colorado Springs by dinner time. Everything looked possible, so we called to see if they wanted to meet for dinner. We were about half an hour from Colorado Springs so we planned to meet at CPK for dinner. We said we were coming from the north, so Amy gave us directions. Sounded easy! Oops, my fault - I didn't tell her what highway we were coming north on! Yes, we were a half an hour out of town, but on the complete opposite side! They waited very patiently until we finally arrived about an hour late. It was really fun to see everyone! We had a really nice visit, and caught up on everything and what everyone was up to. Tyler said "why do the lights keep blinking?" Ha ha ha! I guess we closed the restaurant! We said goodbye in the parking lot and headed to our KOA in Fountain, CO.
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