Our Journey Back To Soldier

Breakfast was much more relaxed than yesterday!!  We checked out of the motel with plans to see the last bridge on our list and the outside Francesca's house where the movie was filmed - the inside is no longer open to the public due to a fire - what is it about all these fires around Winterset????

The Imes covered bridge is the oldest bridge - it actually sets in an extremely small town called St. Charles.  It was built in 1870.

After seeing the bridge, we had high hopes of driving past "Francesca's Home" where the movie was filmed.   We drove for several miles on a gravel road (which wasn't well marked at all) and finally gave up and headed back to Winterset.  Oh well..............

And then we started the journey back to Soldier - we took a different route than when we came out (and again stayed off the interstate) and in Guthrie Center saw another Freedom Rock!

There was a map of Iowa listing the counties that already had Freedom Rocks and ones that are being commissioned.

This Freedom Rock was in the town of Kimballton!

It was set in a lovely park with a beautiful fountain!

Also surrounding the fountain were statues depicting books written by Hans Christian Anderson!  I remember reading this book as a child.

Stopped and ate lunch at the Flour Mill - it was a cute place and we talked to a gentleman eating there that has travelled all over the world - very interesting!!

And a stop in Earling to see their Freedom Rock - they're all so unique!

We laughed and sang and had a great time together traveling home!!  It was a great "road trip" and our only regret was that Teri (our other sister) wasn't there to enjoy it with us!!

That evening the 4 of us joined Jim and Brenda for a fantastic meal over at Woodbine - we had eaten there last year and were so impressed with it that we decided to eat there again!!  Wonderful drinks, food and dessert!!  After that we headed back to Patty's for our annual farm meeting!  This was a super exciting meeting as this November, our farm will be completely paid off!!  We've waited many many years for this to happen and we are almost to that point!!  How fun it will be to burn that final mortgage paper that we've paid on all this time!!