We awoke on day three of our journey in our Chicago to 13 degree weather with lots of wind. It would end up being the coldest morning of our entire trip.

While normally we aim for Hampton Inns, Chicago was particularly crowded this time of year and the only hotel available to us was a DoubleTree Inn and Suites just outside Chicago.

I have never stayed in this hotel chain before but I really love the concept. The hotels are designed around a large center atrium. Generally, the restaurant and pool are in this center atrium. All of the rooms circle the atrium. You can look over the balcony outside your hotel room door and see what is going on in the atrium or look at other guests on their balconies doing the same. It creates a nice homelike, community vibe. You don’t feel like you have been filed away in a small room. Instead, you are part of one large party. This format would be ideal for conferences, retreats or weddings where you want people to mingle.

Each room is a small suite. There are large entry doors to the room, a sitting area with couch, TV, desk and kitchenette and a separate bedroom area in the back that is closed off by a connecting door. It feels like a small home. The kids went crazy for the concept. It was so nice to have the extra space. I used the sitting room for exercise and it was also nice to have two spaces so that people could make noise in one space while others have quiet time or rest in the other.

One interesting organizational feature of this hotel was its segmented garbage cans where you “filed” your trash into garbage and recycling.

After two full days of activities, day three ended up being a mellow Sunday drive. It’s a little tough driving through the heartland on a Sunday in wintertime as most things are closed or open limited hours.

We had to adjust our expectations to simply enjoy the scenery. And there was plenty to enjoy.

Soon, we crossed into Iowa.

We made our way to our first destination, a skybridge in Davenport, Iowa that would give us a chance to get out of the car, stretch our legs and have a great view of the Mississippi River while still being protected from the wind and cold.

We burned off a little stir-craziness from the car ride by having everyone run and jump in the skybridge. The kids thought this was great.

The skybridge connects part of the city to a casino near the river. Inside there is music playing. At night, it is apparently lit with festive red and green lights. While we were in the skybridge, this song was playing, which was a perfect fit.

Seeing a homeless man sleeping at one end of the skybridge was a sobering reminder to be so grateful for all that we had.

As we exited the skybridge near the casino, we were treated to more music of the retro variety.

We drove on, passing “The World’s Largest Truck Stop.”

We stopped at the fine eatery below for lunch. Recognize it?

Believe it or not, this is a McDonald’s! I was shocked. Apparently, McDonald’s is experimenting with a more modern look, including bright colors and contemporary furniture. We thought it was great!

The rest of the day we drove on through more farmland.

And to answer the burning question, “What are cows in Iowa up to these days?” I offer this papparazzi shot.

More landscape followed punctuated by wind turbines.

We also noticed the first appearance on our journey of water windmills, that seem to appear primarily in the middle of the country and almost nowhere else.

The sun began to set in a dramatic way.

Soon, we reached the Nebraska border.

We checked into our hotel, another Doubletree Suites since the children loved it so much. The staff had decorated a Christmas tree in the atrium and it was a festive touch.

Day three was a bit lacking in highlights but it was still great and helped us rest up for more adventures the next morning.

*I am not affiliated with any product or service mentioned in this post.