0650 - Wake up. Take a shower. It's nice to take my shower in the morning instead of at night. I had been showering after swimming each evening but last night I decided that I'd really rather start out the next day with a shower instead. Then time to pack. The swimsuits are still wet. I'll be glad when we get to the beach so the suits can dry between each use and we won't have to wear damp, clammy suits anymore! [updated to add: once we got to the beach we got the suits and one load of laundry dry but then it started to rain and we spent the next two days hanging and re-hanging the laundry between rainshowers trying to get it all dry! So much for being dry once we got to the beach...]
0840 - Back from the insanity that is a free breakfast in a hotel during the summer. I'm not sure how we managed to avoid it so far or maybe it was just bothering me today since we've been on the road for a week now. Too many people in too small of a space trying to feed themselves and their families. After breakfast we went back to Cracker Barrel since Grandma had promised to buy the kids something (and last night when she finally came back to find us there she had already put her purse away in the room).
0852 - Loaded in the car. Garbage is out. GPS is programmed.
0856 - Starbucks Drive-Thru. Mmmm!
0915 - Pennsylvania. Notice the color-coded detour signs once more. I wonder what it's all about. [and now I have googled it - they are pre-planned detour routes that make it easier for the police to re-route traffic in case of an accident or other emergency. Cool. More states should do that. And here is where you can read more about it.]
1017 - Gouldsborough for gas $2.69/gallon. Go to Burger King for snacks. Time for a movie. Turns out Ryan doesn't want to share. He wants to watch it alone. I told him no. In the car everyone is allowed to watch whatever is playing. He pouts a bit while the girls turn on Bolt. Then he ends up watching it anyway. After Bolt is over he takes the DVD player to watch his new Garfield movie alone with his headphones on. Strange.
1103 - Crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey.
12:15 p.m. The kids finally decide that they are close enough to play their Race game (racing other cars on the highway) to race the cousins to the beach house. About that time, Grandma called Grandpa and found out he and the cousins are still in the Chicago airport. That's the end of Race. "Never mind. Let's stop playing," they said.
12:25 p.m. Garden State Parkway
1:40 p.m. Arrive at the beach house.
2:50 p.m. Car has been unloaded and all the windows opened. A few outdoor things have been carried out of the house onto the porch. Time to go to the grocery store!
3:00 p.m. Stop at Wendys for a late lunch. I tried the new Buffalo Chicken - WAY TOO SPICY!!! The Asian Chicken that Ryan ordered was much better.
3:20 p.m. Done at Costco. I even bought a new atlas that doesn't have pages falling out!
4:58 p.m. Back at the house to unload.
5:07 p.m. Now off to the regular grocery store.
It only took us 3 hours to completely fill the empty refrigerator. Not sure we'll be able to eat it all in one weekend... The cousins have arrived and all are playing happily together once more. The Racinez-McLaughlin Beach House Invasion of 2009 has begun!
Showing posts with label mini road trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mini road trip. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Mini Trip - Day 6
Did you know there are fireworks at Niagara Falls? Neither did we. About 10:00 last night, fireworks started going off practically right outside our window, over the falls. What a fun surprise!
**
0650 Wake up – time to pack.
0750 1st trip to the car. The weather is gorgeous today! Cool and sunny.
0757 Leave the room for the last time.
0800 Leave the hotel – the car is getting fuller. When we left on this trip, I was thinking that maybe we could do our summer trip without the roof box. Now I’m starting to wonder.
0827 Lake Erie!
0850 McD’s for breakfast. The kids all ate cinnamelts for breakfast. They say that they like the brownie melts better. We decided that the brownie melts are no worse for you than the cinnamelts, really. Maybe next time we will eat brownies for breakfast!
0916 Leaving McD’s.
1000 Arrive at Paula’s parents’ house. 10:00 on the dot – couldn’t do that again if I tried! Guess I wasn’t kidding when I said we’d be there at 10.
1100 Leave to go on a hike at Zoar Valley. When we get there, Evan found a totally cool, totally tiny frog. Less than an inch long. I tried to take a picture but realized my lens was ruined. Must have been the water drops at the falls. I get out the other camera and get a picture but it isn’t the close-up I wanted. The state has made some improvements at the park and now we can’t easily hike down to the creek anymore so we decide to go cherry picking instead. Load everyone up and take off for the orchard.
12:15 p.m. Finished picking. Filled almost a whole bucket and had a total of 11 pounds including the ones Paula had.
12:45 p.m. Back at Paula’s parents’ house. Time for lunch – yummy hot dogs! – and then fishing in the neighbor’s pond. All of the kids caught at least one fish and posed for photos before releasing them back into the water. We terminated our fishing time when two fish in a row swallowed the hook. It was time to leave anyway. Paula drove Grandma R to buy some syrup at another neighbor’s house. Syrup from the maple trees at Paula’s parents’ house and other maples in the neighborhood.
2:36 p.m. Leaving. We had a lovely visit. The weather was perfect and the countryside was beautiful. And though we had planned to leave at 2, I knew it would probably be 2:30-3 before we actually left. Turns out I was right about that too!
3:18 p.m. McD’s in Salamanca for iced coffee and a snack and water.
3:40 p.m. Turns out they didn’t give us our water at McD’s so we stop at a gas station. $2.67/gallon. It is a full-service station which surprised me but the attendant said it was because the station was on the Indian reservation.
4:25 p.m. Oh my gosh! I FINALLY see what the highway sign is! I have been looking at every sign for the Southern Tier Expressway, trying to figure it out. I was trying to make the white part of the picture into a portion of the state but it didn't make any sense. The road runs in a fairly straight line across the southern border of New York. But the white on the left side of the sign looks like a piece of New Jersey or something. It's actually a picture of an Indian. The green part is the picture and the white part is just background. It's like that black and white picture of the old woman and the young lady - depending on where you focus that affects what you see. Click here to see a picture of the sign. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out that sign!
4:33 p.m. Stop at a scenic overlook. Once again, disappointment. We can see farther than the last overlook we stopped at but really - not all that amazing.
5:21 p.m. Pass the hotel in Corning that we stayed at the other day. The kids are in shock. We've just gone in a big circle! Highly unusual for our road trip to back-track like that.
5:51 p.m. Pennsylvania! And then less than a minute later, we are back in New York! What a crazy highway!
6:28 p.m. Arrive at our hotel in Binghamton, NY. Go to dinner at Cracker Barrel. While Grandma R is paying, the kids are I are shopping in the gift shop area. Grandma thought we had left without her so she went back to the hotel looking for us. Meanwhile, I'm at Cracker Barrel wondering where she disappeared to. I of course didn't have my cell phone with me so I couldn't call to find out. Eventually she came back to the restaurant and found us.
After all of that we go to the pool for a swim. The water is warm - yea! Even better, the hot tub is HOT! I only let them swim for an hour because it is getting close to 10:00 already. Back to the room to shower and change into pajamas. Ron skypes us and the kids get to talk to him before going to bed. Ice Age 2 is showing on Fx so we all watch while falling asleep.
**
0650 Wake up – time to pack.
0750 1st trip to the car. The weather is gorgeous today! Cool and sunny.
0757 Leave the room for the last time.
0800 Leave the hotel – the car is getting fuller. When we left on this trip, I was thinking that maybe we could do our summer trip without the roof box. Now I’m starting to wonder.
0827 Lake Erie!
0850 McD’s for breakfast. The kids all ate cinnamelts for breakfast. They say that they like the brownie melts better. We decided that the brownie melts are no worse for you than the cinnamelts, really. Maybe next time we will eat brownies for breakfast!
0916 Leaving McD’s.
1000 Arrive at Paula’s parents’ house. 10:00 on the dot – couldn’t do that again if I tried! Guess I wasn’t kidding when I said we’d be there at 10.
1100 Leave to go on a hike at Zoar Valley. When we get there, Evan found a totally cool, totally tiny frog. Less than an inch long. I tried to take a picture but realized my lens was ruined. Must have been the water drops at the falls. I get out the other camera and get a picture but it isn’t the close-up I wanted. The state has made some improvements at the park and now we can’t easily hike down to the creek anymore so we decide to go cherry picking instead. Load everyone up and take off for the orchard.
12:15 p.m. Finished picking. Filled almost a whole bucket and had a total of 11 pounds including the ones Paula had.
12:45 p.m. Back at Paula’s parents’ house. Time for lunch – yummy hot dogs! – and then fishing in the neighbor’s pond. All of the kids caught at least one fish and posed for photos before releasing them back into the water. We terminated our fishing time when two fish in a row swallowed the hook. It was time to leave anyway. Paula drove Grandma R to buy some syrup at another neighbor’s house. Syrup from the maple trees at Paula’s parents’ house and other maples in the neighborhood.
2:36 p.m. Leaving. We had a lovely visit. The weather was perfect and the countryside was beautiful. And though we had planned to leave at 2, I knew it would probably be 2:30-3 before we actually left. Turns out I was right about that too!
3:18 p.m. McD’s in Salamanca for iced coffee and a snack and water.
3:40 p.m. Turns out they didn’t give us our water at McD’s so we stop at a gas station. $2.67/gallon. It is a full-service station which surprised me but the attendant said it was because the station was on the Indian reservation.
4:25 p.m. Oh my gosh! I FINALLY see what the highway sign is! I have been looking at every sign for the Southern Tier Expressway, trying to figure it out. I was trying to make the white part of the picture into a portion of the state but it didn't make any sense. The road runs in a fairly straight line across the southern border of New York. But the white on the left side of the sign looks like a piece of New Jersey or something. It's actually a picture of an Indian. The green part is the picture and the white part is just background. It's like that black and white picture of the old woman and the young lady - depending on where you focus that affects what you see. Click here to see a picture of the sign. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out that sign!
4:33 p.m. Stop at a scenic overlook. Once again, disappointment. We can see farther than the last overlook we stopped at but really - not all that amazing.
5:21 p.m. Pass the hotel in Corning that we stayed at the other day. The kids are in shock. We've just gone in a big circle! Highly unusual for our road trip to back-track like that.
5:51 p.m. Pennsylvania! And then less than a minute later, we are back in New York! What a crazy highway!
6:28 p.m. Arrive at our hotel in Binghamton, NY. Go to dinner at Cracker Barrel. While Grandma R is paying, the kids are I are shopping in the gift shop area. Grandma thought we had left without her so she went back to the hotel looking for us. Meanwhile, I'm at Cracker Barrel wondering where she disappeared to. I of course didn't have my cell phone with me so I couldn't call to find out. Eventually she came back to the restaurant and found us.
After all of that we go to the pool for a swim. The water is warm - yea! Even better, the hot tub is HOT! I only let them swim for an hour because it is getting close to 10:00 already. Back to the room to shower and change into pajamas. Ron skypes us and the kids get to talk to him before going to bed. Ice Age 2 is showing on Fx so we all watch while falling asleep.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Mini Trip - Day 5
0645 - Wake up
0700 - Alarm goes off. Wake up the kids.
0720 - Ready to go to breakfast. Realize it's raining outside. Not the best weather for a walking tour of Niagara Falls but oh well. It's now or never!
0845 - Arrive at the Falls visitor center. Try to buy a trolley ticket. The information desk clerk tells us to go downstairs to buy a ticket. So we go downstairs, peruse the gift shop, then stop at a ticket booth. The man there tells us that we have to buy trolley tickets at the booth outside. We go to the booth outside and it is closed until 9 a.m. So we go back inside to find out where to buy tickets. The man sends us back upstairs. He tells us to use the handicap elevator since at this moment there are about a million bus tour people pouring down the stairs at us. So much for coming early to beat the crowd. Upstairs, we wait at a different ticket booth and are finally able to buy trolley tickets. We walk over to see the falls then decide to walk over to Goat Island. We'll pick up the trolley later to get a driving tour of the island and a ride back to the visitor center. Walk across the bridge. The rapids are below us. I'd love to take a picture but the bridge is very strong and tall and so full of metal that we can barely see through much less take a picture. Guess they don't want anyone to fall in. We arrive at the Cave of the Winds ticket booth and stand in line for about 20 minutes. Finally we are issued in to get our free ponchos and shoes. Then follow the signs to the elevator. Ride the elevator down and follow the crowd. It stinks of seagull poop - this is apparently their main hang out. Not completely overwhelming but definitely there. We walk along the stairs and boardwalk, eventually climbing up to the Hurricane Deck. (Grandma R opted to skip this section!) This is where we got VERY WET! Ryan of course loved it and the girls liked it to. I even went all the way to the back fence of the deck to get wet. I figured- I'm here. Already getting a little wet. Might as well go for the whole experience! Once we are completely soaked, we ride the elevator back up then get on the next trolley. Get off at Terrapin Point to look at Horseshoe Falls. The kids are getting cold now in the rain with their wet clothes. Go inside the gift shop to warm up and buy our souvenirs. Decide to eat lunch upstairs at the Top of the Falls Restaurant. It is not busy but the air conditioning is running full blast so the kids are starting to shiver and turn blue. I decide to go back downstairs and buy the tie-dye sweatshirt blanket I saw and liked. More expensive than it should be but at least it's a big blanket - twin size - and it kept all 3 of my precious babies warm while we were eating lunch. :)
After lunch we waited about 15 minutes for the next trolley. It is still raining (just a light rain thankfully!) so of course the trolley is packed. We cram ourselves in and ride around Goat Island. After we cross the bridge we drive right past our hotel. Unfortunately the trolley only stops inside the park so we had to keep riding on around the loop and back to the Visitor's Center then walk the 3 blocks or so back to the hotel. Upstairs to dry out and warm up.
Our favorite parts of Niagara Falls:
R - the Hurricane Deck
B - getting wet
F - getting to the waterfall (translation: Cave of the Winds tour)
L - the mist and the Cave of the Winds
S - Hurricane Deck and the whole Cave of the Winds, getting up close and personal with the falls
1:15 p.m. Talk to Ron. Ask him to find us a hotel for tomorrow night. Talk about other stuff like how my email program doesn't like to send outgoing mail at this hotel, how he stayed out until 2 last night with Jed, how I have to fish-sit and babysit when I get back.
1:30 p.m. Head out for the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.
3:13 p.m. Done at the museum. It was a great activity for a rainy Sunday afternoon. It is small and quiet - only a few other visitors there at the same time. They had a kids' activities section so Bella and Felisa did and art project while Ryan and I played checkers. Normally I would have been champing at the bit to keep going and finish up the tour but today it was just right. I knew it was raining (heavier at the time!) and that we had nowhere else to be today. The kids were content and happy there so there was no need to rush back to the hotel room where they could get bored and start driving me crazy!
Our favorite parts of the museum:
F - the carousel
R - the scavenger hunt
L - the painted horses
B - drawing a picture of Care Bear
S - how the 1916 carrousel can still be running today. Carrousels are so simple and classic - they are always a favorite and not so complicated that they will break down easily.
3:20 p.m. Iced coffee at McD's. They have Brownie Melts too so we order some to try out.
3:30 p.m. Stop for gas in North Tonawanda, NY $2.79/gallon
Back at the hotel we chow down on the brownie bites. Mmmmm.... sweet and chocolatey. Enjoy a bit more down time. I think one of the keys to my sanity is balancing enough down time for me with enough activity for the kids. We have the TV on and find out that Billy Mays died. Just the other day, Ryan was copying Billy Mays' speaking style. So sad to hear of his passing. Billy Mays is also the guy that Melissa thought our waiter looked like when we ate dinner on top of Sandia Peak.
0700 - Alarm goes off. Wake up the kids.
0720 - Ready to go to breakfast. Realize it's raining outside. Not the best weather for a walking tour of Niagara Falls but oh well. It's now or never!
0845 - Arrive at the Falls visitor center. Try to buy a trolley ticket. The information desk clerk tells us to go downstairs to buy a ticket. So we go downstairs, peruse the gift shop, then stop at a ticket booth. The man there tells us that we have to buy trolley tickets at the booth outside. We go to the booth outside and it is closed until 9 a.m. So we go back inside to find out where to buy tickets. The man sends us back upstairs. He tells us to use the handicap elevator since at this moment there are about a million bus tour people pouring down the stairs at us. So much for coming early to beat the crowd. Upstairs, we wait at a different ticket booth and are finally able to buy trolley tickets. We walk over to see the falls then decide to walk over to Goat Island. We'll pick up the trolley later to get a driving tour of the island and a ride back to the visitor center. Walk across the bridge. The rapids are below us. I'd love to take a picture but the bridge is very strong and tall and so full of metal that we can barely see through much less take a picture. Guess they don't want anyone to fall in. We arrive at the Cave of the Winds ticket booth and stand in line for about 20 minutes. Finally we are issued in to get our free ponchos and shoes. Then follow the signs to the elevator. Ride the elevator down and follow the crowd. It stinks of seagull poop - this is apparently their main hang out. Not completely overwhelming but definitely there. We walk along the stairs and boardwalk, eventually climbing up to the Hurricane Deck. (Grandma R opted to skip this section!) This is where we got VERY WET! Ryan of course loved it and the girls liked it to. I even went all the way to the back fence of the deck to get wet. I figured- I'm here. Already getting a little wet. Might as well go for the whole experience! Once we are completely soaked, we ride the elevator back up then get on the next trolley. Get off at Terrapin Point to look at Horseshoe Falls. The kids are getting cold now in the rain with their wet clothes. Go inside the gift shop to warm up and buy our souvenirs. Decide to eat lunch upstairs at the Top of the Falls Restaurant. It is not busy but the air conditioning is running full blast so the kids are starting to shiver and turn blue. I decide to go back downstairs and buy the tie-dye sweatshirt blanket I saw and liked. More expensive than it should be but at least it's a big blanket - twin size - and it kept all 3 of my precious babies warm while we were eating lunch. :)
After lunch we waited about 15 minutes for the next trolley. It is still raining (just a light rain thankfully!) so of course the trolley is packed. We cram ourselves in and ride around Goat Island. After we cross the bridge we drive right past our hotel. Unfortunately the trolley only stops inside the park so we had to keep riding on around the loop and back to the Visitor's Center then walk the 3 blocks or so back to the hotel. Upstairs to dry out and warm up.
Our favorite parts of Niagara Falls:
R - the Hurricane Deck
B - getting wet
F - getting to the waterfall (translation: Cave of the Winds tour)
L - the mist and the Cave of the Winds
S - Hurricane Deck and the whole Cave of the Winds, getting up close and personal with the falls
1:15 p.m. Talk to Ron. Ask him to find us a hotel for tomorrow night. Talk about other stuff like how my email program doesn't like to send outgoing mail at this hotel, how he stayed out until 2 last night with Jed, how I have to fish-sit and babysit when I get back.
1:30 p.m. Head out for the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.
3:13 p.m. Done at the museum. It was a great activity for a rainy Sunday afternoon. It is small and quiet - only a few other visitors there at the same time. They had a kids' activities section so Bella and Felisa did and art project while Ryan and I played checkers. Normally I would have been champing at the bit to keep going and finish up the tour but today it was just right. I knew it was raining (heavier at the time!) and that we had nowhere else to be today. The kids were content and happy there so there was no need to rush back to the hotel room where they could get bored and start driving me crazy!
Our favorite parts of the museum:
F - the carousel
R - the scavenger hunt
L - the painted horses
B - drawing a picture of Care Bear
S - how the 1916 carrousel can still be running today. Carrousels are so simple and classic - they are always a favorite and not so complicated that they will break down easily.
3:20 p.m. Iced coffee at McD's. They have Brownie Melts too so we order some to try out.
3:30 p.m. Stop for gas in North Tonawanda, NY $2.79/gallon
Back at the hotel we chow down on the brownie bites. Mmmmm.... sweet and chocolatey. Enjoy a bit more down time. I think one of the keys to my sanity is balancing enough down time for me with enough activity for the kids. We have the TV on and find out that Billy Mays died. Just the other day, Ryan was copying Billy Mays' speaking style. So sad to hear of his passing. Billy Mays is also the guy that Melissa thought our waiter looked like when we ate dinner on top of Sandia Peak.
Decided to be brave and adventurous again. Drove to a restaurant in Little Italy for dinner. The neighborhood between here and there wasn't the best but the food was good. Once back at the hotel the kids played while they waited for swimming time. Then an hour or so in the pool, showers, and now we're watching Wall-E before bed. Tomorrow back on the road again.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Mini Trip - Day 4
0630 - Wake up. Then go back to sleep.
0700 - Alarm goes off. Time to get up and get packed.
0720 - Wake up the kids.
0830 - Load up
0920 - Ithaca, NY. Ron told us to see Cornell University, so here we are! It is a very pretty campus. Not sure how cold and snowy it gets in the winter but in the summer it is very nice! It even comes with its own waterfall. What's not to like about a college campus with a waterfall?!
0954 - Reload the car after getting out to see the waterfall.
On our drive we saw a pink tractor and a couple Amish horse-and-buggies. The kids watched Madagascar 2.
1110 - I-90 towards Buffalo.
Lunch at McD's then drove along Lake Ontario towards Niagara Falls. Couldn't see the lake most of the time but still a nice scenic drive until the last 3o minutes or so when it got really slow and busy.
2:01 p.m. Listening to the radio - it turns out to be a Canadian radio station!
2:11 p.m. Old Fort Niagara - fun. The sun was out but not too hot. Living history demonstrators on hand today so we got to see a musket firing demonstration by a "French soldier". Our favorite parts are:
B - laundry demonstration ladies
F - musket demonstration
R - sounds - cannons and muskets/ also the basement cannons
L - the redoubts
S - all the stone and wood in the buildings
4:16 p.m. Leave the Fort.
4:42 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Park next to a "Just Married" car. This hotel has been voted the #2 fanciest so far. We are awed and amazed at Daddy's ability to find all these great fancy hotels. :)
We decide to walk to the casino for dinner. Skip the buffet because the line is much too long and go to the BBQ restaurant there instead. We even ate beignets for dessert. On the way back, we were talking about all the seagulls around. Felisa said that they are here on vacation. They of course don't live here because they live at the beach and this is not the beach - this is a vacation spot!
Once back at the hotel we go swimming. The pool has no steps and the shallowest point is 3 1/2 feet so I have to get in and act as the MFD (Mommy Flotation Device) for Felisa. Bella was practicing jumping into the deep water and swimming back to the side. After swimming we ate cornbread for snack then went to bed.
0700 - Alarm goes off. Time to get up and get packed.
0720 - Wake up the kids.
0830 - Load up
0920 - Ithaca, NY. Ron told us to see Cornell University, so here we are! It is a very pretty campus. Not sure how cold and snowy it gets in the winter but in the summer it is very nice! It even comes with its own waterfall. What's not to like about a college campus with a waterfall?!
0954 - Reload the car after getting out to see the waterfall.
On our drive we saw a pink tractor and a couple Amish horse-and-buggies. The kids watched Madagascar 2.
1110 - I-90 towards Buffalo.
Lunch at McD's then drove along Lake Ontario towards Niagara Falls. Couldn't see the lake most of the time but still a nice scenic drive until the last 3o minutes or so when it got really slow and busy.
2:01 p.m. Listening to the radio - it turns out to be a Canadian radio station!
2:11 p.m. Old Fort Niagara - fun. The sun was out but not too hot. Living history demonstrators on hand today so we got to see a musket firing demonstration by a "French soldier". Our favorite parts are:
B - laundry demonstration ladies
F - musket demonstration
R - sounds - cannons and muskets/ also the basement cannons
L - the redoubts
S - all the stone and wood in the buildings
4:16 p.m. Leave the Fort.
4:42 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Park next to a "Just Married" car. This hotel has been voted the #2 fanciest so far. We are awed and amazed at Daddy's ability to find all these great fancy hotels. :)
We decide to walk to the casino for dinner. Skip the buffet because the line is much too long and go to the BBQ restaurant there instead. We even ate beignets for dessert. On the way back, we were talking about all the seagulls around. Felisa said that they are here on vacation. They of course don't live here because they live at the beach and this is not the beach - this is a vacation spot!
Once back at the hotel we go swimming. The pool has no steps and the shallowest point is 3 1/2 feet so I have to get in and act as the MFD (Mommy Flotation Device) for Felisa. Bella was practicing jumping into the deep water and swimming back to the side. After swimming we ate cornbread for snack then went to bed.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Mini Trip - Day 3
0700 - Alarm goes off.
0744 - Decide it's time to wake up and get moving.
0815 - Rouse the sleepy children who do not want to wake up. Could that possibly be because they were awake past 11 last night?!?
0830 - Off to breakfast.
0912 - Done with breakfast. Leaving for Watkins Glen State Park.
0945 - Arrive at the park. Once again my sense of balance and order between city and country is dealt a blow. The park is sandwiched between a house and a store. A state park, especially one located near a lake, with cool waterfalls should be out away from town, not smack dab in the middle of it! The ranger told us that the rain overnight has made the falls even fuller this morning and promises us a great hike. Once we get on the trail, the town all around disappears. There is nothing left but a creek with many cascading waterfalls and 800 steps to climb to the top! A one-mile hike with plenty of photo-ops and not a single complaint from the kids.
1133 - Done at the falls. I have sore feet (my new walking shoes may have to be retired to more casual wear and replacements procured before Big Trip 4!) and there were many steps but we all had a great time. Our reviews:
B - liked the waterfalls
R - liked everything, especially the water
F - liked going under (actually it was behind) the waterfalls
L - liked the gorge trail and the steps
S - liked taking pictures of the falls
12:01 p.m. - We're lost. We were looking for Penguin Bay Winery but it turns out we were on the wrong side of the lake. Which would explain why we couldn't find it! Turn around and head back to the hotel.
12:20 p.m. Miles Winery on the Lake - decide that we should stop at a winery after all since this one will also give us a chance to stop closer to the lake and get a better look at it.
1:05 p.m. - Stop at Burger King for lunch.
1:28 p.m. - Almost done with lunch - bright flash of lightning and a huge crack of thunder hurries us back to the car!
1:38 p.m. - Uh oh! Gas light is on! I thought I could make it back to town before the light came on but I guess not. We would have made it if we hadn't gone off on a Wild Penguin Chase.
1:45 p.m. - Stop at the first available gast station. $2.84/gallon
2:03 p.m. Dunkin' Donuts for iced coffee. My new GPS is pretty cool. I decided that some iced coffee before we get back to the hotel would be pretty tasty. So I asked for a list of nearby food. Found Dunkin' Donuts on the list. Selected it and voila - directions! As a bonus, the DD had a drive thru so I didn't have to get out in the rain!
2:12 p.m. The rain has let up so we decide to go ahead and stop at the Corning Glass Museum now instead of going back to the room first. Our review:
R- hot glass show
F - hot glass show
B - guessing the temperatures (though she might have liked the hot glass show if she hadn't slept through half of it... did I mention they were awake past 11 last night?!)
L - hot glass show
S - hot glass show and the yellow glass sculpture in the lobby (too bad we skipped the sculptures section of the museum but we were having trouble finding the starting point on the map and did everything out of order!)
4:15 p.m. - Back at the hotel. Kids watch TV and eat snacks while I check email and enjoy a bit of "down" time.
5:15 p.m. - Time to swim... What I want to know is why do hotel pools have to be so cold?
5:18 p.m. - Yikes! Out of nowhere a crazy windy thunderstorm! Just a couple minutes ago we thought we heard thunder and looked out the window. No signs of rain. Then - wham! The rain is pouring down. Looks like we'll be walking through the hotel instead of cutting through the courtyard!
6:28 p.m. - Back from the pool. Shower and change for dinner.
7:07 p.m. - Okay - very clean and very hungry! Time to go to dinner. We were going to go to Curly's Chicken House but the kids vetoed it. Looks like we'll head to Bob Evans instead.
8:30 p.m. - Back at the hotel. Hoping for an earlier night tonight...
9:30 p.m. - Felisa is hungry. Head out to the car to grab some snacks. Mmm... pretzels!
0744 - Decide it's time to wake up and get moving.
0815 - Rouse the sleepy children who do not want to wake up. Could that possibly be because they were awake past 11 last night?!?
0830 - Off to breakfast.
0912 - Done with breakfast. Leaving for Watkins Glen State Park.
0945 - Arrive at the park. Once again my sense of balance and order between city and country is dealt a blow. The park is sandwiched between a house and a store. A state park, especially one located near a lake, with cool waterfalls should be out away from town, not smack dab in the middle of it! The ranger told us that the rain overnight has made the falls even fuller this morning and promises us a great hike. Once we get on the trail, the town all around disappears. There is nothing left but a creek with many cascading waterfalls and 800 steps to climb to the top! A one-mile hike with plenty of photo-ops and not a single complaint from the kids.
1133 - Done at the falls. I have sore feet (my new walking shoes may have to be retired to more casual wear and replacements procured before Big Trip 4!) and there were many steps but we all had a great time. Our reviews:
B - liked the waterfalls
R - liked everything, especially the water
F - liked going under (actually it was behind) the waterfalls
L - liked the gorge trail and the steps
S - liked taking pictures of the falls
12:01 p.m. - We're lost. We were looking for Penguin Bay Winery but it turns out we were on the wrong side of the lake. Which would explain why we couldn't find it! Turn around and head back to the hotel.
12:20 p.m. Miles Winery on the Lake - decide that we should stop at a winery after all since this one will also give us a chance to stop closer to the lake and get a better look at it.
1:05 p.m. - Stop at Burger King for lunch.
1:28 p.m. - Almost done with lunch - bright flash of lightning and a huge crack of thunder hurries us back to the car!
1:38 p.m. - Uh oh! Gas light is on! I thought I could make it back to town before the light came on but I guess not. We would have made it if we hadn't gone off on a Wild Penguin Chase.
1:45 p.m. - Stop at the first available gast station. $2.84/gallon
2:03 p.m. Dunkin' Donuts for iced coffee. My new GPS is pretty cool. I decided that some iced coffee before we get back to the hotel would be pretty tasty. So I asked for a list of nearby food. Found Dunkin' Donuts on the list. Selected it and voila - directions! As a bonus, the DD had a drive thru so I didn't have to get out in the rain!
2:12 p.m. The rain has let up so we decide to go ahead and stop at the Corning Glass Museum now instead of going back to the room first. Our review:
R- hot glass show
F - hot glass show
B - guessing the temperatures (though she might have liked the hot glass show if she hadn't slept through half of it... did I mention they were awake past 11 last night?!)
L - hot glass show
S - hot glass show and the yellow glass sculpture in the lobby (too bad we skipped the sculptures section of the museum but we were having trouble finding the starting point on the map and did everything out of order!)
4:15 p.m. - Back at the hotel. Kids watch TV and eat snacks while I check email and enjoy a bit of "down" time.
5:15 p.m. - Time to swim... What I want to know is why do hotel pools have to be so cold?
5:18 p.m. - Yikes! Out of nowhere a crazy windy thunderstorm! Just a couple minutes ago we thought we heard thunder and looked out the window. No signs of rain. Then - wham! The rain is pouring down. Looks like we'll be walking through the hotel instead of cutting through the courtyard!
6:28 p.m. - Back from the pool. Shower and change for dinner.
7:07 p.m. - Okay - very clean and very hungry! Time to go to dinner. We were going to go to Curly's Chicken House but the kids vetoed it. Looks like we'll head to Bob Evans instead.
8:30 p.m. - Back at the hotel. Hoping for an earlier night tonight...
9:30 p.m. - Felisa is hungry. Head out to the car to grab some snacks. Mmm... pretzels!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mini Trip - Day 2
0700 - Wake up.
0800 - Breakfast is done. My little carb queen, Bella, ate Frosted Flakes and a donut for breakfast and was sad when I wouldn't let her top it off with a biscuit. A mini cup of peanut butter is all I could convince her to eat protein wise.
0832 - Sonic sighting! Briefly consider stopping but I'm not hungry at all. Maybe on the way back...
0840 - Find the Amish Farm at Target. The directions on the website say to look for Target and they are the farm next to it. So I drove past Target and was looking for a farm. No farms anywhere in sight. So I go back to Target. And there in the Target parking lot, directly adjacent to Target, is the Amish Farm. It was a nice tour though longer than I expected. Felisa even asked the tour guide at the very end how much longer the tour was going to last. I was a bit embarrassed of course but oh well. Though the atmosphere was lacking because of the location, the guide gave us lots of good information about the Amish.
1115 - Done at the farm. Stop at Target to buy toothpaste and new toothbrushes for the kids.
Our reviews of the farm:
B - liked the kitchen
F - liked the horse
R - liked the wood carving shop
L - liked the pygmy goats and that it was clean
What we learned:
B - that they eat chow chow which they make from vegetables from their gardens
F - how they lived - that is different from how we live
R - about the clothes they wear
L - about the simple way of life
S - I thought it was all very interesting. I didn't realize how integrated they are with the surrounding English. I never considered that there aren't many new farms to buy and so the younger generations have to find other ways to make a living. I was surprised buy how many powered appliances they use which have been modified to run with powers other than electric.
1150 - 12:35 p.m. Touring the pretzel factory in Lititz - where hard pretzels were invented. The kids got to roll and twist practice pretzels. It was nice that we arrived just in time to eat a soft pretzel before the next tour and didn't have to wait too long.
1:45 p.m. Stop at Taco Bell for lunch. Review the map to figure out the best way to get to New York. Decide on the scenic route through the "mountains".
2:06 p.m. McD's for iced coffee
2:58 p.m. pass a Polish National Catholic Church
3:07 p.m. Ashland, PA - cool garden on the hill with brick steps and a statue
4:01 p.m. Pass Grumpy Mountain Road
4:05 p.m. Pass The Scrapbook Lady scrapbook store
4:22 p.m. Road sign "Buckle up for the next million miles"
4:45 p.m. Give Felisa the DVD player to watch a movie
5:13 p.m. Now we are under the rain clouds that we have been watching for a bit. The clouds look like rain but it isn't raining.
5:16 p.m. Now it's raining! Oh and lightning too!
5:23 p.m. Mansfield, PA. I had planned to stop here for a break but not now that it's raining! The hotel isn't too much farther.
5:36 p.m. Well we either have an old map in the GPS or a new road. We have fallen completely off the "road" on the screen and the GPS lady has been "Recalculating" repeatedly.
5:38 p.m. New York!
6:00 p.m. Made it to the hotel in Corning. Even fancier than last night because it's a one-bedroom suite with two TVs! It's happy hour too so we get some snacks before unloading.
7:00 p.m. Off to dinner at Market Street Brewing Company. After parking the car, we walked a few blocks to the restaurant. On the way we stopped in the pet store. Pet Store Puppies are so sad. And of course Felisa wanted to know why we weren't buying a pet today. Bella spent the whole time looking at the bunnies. Then we found a face on the brick wall. Ryan named him Old Man Wall-ter. At the restaurant, we got to sit in the rooftop seating section which the kids thought was great fun. We played with wikkistix while we waited and then enjoyed a delicious dinner of steak, burgers, and macaroni and cheese nuggets.
8:48 p.m. Back at the hotel and it's time for the pool. The desk clerk had said that there were two pools - indoor and outdoor - but we never did find the outdoor pool. Must have been an imaginary pool! The water was of course freezing but there was a hot tub so that's always good.
10:00 Ron skyped us. The kids were still wired and not sleepy at all. Finally got them all to at least be quiet.
1206 - It's very late and I should be sleeping, not updating my blog. And so I will say good night!
0800 - Breakfast is done. My little carb queen, Bella, ate Frosted Flakes and a donut for breakfast and was sad when I wouldn't let her top it off with a biscuit. A mini cup of peanut butter is all I could convince her to eat protein wise.
0832 - Sonic sighting! Briefly consider stopping but I'm not hungry at all. Maybe on the way back...
0840 - Find the Amish Farm at Target. The directions on the website say to look for Target and they are the farm next to it. So I drove past Target and was looking for a farm. No farms anywhere in sight. So I go back to Target. And there in the Target parking lot, directly adjacent to Target, is the Amish Farm. It was a nice tour though longer than I expected. Felisa even asked the tour guide at the very end how much longer the tour was going to last. I was a bit embarrassed of course but oh well. Though the atmosphere was lacking because of the location, the guide gave us lots of good information about the Amish.
1115 - Done at the farm. Stop at Target to buy toothpaste and new toothbrushes for the kids.
Our reviews of the farm:
B - liked the kitchen
F - liked the horse
R - liked the wood carving shop
L - liked the pygmy goats and that it was clean
What we learned:
B - that they eat chow chow which they make from vegetables from their gardens
F - how they lived - that is different from how we live
R - about the clothes they wear
L - about the simple way of life
S - I thought it was all very interesting. I didn't realize how integrated they are with the surrounding English. I never considered that there aren't many new farms to buy and so the younger generations have to find other ways to make a living. I was surprised buy how many powered appliances they use which have been modified to run with powers other than electric.
1150 - 12:35 p.m. Touring the pretzel factory in Lititz - where hard pretzels were invented. The kids got to roll and twist practice pretzels. It was nice that we arrived just in time to eat a soft pretzel before the next tour and didn't have to wait too long.
1:45 p.m. Stop at Taco Bell for lunch. Review the map to figure out the best way to get to New York. Decide on the scenic route through the "mountains".
2:06 p.m. McD's for iced coffee
2:58 p.m. pass a Polish National Catholic Church
3:07 p.m. Ashland, PA - cool garden on the hill with brick steps and a statue
4:01 p.m. Pass Grumpy Mountain Road
4:05 p.m. Pass The Scrapbook Lady scrapbook store
4:22 p.m. Road sign "Buckle up for the next million miles"
4:45 p.m. Give Felisa the DVD player to watch a movie
5:13 p.m. Now we are under the rain clouds that we have been watching for a bit. The clouds look like rain but it isn't raining.
5:16 p.m. Now it's raining! Oh and lightning too!
5:23 p.m. Mansfield, PA. I had planned to stop here for a break but not now that it's raining! The hotel isn't too much farther.
5:36 p.m. Well we either have an old map in the GPS or a new road. We have fallen completely off the "road" on the screen and the GPS lady has been "Recalculating" repeatedly.
5:38 p.m. New York!
6:00 p.m. Made it to the hotel in Corning. Even fancier than last night because it's a one-bedroom suite with two TVs! It's happy hour too so we get some snacks before unloading.
7:00 p.m. Off to dinner at Market Street Brewing Company. After parking the car, we walked a few blocks to the restaurant. On the way we stopped in the pet store. Pet Store Puppies are so sad. And of course Felisa wanted to know why we weren't buying a pet today. Bella spent the whole time looking at the bunnies. Then we found a face on the brick wall. Ryan named him Old Man Wall-ter. At the restaurant, we got to sit in the rooftop seating section which the kids thought was great fun. We played with wikkistix while we waited and then enjoyed a delicious dinner of steak, burgers, and macaroni and cheese nuggets.
8:48 p.m. Back at the hotel and it's time for the pool. The desk clerk had said that there were two pools - indoor and outdoor - but we never did find the outdoor pool. Must have been an imaginary pool! The water was of course freezing but there was a hot tub so that's always good.
10:00 Ron skyped us. The kids were still wired and not sleepy at all. Finally got them all to at least be quiet.
1206 - It's very late and I should be sleeping, not updating my blog. And so I will say good night!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mini Trip - Day 1
0530 - Awoken by the Very Thirsty Dog. Consider staying up and getting started on all the packing I didn't finish yesterday. Decide that it is just too early and go back to bed after I let Darby back inside.
0630 - Alarm goes off -time to get up. Departure goal: 0900
Finish packing. Finish gathering various items needed for the trip. Clear out the van a bit and load it all up.
1011 - Everyone is in the car. We have taken our pre-departure photo with Vacation Mouse. I program my new GPS (a birthday gift from Ron yesterday!) for Gettysburg. And we're off - only one hour behind schedule.
1020 - Stop at McD's - our traditional first stop -so I can get some breakfast (too busy packing to eat) and iced coffee.
1040 - Maryland
1116 - Ryan is reading off a list of random holidays such as National Ding-a-ling Day and National Twinkie Month from his book.
1128 - Sneaky cows! I saw some goats a few minutes ago which reminded me that we hadn't seen any cows yet. These two cows were lying down in the barnyard and I almost didn't see them. So sneaky...
1141 - Pennsylvania
1158 - Arrive at Gettysburg National Military Park visitor center. Bathroom break then we walk through the gift shop. Grandma R tells them they can all buy something. Felisa of course chose a stuffed horse that she wanted last time we were here. Bella bought a small pillow with a quote stitched on it. Ryan bought a Yankee soldier's cap and a bag of cinnamon candies. We also picked out a box of Abe Lincoln trivia cards for Thomas and Grandma bought a book.
12:25 p.m. - Back at the car. As we were headed back to the parking lot, a bus full of high school kids was loading. Very slowly. And blocking the entire sidewalk. And talking about how slowly they were moving and "how long does it take to get on a bus anyway?". I politely asked them to please excuse us so that we could cut through the line and pass through along the path. She looks at me and says, "we're getting on the bus." Um, yes, I know. We just want to pass through if you don't mind so we don't have to wait for all of you to board so that we can get through. Sheesh. Were they not just discussing how long it was taking? They were blocking the ENTIRE sidewalk for crying out loud. Oh well. I suppose my young children and I could have just walked in the road on the other side of the bus instead.
1:09 p.m. - Leaving the cemetary. Ryan was able to answer all the questions in his book so now he has earned the Gettysburg patch for Cub Scouts. We were here with the pack in April but ran out of time to finish the tour/questions. Our review of the cemetary:
S - nice breeze and great trees made it a pleasant walk through the park.
B - lots of treese
F - "I like the cemetary"
R - liked the poems that were on signs throughout the park
L - huge, clean, sad
1:45 p.m. Leaving McD's after lunch. Program the GPS for our hotel in Lancaster.
1:58 p.m. - Gas. $2.69/gallon
2:00 p.m. - I forgot my towel AGAIN!!! When we left this morning, I realized that I had forgotten to bring a towel to put on the seat so my legs don't stick. I forget it every year I think. And I even wrote it on the list. Too bad I was using the mental version of the list to pack with rather than the written version! I had planned to grab a beach towel from the back to put on my seat when we stopped at Gettysburg but I forgot. I'm not stopping now so I'll just have to suffer.
2:26 p.m. There is a lot more traffic out here today than I expected. Our estimated arrival time on the GPS keeps getting later and later.
2:48 p.m. - We're in York. We were on the highway for about 30 seconds and now we're back on a 6-lane road with lots of cars and stop lights. I don't think we're ever going to get there!
3:07 p.m. Susquehanna River
3:30 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. When we get to the room, the kids are very impressed and think that it is a most fancy hotel indeed. Bella says that it is even fancier than Fancy Nancy! It's just a Hampton Inn. Nothing too fancy, really. Just a regular nice hotel. Though our room does have a back door that opens out to the pool area which is much fancier than usual... :)
4:00 p.m. The car is unloaded for the night and we're headed to the pool.
5:35 p.m. Done swimming and now it's time for dinner! Initially we walk to the shopping center next door but the restaurant has only sandwiches and nothing Bella will like. So we pull out the GPS but nothing great shows up in the immediate area so we all pile into the car to go find somewhere to eat. I decide to program in a museum that we may go to see tomorrow and head that way, seeing what there is to see on the way. An adventure if you will. Ron would be so proud - he's always going on exploratory adventures but I never do. I prefer to stick to what I know. We end up at Perkins.
7:15 p.m. Back to the room. The kids are watching Disney Channel and playing DS. Grandma R reads for a bit while I update the blog. Now it's time to figure out the plan of action for tomorrow...
0630 - Alarm goes off -time to get up. Departure goal: 0900
Finish packing. Finish gathering various items needed for the trip. Clear out the van a bit and load it all up.
1011 - Everyone is in the car. We have taken our pre-departure photo with Vacation Mouse. I program my new GPS (a birthday gift from Ron yesterday!) for Gettysburg. And we're off - only one hour behind schedule.
1020 - Stop at McD's - our traditional first stop -so I can get some breakfast (too busy packing to eat) and iced coffee.
1040 - Maryland
1116 - Ryan is reading off a list of random holidays such as National Ding-a-ling Day and National Twinkie Month from his book.
1128 - Sneaky cows! I saw some goats a few minutes ago which reminded me that we hadn't seen any cows yet. These two cows were lying down in the barnyard and I almost didn't see them. So sneaky...
1141 - Pennsylvania
1158 - Arrive at Gettysburg National Military Park visitor center. Bathroom break then we walk through the gift shop. Grandma R tells them they can all buy something. Felisa of course chose a stuffed horse that she wanted last time we were here. Bella bought a small pillow with a quote stitched on it. Ryan bought a Yankee soldier's cap and a bag of cinnamon candies. We also picked out a box of Abe Lincoln trivia cards for Thomas and Grandma bought a book.
12:25 p.m. - Back at the car. As we were headed back to the parking lot, a bus full of high school kids was loading. Very slowly. And blocking the entire sidewalk. And talking about how slowly they were moving and "how long does it take to get on a bus anyway?". I politely asked them to please excuse us so that we could cut through the line and pass through along the path. She looks at me and says, "we're getting on the bus." Um, yes, I know. We just want to pass through if you don't mind so we don't have to wait for all of you to board so that we can get through. Sheesh. Were they not just discussing how long it was taking? They were blocking the ENTIRE sidewalk for crying out loud. Oh well. I suppose my young children and I could have just walked in the road on the other side of the bus instead.
1:09 p.m. - Leaving the cemetary. Ryan was able to answer all the questions in his book so now he has earned the Gettysburg patch for Cub Scouts. We were here with the pack in April but ran out of time to finish the tour/questions. Our review of the cemetary:
S - nice breeze and great trees made it a pleasant walk through the park.
B - lots of treese
F - "I like the cemetary"
R - liked the poems that were on signs throughout the park
L - huge, clean, sad
1:45 p.m. Leaving McD's after lunch. Program the GPS for our hotel in Lancaster.
1:58 p.m. - Gas. $2.69/gallon
2:00 p.m. - I forgot my towel AGAIN!!! When we left this morning, I realized that I had forgotten to bring a towel to put on the seat so my legs don't stick. I forget it every year I think. And I even wrote it on the list. Too bad I was using the mental version of the list to pack with rather than the written version! I had planned to grab a beach towel from the back to put on my seat when we stopped at Gettysburg but I forgot. I'm not stopping now so I'll just have to suffer.
2:26 p.m. There is a lot more traffic out here today than I expected. Our estimated arrival time on the GPS keeps getting later and later.
2:48 p.m. - We're in York. We were on the highway for about 30 seconds and now we're back on a 6-lane road with lots of cars and stop lights. I don't think we're ever going to get there!
3:07 p.m. Susquehanna River
3:30 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. When we get to the room, the kids are very impressed and think that it is a most fancy hotel indeed. Bella says that it is even fancier than Fancy Nancy! It's just a Hampton Inn. Nothing too fancy, really. Just a regular nice hotel. Though our room does have a back door that opens out to the pool area which is much fancier than usual... :)
4:00 p.m. The car is unloaded for the night and we're headed to the pool.
5:35 p.m. Done swimming and now it's time for dinner! Initially we walk to the shopping center next door but the restaurant has only sandwiches and nothing Bella will like. So we pull out the GPS but nothing great shows up in the immediate area so we all pile into the car to go find somewhere to eat. I decide to program in a museum that we may go to see tomorrow and head that way, seeing what there is to see on the way. An adventure if you will. Ron would be so proud - he's always going on exploratory adventures but I never do. I prefer to stick to what I know. We end up at Perkins.
7:15 p.m. Back to the room. The kids are watching Disney Channel and playing DS. Grandma R reads for a bit while I update the blog. Now it's time to figure out the plan of action for tomorrow...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Back to the Interstate
Up again at 0730. Mike made waffles for breakfast then I worked on getting everything packed up and the car loaded. I lost track of my clean laundry and almost forgot the swimsuits. Lana said she needs to come live with us while Ron is gone to make sure I don’t lose any of the kids!
While the kids were watching tv there was a commercial for the SC Museum. Ryan said, “Hey – we don’t have a VA Musuem. We should call the governor!”
1051 – leave Lana’s house
1109 – stop at Starbucks Drive-thru. I wanted to go to Sonic but I was still full from breakfast.
1119 – North Carolina!!!
1136 – Big rock to the windshield. Yikes!
12:15 p.m. Decide to stop for a potty break before the kids fall asleep. Too much coffee this morning!
12:37 p.m. Bella finished reading her book that we bought Tuesday night – Kylie the Carnival Fairy. It was a special edition book so probably had about 100 pages. She has become quite the super reader this year. It’s not such a chore anymore to read so now she enjoys it.
1:22 p.m. Stop at Arby’s for lunch. I had hoped for a Sonic or a Jack in the Box but no such luck.
2:45 p.m. Somebody just got a speeding ticket. The cop was following him with his lights on for awhile. Maybe the driver was trying to outrun the cop to the state line? Looks like he ended up about 2 miles short.
2:46 p.m. Virginia!!!
3:43 p.m. Trying to think of ways to prevent myself from turning into a giant couch potato while Ron is gone. Maybe I should see if Mark wants to run a couple 5K’s together? If I have a deadline, it might keep me on track to train alone.
4:17 p.m. Arrive at Allie’s. Ryan and John are so excited to see each other.
The kids play happily for the rest of the evening, stopping only to devour Chinese food for dinner.
10:00 p.m. Finally getting every one headed to bed.
11:00 p.m. Tell Ryan and John to turn off the lights and GO TO SLEEP!!!
While the kids were watching tv there was a commercial for the SC Museum. Ryan said, “Hey – we don’t have a VA Musuem. We should call the governor!”
1051 – leave Lana’s house
1109 – stop at Starbucks Drive-thru. I wanted to go to Sonic but I was still full from breakfast.
1119 – North Carolina!!!
1136 – Big rock to the windshield. Yikes!
12:15 p.m. Decide to stop for a potty break before the kids fall asleep. Too much coffee this morning!
12:37 p.m. Bella finished reading her book that we bought Tuesday night – Kylie the Carnival Fairy. It was a special edition book so probably had about 100 pages. She has become quite the super reader this year. It’s not such a chore anymore to read so now she enjoys it.
1:22 p.m. Stop at Arby’s for lunch. I had hoped for a Sonic or a Jack in the Box but no such luck.
2:45 p.m. Somebody just got a speeding ticket. The cop was following him with his lights on for awhile. Maybe the driver was trying to outrun the cop to the state line? Looks like he ended up about 2 miles short.
2:46 p.m. Virginia!!!
3:43 p.m. Trying to think of ways to prevent myself from turning into a giant couch potato while Ron is gone. Maybe I should see if Mark wants to run a couple 5K’s together? If I have a deadline, it might keep me on track to train alone.
4:17 p.m. Arrive at Allie’s. Ryan and John are so excited to see each other.
The kids play happily for the rest of the evening, stopping only to devour Chinese food for dinner.
10:00 p.m. Finally getting every one headed to bed.
11:00 p.m. Tell Ryan and John to turn off the lights and GO TO SLEEP!!!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
On the Lake
Up at about 0715 again. Went for a short run, only 20 minutes. After breakfast we got things ready to go out on the boat.
We arrived at Lake Wylie and got underway at 12:05 p.m. We cruised around the lake for awhile then we stopped at a small island so the kids could swim. After our swim we cruised around a bit more. Both Felisa and Bella fell asleep while we were “driving”. After a bit we stopped at the island again for another swim before calling it a day. We arrived back at the boat dock at about 5 p.m. Mike had a meeting so the rest of us went to dinner at Outback. On the way home we stopped for gas- $3.79/gallon. Before bed sunburn check showed Felisa and Bella fine. Ryan was a bit red on his cheeks and his shoulders I was red on my chest, shoulders, back and face – not too bad but 5 hours outside is really too much sun for me, no matter how much sunscreen I put on!
Lake Favorites-
Ryan – Laying in the sun on the boat
Bella – finding her secret forest place on the island
Felisa – Swimming
Sheila – riding around on the boat and seeing all the big houses
Lana – being with us on the boat
Mike – backing the boat trailer into the lake on the first try
We arrived at Lake Wylie and got underway at 12:05 p.m. We cruised around the lake for awhile then we stopped at a small island so the kids could swim. After our swim we cruised around a bit more. Both Felisa and Bella fell asleep while we were “driving”. After a bit we stopped at the island again for another swim before calling it a day. We arrived back at the boat dock at about 5 p.m. Mike had a meeting so the rest of us went to dinner at Outback. On the way home we stopped for gas- $3.79/gallon. Before bed sunburn check showed Felisa and Bella fine. Ryan was a bit red on his cheeks and his shoulders I was red on my chest, shoulders, back and face – not too bad but 5 hours outside is really too much sun for me, no matter how much sunscreen I put on!
Lake Favorites-
Ryan – Laying in the sun on the boat
Bella – finding her secret forest place on the island
Felisa – Swimming
Sheila – riding around on the boat and seeing all the big houses
Lana – being with us on the boat
Mike – backing the boat trailer into the lake on the first try
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Fun Day
0730 Wake up. Trying to decide whether or not to get up or go back to sleep. Decide I should probably just get up since usually all that happens when I go back to sleep in the morning is more crazy dreams.
0735 Hear Ryan and Bella talking so that settles it. Time to get up.
Uncle Mike made breakfast – scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. After breakfast Ryan and Bella got ready to go to Brattonsville with Mike. Felisa went with Lana and I to run errands – the insurance office, lunch at Sonic, Sears for a tire alignment/oil change, and Walmart for sunscreen and garlic bread pretzel pieces.
Favorite part:
R- the tool shed and smokehouse
B- seeing the horses
M- tour by Miss Nettie and the hairy pigs
After a break, we went to the pool. Ryan and Bella and I ended up with a few pink spots so we’ll need extra sunscreen when we go out on the boat tomorrow.
After swimming, it was time for a quick change then dinner at Jack-in-the-Box. Mmm… Then we went back to the cool playground that we went to last winter. It was much warmer there today! And after the playground… because it is Fun Day as Bella declared… we went to Books-a-Million and each kid (and Lana) bought a new book. Now it’s time to go to bed. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m tired!!!
0735 Hear Ryan and Bella talking so that settles it. Time to get up.
Uncle Mike made breakfast – scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. After breakfast Ryan and Bella got ready to go to Brattonsville with Mike. Felisa went with Lana and I to run errands – the insurance office, lunch at Sonic, Sears for a tire alignment/oil change, and Walmart for sunscreen and garlic bread pretzel pieces.
*******
Ryan’s report of Brattonsville:
When we first got there we went inside the admissions office and got a map. Then we went into the gift shop. There we got chalkboard for Bella and Revolutionary soldiers for me. Then we started walking on the trail. We soon came to a backwoods cabin where a reenactment was going on. We stood at the doorframe looking in to the cabin but we didn’t go inside. We headed down the trail for a little bit then we got to a house. We went inside. It was like a cabin for people to live in then we went outside and saw a few pigs and goats. Then we went over to look at the smokehouse. We went inside the Bratton house. When we went inside we saw some wax food set up on a dining table. When we turned right we got to a school place.
Ryan’s report of Brattonsville:
When we first got there we went inside the admissions office and got a map. Then we went into the gift shop. There we got chalkboard for Bella and Revolutionary soldiers for me. Then we started walking on the trail. We soon came to a backwoods cabin where a reenactment was going on. We stood at the doorframe looking in to the cabin but we didn’t go inside. We headed down the trail for a little bit then we got to a house. We went inside. It was like a cabin for people to live in then we went outside and saw a few pigs and goats. Then we went over to look at the smokehouse. We went inside the Bratton house. When we went inside we saw some wax food set up on a dining table. When we turned right we got to a school place.
(((This is Bella’s report about the school:
The brothers everyday had short days. Because they had to help their dads in the fields. The girls stayed at school. It was like a girl day. The boys were happy because they like helping the dads. The girls were happy because they like learning just like me. That’s why I always behave and get good reports. )))
After we went to the school I think we went to a copy of one of the Bratton’s… it was a copy of a grave marker of one of their servants who died in the battle of Huck’s Defeat. His name was Watt.
We crossed a road to get to the homestead. The homestead was a newer version of the Bratton House (the one with the school). We saw lots of interesting artifacts. My favorite room was the doctor’s office. It had lots and lots of cool medicine and lots of other stuff like a melted candle. When we went back outside we went inside a slave’s cabin made out of bricks. It looked like it was a hard life living in that cabin.
We saw horses. We also went to see a place where they did something with the cotton they got out of the field. Then we went to an original slave’s cabin that was 106 years old.
The tour guide made corn husk dolls for us. She told us that the kids had to make their own toys because they didn’t have any money. Toss toys and corn husk dolls.
The brothers everyday had short days. Because they had to help their dads in the fields. The girls stayed at school. It was like a girl day. The boys were happy because they like helping the dads. The girls were happy because they like learning just like me. That’s why I always behave and get good reports. )))
After we went to the school I think we went to a copy of one of the Bratton’s… it was a copy of a grave marker of one of their servants who died in the battle of Huck’s Defeat. His name was Watt.
We crossed a road to get to the homestead. The homestead was a newer version of the Bratton House (the one with the school). We saw lots of interesting artifacts. My favorite room was the doctor’s office. It had lots and lots of cool medicine and lots of other stuff like a melted candle. When we went back outside we went inside a slave’s cabin made out of bricks. It looked like it was a hard life living in that cabin.
We saw horses. We also went to see a place where they did something with the cotton they got out of the field. Then we went to an original slave’s cabin that was 106 years old.
The tour guide made corn husk dolls for us. She told us that the kids had to make their own toys because they didn’t have any money. Toss toys and corn husk dolls.
*************
Favorite part:
R- the tool shed and smokehouse
B- seeing the horses
M- tour by Miss Nettie and the hairy pigs
After a break, we went to the pool. Ryan and Bella and I ended up with a few pink spots so we’ll need extra sunscreen when we go out on the boat tomorrow.
After swimming, it was time for a quick change then dinner at Jack-in-the-Box. Mmm… Then we went back to the cool playground that we went to last winter. It was much warmer there today! And after the playground… because it is Fun Day as Bella declared… we went to Books-a-Million and each kid (and Lana) bought a new book. Now it’s time to go to bed. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m tired!!!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Go West To Go South?!?
Title note... Ryan played "Christopher C" in the Columbus play at school. One of the lines in the play was "Go west to go east?!?" So we were changed it to "Go west to go south?!?" since we were driving due west from NC to get to Lana's house in SC.
Wake up around 7. Get dressed and go to breakfast. No one can finish so we save the waffles and pancakes to eat after our beach time.
We spent one last morning at the beach. The waves seemed stronger to me but maybe that’s just my sea paranoia kicking in. I REALLY don’t want to lose anyone in the surf. I have 3 kids but only 2 hands so we stick close to the beach and don’t go in past the first drop-off. Collected a few shells and built a shell castle.
1030 - Time to get changed and packed.
1155 – Leave the hotel headed to Aunt Lana’s in South Carolina.
12:05 p.m. Felisa is asleep already and we haven’t even left the island yet.
12:11 p.m. Reflection time… I’m really not a big beach fan but it was definitely nice being at the hotel with the beach right outside the door. We were able to avoid the usual schlepping of stuff that is associated with going to the beach and we were close so we didn’t have to feel guilty about not staying long enough. Coming back later was easy – no minimum stay requirement!
12:19 p.m. More reflection… this time about all the hush puppies we were served at each and every restaurant. The southern influence has seemed much stronger this time. Last night we even had two giant bowls of butter packs to dip our deep-friend bread into. Yum! Not surprising, Bella was loving it!
12:27 p.m. Pass a VBS sign for Outrigger Island. Sounds like a fun theme. Which reminds me – I need to start thinking about planning our VBS class.
12:38 p.m. Passing Camp Lejeune. The Garth Brooks song “Thunder Rolls” is on the radio. The lyrics of the song are about a husband caught cheating on his wife. Which is really too bad since I love this song and always think of Ron and our early courtship days when I hear it. What I like about the song are the thunder in the background and the memories of an all-nighter spent at the NROTC computer lab working on term papers together. We all wave to Daddy as we drive by.
12:42 p.m. Almost every car driving by has heavy bass and there are many, many barbershops – must be near a military base! J
2:00 p.m. Okay the meandering and zig-zagging of the two-lane highway is getting very annoying. The interstate may be boring but at least it’s fast!
2:03 p.m. Score! A Sonic!
2:03 ½ p.m. Bummer. Closed. (Out of business but the sign and the flags all still looked new)
2:11 p.m. Oops – forgot to charge my phone at the hotel this weekend. Can’t find a phone charger for my phone in the car.
2:55 p.m. Stop in Roseboro, NC for gas and potty. $2.99/gallon. Got my house phone charger out. Let’s see if it will plug into the transformer car charger thing-a-ma-jag.
3:18 p.m. Stop at Sonic. They even have a playground! Yea!
4:05 p.m. Leaving Sonic. Not sure we’ll make it to Rock Hill by 6:00 since we’re still stuck in NC. Got the computer started with a movie before we pull out. Now showing: Peter Pan
4:37 p.m. Passing a coke truck. Felisa says, “Hey! Daddy likes that drink!”
4:42 p.m. South Carolina!!!
6:20 p.m. Lancaster, SC
7:00 p.m. Arrive at Lana’s. Finally! I think the trip from NC to SC is longer than the trip from VA to SC!!!
The kids played, ate a late dinner, then helped Uncle Mike set up the tent in the living room. Everyone had a job – the pillow person, the sleeping bag person, and the blanket person. Amazingly enough they were asleep before 9:30 even after being in the car almost all day.
Wake up around 7. Get dressed and go to breakfast. No one can finish so we save the waffles and pancakes to eat after our beach time.
We spent one last morning at the beach. The waves seemed stronger to me but maybe that’s just my sea paranoia kicking in. I REALLY don’t want to lose anyone in the surf. I have 3 kids but only 2 hands so we stick close to the beach and don’t go in past the first drop-off. Collected a few shells and built a shell castle.
1030 - Time to get changed and packed.
1155 – Leave the hotel headed to Aunt Lana’s in South Carolina.
12:05 p.m. Felisa is asleep already and we haven’t even left the island yet.
12:11 p.m. Reflection time… I’m really not a big beach fan but it was definitely nice being at the hotel with the beach right outside the door. We were able to avoid the usual schlepping of stuff that is associated with going to the beach and we were close so we didn’t have to feel guilty about not staying long enough. Coming back later was easy – no minimum stay requirement!
12:19 p.m. More reflection… this time about all the hush puppies we were served at each and every restaurant. The southern influence has seemed much stronger this time. Last night we even had two giant bowls of butter packs to dip our deep-friend bread into. Yum! Not surprising, Bella was loving it!
12:27 p.m. Pass a VBS sign for Outrigger Island. Sounds like a fun theme. Which reminds me – I need to start thinking about planning our VBS class.
12:38 p.m. Passing Camp Lejeune. The Garth Brooks song “Thunder Rolls” is on the radio. The lyrics of the song are about a husband caught cheating on his wife. Which is really too bad since I love this song and always think of Ron and our early courtship days when I hear it. What I like about the song are the thunder in the background and the memories of an all-nighter spent at the NROTC computer lab working on term papers together. We all wave to Daddy as we drive by.
12:42 p.m. Almost every car driving by has heavy bass and there are many, many barbershops – must be near a military base! J
2:00 p.m. Okay the meandering and zig-zagging of the two-lane highway is getting very annoying. The interstate may be boring but at least it’s fast!
2:03 p.m. Score! A Sonic!
2:03 ½ p.m. Bummer. Closed. (Out of business but the sign and the flags all still looked new)
2:11 p.m. Oops – forgot to charge my phone at the hotel this weekend. Can’t find a phone charger for my phone in the car.
2:55 p.m. Stop in Roseboro, NC for gas and potty. $2.99/gallon. Got my house phone charger out. Let’s see if it will plug into the transformer car charger thing-a-ma-jag.
3:18 p.m. Stop at Sonic. They even have a playground! Yea!
4:05 p.m. Leaving Sonic. Not sure we’ll make it to Rock Hill by 6:00 since we’re still stuck in NC. Got the computer started with a movie before we pull out. Now showing: Peter Pan
4:37 p.m. Passing a coke truck. Felisa says, “Hey! Daddy likes that drink!”
4:42 p.m. South Carolina!!!
6:20 p.m. Lancaster, SC
7:00 p.m. Arrive at Lana’s. Finally! I think the trip from NC to SC is longer than the trip from VA to SC!!!
The kids played, ate a late dinner, then helped Uncle Mike set up the tent in the living room. Everyone had a job – the pillow person, the sleeping bag person, and the blanket person. Amazingly enough they were asleep before 9:30 even after being in the car almost all day.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day at the Beach
After a less than restful night (Felisa was squirmy and the hotel had the beach lit up forever) we are ready for a fun day on the beach and at the pool. The water here is much warmer than NJ so I anticipate much time spent in the ocean today.
more details coming... I left my notebook of the drive in the car.
****************
Updated to add...
We went out and found a diner for breakfast. Then we came back and spent 3 hours at the beack and pool. We ate lunch at the pool bar then it started to rain. Now we are relaxing indoors while the thunder and lighting are outside.
more details coming... I left my notebook of the drive in the car.
****************
Updated to add...
We went out and found a diner for breakfast. Then we came back and spent 3 hours at the beack and pool. We ate lunch at the pool bar then it started to rain. Now we are relaxing indoors while the thunder and lighting are outside.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Let the Summer Begin
Summer vacation has begun... I saw the first lightning bug of the summer last night so I guess that makes it official.
Today is the first day of our Daddy Farewell Tour and Mini Road Trip. Ron and I were up at 0530 to continue the packing and other trip preparations. We were aiming for a 0700 departure (changed from the original time of O'Dark Thirty last night when we were both too tired to function).
0935 - Car is filled with gas and McD's breakfast is on board. $4.09/gallon at Safeway. Ron is driving in the van with the kids (a little last minute bonding time) while I'm following behind in the black car. All. by. myself. Woo hoo!
0959 - Traffic jam on 95 south. Which is what we were hoping to avoid by leaving at O'Dark Thirty. Oh well.
1001 - Okay, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure there will be more though!
1020 - Fredericksburg traffic and we still have 15 miles before we even get to Fredericksburg.
1048 - I think I need to find a rum ball recipe. Someone at lunch the other day mentioned that they ship well and are received with much appreciation by the soldiers on deployment.
1111 - Stopped. On the highway. Because??? I just love driving on 95 south. Not!
1145 - Made it past Richmond. The landscape and traffic patterns have really changed. More rural/small town now and less crowds.
12:32 p.m. North Carolina!!!
2:34 p.m. Leaving our lunch stop. We ate at the "retro" 95/64 Diner in Rocky Mount which was right next to the Harley showroom. Harley was having some sort of event so we went inside and looked around. Found a cool tshirt for Ryan but didn't want to pay $15. Bella thought the stuffed Harley Hog was ugly. I found a nice pink/white jacket but again didn't want to pay $100 especially since I really didn't need it.
3:11 p.m. Lots of bikes (tied to cars of course) headed to the beach today. I guess bikes must be required equipment.
3:56 p.m. Fire in a field. Fire truck approaches the intersection so we stop. Then the fire truck stops and turns off his light. He's not going to the fire?!? I don't get it!
4:30 p.m. Stop for a Felisa potty break. Ron buys a coke but what I really want is a McD's ice coffee so I guess I'll stick with water.
4:41 p.m. Ron stops at McD's so I can get a coffee. How sweet! Too bad this backwards McD's DOESN'T have any!!! Grrrr!!!
4:50 p.m. First Sonic sighting! Mmmm... Sonic...
5:09 p.m. Another Felisa potty break. This time conveniently located at a McD's that DOES have ice coffee. Yea!
5:11 p.m. Second Sonic sighting. This one had cheesecake bites advertised on the marquis. Mmmm...
5:32 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Ryan is impressed with the view from the hallway/parking lot - you can see the river. Then we go inside and see the view outside the room window. The Ocean! The Beach! And a Pool! Daddy's hotel choice rocks!
We went to the beach to check the water - much warmer than NJ! - and then went to the pool for about an hour before dinner. Dinner at the hotel then we gave Ron his first Father's Day gift - the Planet Earth DVD set. We watched seasonal forests then went to sleep with the sound of the ocean and other hotel night owls still swimming outside. Oh and don't forget the giant light illuminating the whole beach.
Today is the first day of our Daddy Farewell Tour and Mini Road Trip. Ron and I were up at 0530 to continue the packing and other trip preparations. We were aiming for a 0700 departure (changed from the original time of O'Dark Thirty last night when we were both too tired to function).
0935 - Car is filled with gas and McD's breakfast is on board. $4.09/gallon at Safeway. Ron is driving in the van with the kids (a little last minute bonding time) while I'm following behind in the black car. All. by. myself. Woo hoo!
0959 - Traffic jam on 95 south. Which is what we were hoping to avoid by leaving at O'Dark Thirty. Oh well.
1001 - Okay, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure there will be more though!
1020 - Fredericksburg traffic and we still have 15 miles before we even get to Fredericksburg.
1048 - I think I need to find a rum ball recipe. Someone at lunch the other day mentioned that they ship well and are received with much appreciation by the soldiers on deployment.
1111 - Stopped. On the highway. Because??? I just love driving on 95 south. Not!
1145 - Made it past Richmond. The landscape and traffic patterns have really changed. More rural/small town now and less crowds.
12:32 p.m. North Carolina!!!
2:34 p.m. Leaving our lunch stop. We ate at the "retro" 95/64 Diner in Rocky Mount which was right next to the Harley showroom. Harley was having some sort of event so we went inside and looked around. Found a cool tshirt for Ryan but didn't want to pay $15. Bella thought the stuffed Harley Hog was ugly. I found a nice pink/white jacket but again didn't want to pay $100 especially since I really didn't need it.
3:11 p.m. Lots of bikes (tied to cars of course) headed to the beach today. I guess bikes must be required equipment.
3:56 p.m. Fire in a field. Fire truck approaches the intersection so we stop. Then the fire truck stops and turns off his light. He's not going to the fire?!? I don't get it!
4:30 p.m. Stop for a Felisa potty break. Ron buys a coke but what I really want is a McD's ice coffee so I guess I'll stick with water.
4:41 p.m. Ron stops at McD's so I can get a coffee. How sweet! Too bad this backwards McD's DOESN'T have any!!! Grrrr!!!
4:50 p.m. First Sonic sighting! Mmmm... Sonic...
5:09 p.m. Another Felisa potty break. This time conveniently located at a McD's that DOES have ice coffee. Yea!
5:11 p.m. Second Sonic sighting. This one had cheesecake bites advertised on the marquis. Mmmm...
5:32 p.m. Arrive at the hotel. Ryan is impressed with the view from the hallway/parking lot - you can see the river. Then we go inside and see the view outside the room window. The Ocean! The Beach! And a Pool! Daddy's hotel choice rocks!
We went to the beach to check the water - much warmer than NJ! - and then went to the pool for about an hour before dinner. Dinner at the hotel then we gave Ron his first Father's Day gift - the Planet Earth DVD set. We watched seasonal forests then went to sleep with the sound of the ocean and other hotel night owls still swimming outside. Oh and don't forget the giant light illuminating the whole beach.
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