Wandering, But Not Lost

Glacier to Banff Day 2: Kickstart My Heart

Day 2, June 28, 2025 – Westfield, NY – Poplar Grove, IN
We hit the road at 7:30 AM, coffee in hand and the day stretching wide ahead of us. A long haul was in store, but the promise of roadside oddities, small-town charm, and one very cool vintage airplane hangar made it worth every mile.

Our first stop? Love’s Truck Stop. Now, hear me out. If you’ve never been to a Love’s, you’re missing out on one of America’s finest roadside institutions. While it doesn’t rate as high as Sheetz on the culinary delights scale, you can pretty much do everything at a Love’s.

Need gas? Obviously.
Want snacks? Like, every kind of chip and snack imaginable: Beer Can Chicken flavored Pringles, Dill Pickle Goldfish Crackers, a blueberry pancake sausage burrito on a hot dog roller…
Looking for a new hoodie repping a college team you’ve never heard of? Done.
Work gloves with reflective patches that double as Cleveland Browns spirit wear? Got ‘em.
Need a spot to spend the night with full RV hookups? Pull right up.
Lottery tickets from a vending machine? Ka-ching.
Clean bathrooms? Immaculate-ish.(Better than most – A for effort.)
Need to reassess your life choices? Plenty of time for that in the parking lot.

Refueled (in both gas and spirit), we rolled toward Cleveland, OH, for our first official roadside wonder: the Euclid Beach Park Archway.

This arch is a piece of amusement park history, built in 1921 and once the grand entrance to Euclid Beach Park—a beloved Cleveland amusement park that closed in 1969 after more than 75 years in operation. The arch is shaped like a giant “H” (for “Humphrey Park,” the original name), and while the area around it has long since changed (the amusement park is now a senior living high-rise), the arch remains as a reminder of simpler times spent on the southern shores of Lake Erie. Workers were on site removing the faux stone exterior (making it lighter and easier to move, prepping it for a 150-foot move to keep it safe from modern vehicles that can’t always clear a 100-year-old structure.

Presenting… the entrance to… senior living?

The arch will be moved on July 2 to it’s new location, 150 feet away – see the orange barricades?

We parked near an abandoned building, soaked in the strangely nostalgic decay of the area, and watched city workers peel back layers of time. A local senior with a pushcart wandered by, pointed at Rob and casually noted, “Barndoor’s open.” Rob blurted, “Oh jeez! Wonder how long that’s been like that?”
The man shrugged and smiled: “Who cares?”
Legend.

After a quick hop back on the highway, we made our way toward Fremont, IN, for a quirky and delightful bucket list moment: standing in three states at once—Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Taking these opportunities to stretch our legs and experience these unique sights across the U.S. might just be the real highlights of the trip. I’m getting so much better at finding them and getting us there.

Getting there was its own mini-adventure. Emergency vehicles blocked our country road detour, and we were too long to turn around. So we waited, chatting with a friendly officer with strong opinions on where we should eat lunch. Eventually we crept down a narrow dirt lane (County Road 1), parked near a stone marker, and walked about 130 feet south to find the embedded “M” in the road—the official tri-state point. It was simple, quiet, and weirdly satisfying. We left our first rubber duck of the trip on the stone, tucking it in right next to a painted rock left by another visitor.

Lunch was a walk-up food stand in Fremont, DJ’s Tempting Treats & BBQ—walking tacos, BBQ, burgers, and soft serve. A blast of summer nostalgia served in a styrofoam container.

We started noticing hitching posts outside businesses and realized we were deep in Amish and Mennonite country. Sure enough, as we gassed up, horse-drawn carriages pulled into nearby lots. Turns out, many Amish and Mennonite families work in the camper industry here—as farming opportunities declined in the area, the RV industry provided steady work for the men in the Amish community and now upwards of 50% of Amish men in the surrounding communities are employed by the RV industry. They can’t drive RVs, but they can build them.

Then, with one last burst of energy (and after enough driving to make us wonder where our backsides ended and the seats began), we made one final pit stop in Schaumburg, IL, a suburb of Chicago, at the Prairie Center for the Arts.

Here we found the Awaking Muse—a stunning, larger-than-life stone sculpture of a woman emerging from the earth, stretching into the light. She’s powerful, grounded, and—let’s be honest—she looks a little peeved that she was woken up halfway through her nap – probably the one glorious nap she has taken in months. I felt her in my soul. She is tired. She is me. Get this woman a snack.

Surrounding the art center was a lush, beautifully maintained green space, and to our surprise, a family of mute swans, cygnets and all, glided across a pond nearby. Turns out the Village of Schaumburg brought them in to keep Canada Geese away—apparently the two species don’t play well together. Honestly? Genius. I’m putting in a vote for swans in Canton.

We stretched our legs, admired the grounds and left another duck—this time at the feet of the Muse.

Finally, we rolled into our night’s destination: the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum. It’s the kind of place that feels lost in time in the best way. We parked near the museum, a 1930s art deco style hangar built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Depression-era project in Waukesha, WI. The hangar was in disrepair until the Vintage Wings and Wheels museum brought it to its current location and restored it. The museum sits alongside private hangars, Slim’s Garage (also relocated and restored) and an old Sunoco filling station. We were lucky enough to stay over on a day when the museum was hosting a group called “Ladies Love Taildraggers” (a women’s pilot organization whose members fly conventional landing gear aircraft) who were finishing up their trip, a tour of Lake Michigan, and spending their last night flying, and celebrating here at the museum. We meandered around the grounds and settled into our camp chairs outside the RV with bowls of Korean beef and broccoli to watch the fireworks from the Belvidere Heritage Days celebration a few miles away. As the last firework fizzled into the night, we sat quietly staring up into the wide, black sky, the silence deep, watching fireflies flash in the darkness. It was a fitting place to end a long, curious, and delightfully weird day on the road—parked in peace, surrounded by history, and ready to sleep beneath the wing of an old biplane.

And then we ruined it by turning on our generator because it was 100 degrees inside the camper and we desperately needed to sleep.

Waukesha Hangar, now the Vintage Wheels and Wings Museum

Mileage: 549+ miles
States Today: NY → PA → OH → IN
Rubber Ducks Deployed: 2
Hippos Still Holding: Steady
Barndoor Status: Briefly open, eternally unbothered

Cue up: “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue– because here is where we begin doing what we love!

Coming Next: North Dakota, wide open roads, and the long haul west…

Glacier & Banff Day 1: Send Me On My Way

Day 1, June 27, 2025 – Canton, CT – Westfield, NY

It’s always a big day when the key turns and the engine hums to life for the first day of a new trip—that low, familiar rumble that signals the beginning of another adventure. This time, though, the trip feels different. For starters, Kevin (our trusty Class C RV) is sporting some serious upgrades. And more personally? For the first time ever, I’m hitting the road without either of my kids. This trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, and Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, is two years in the making. Despite the curveball thrown my way this year, I am optimistic and enthusiastic about this adventure. I feel happy, healthy, and strong and I have goals for this trip. Let’s go!

Traditional departure picture! Party of four!

Let’s talk about the new gear, because honestly, we’ve leveled up for this trip.

The biggest change? Starlink is now riding shotgun—mounted on the roof, always locked on. That’s right: in-motion internet. I could stream, Zoom, or even host a webinar while cruising at 65 down I-90 (not that I would, but the point is: I could). And the kids can play X-Box, watch movies or scroll Tik-Tok while on those long 12-hour travel days. Combine that with three 200-watt solar panels, and we’ve got a camper that’s ready to chase horizons without constantly begging for a power plug. Fewer generator hours and more boondocking opportunities – there are so many Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas, State and National Parks where we can stay for longer periods of time. We also added a portable 30-gallon water bladder to our camping equipment. This way, we can refill the freshwater tank without moving the RV when we are without hookups. Thank goodness for our very own Fix-It-Felix, Rob. He dedicated some serious hours to the installation process.

Kevin also gained some new flair since our last trip—a few fresh stickers, proudly documenting the states and memories we’ve collected along the way. Kevin is not just a camper anymore; she’s a rolling scrapbook. We are also looking forward to adding another state sticker to our map – North Dakota, specifically.

Then there’s our “Toad” (a.k.a. the Jeep we’re towing). Outfitted with a new Blue Ox Patriot brake system and a fresh set of tires, she’s ready to trail behind without drama—though the A/C remains a mystery. Will it be refreshing or just blow a lot of hot air? Only time will tell.

Kevin’s dashboard now boasts a herd of tiny purple hippos, because every trip needs a little absurdity. And in the spirit of joy-spreading, we brought along a bag full of rubber ducks to leave as tiny surprises along the way—our version of cross-country pixie dust.

We rolled out around 11 AM—a bit later than planned, but absolutely on brand. (Honestly, Rob told us his goal was to leave at 10 AM, but he knew full-well we would leave at least an hour later. He’s getting really smart.) The goal today was simply to get some miles behind us and settle into the rhythm of the road – sort of like the warm-up lap before a big race. 450 miles, four sandwiches, and one audiobook later, we pulled into Westfield, NY KOA, situated right on the edge of Lake Erie.

KOA Spot – we didn’t even need to detach the car!

There’s something deeply comforting and familiar about a Kampground of America. Full hookups? Yes, please. Dinner tasted extra delicious (it always does after a long drive), and we capped off the night by exploring the campground which was full of trees, streams, and a small vineyard, as well as the park across the street next to the lake. The sun set at 8:58 PM and spilled pink and orange across the sky, and I let it sink in: we’re doing this. A new trip, a long-haul drive, a different kind of quiet. I set aside the emptiness of having neither Amaya nor Kai on this adventure and focused on the excitement of upcoming adventures with Rob, Alyssa, and Marlie in Glacier and Banff. Bittersweet, maybe, but also full of possibility.

Ottaway Park, across from KOA campground

Tomorrow’s destination? A surprise twist—an overnight stop at an airplane hangar. (Because why not?) But who knows what roadside oddities lie between here and Poplar Grove, IL?

For now, the good tanks are full and the icky tanks are empty, the fridge is humming, and Kevin is parked under a blanket of stars. Day one is in the books.

Rubber Duck Count: 0
Hippos Secured: 6
States Traveled: CT → NY
Miles: 450
Next Stop: Somewhere with wings

Cue up: “Send Me on My Way” by Rusted Root– because this trip is officially underway.

We Ride at Dawn (or 9:30ish)

Departure day is bittersweet. It signals the end of vacation, but it also signals the countdown to sleeping in your own bed (the best feeling EVEEEEERRRRR!!!). Usually it’s just me and Rob enjoying that last cup of camper coffee (nothing like it!) and stowing everything in its place. Everything has its place in the camper. We Tetris the pots and pans into place so nothing bangs around during our trip. The doors need to be secured so they don’t flap open. We bring in the slide, we close and lock all the windows and vents in the camper part of the RV. You will get your RV Pilot’s license revoked if you drive with the slide or windows open (just kidding, but you WILL get relentlessly ridiculed by other camper families on the road). Leaving a window or vent open while driving is a good way to get it ripped off and ruin your entire trip. The people who are most guilty of this are usually driving the Cruise America, rented RVs. I swear, Cruise America puts their advertising on the sides of their RVs as a warning to experienced drivers – give them a wide berth.

We threw anything smelly or wet in the back of the Jeep and made sure to collect our trash. There wasn’t much to collect outside, as we used this campsite as a hotel, a place to stop between excursions. Very little was done to set up our site – no awning, grill, carpet or tables. We were there just to sleep, shower, and eat. Rob cleaned out our tanks and disconnected us from the hookups and we ate a quick breakfast before hooking up the Jeep to the hitch. And it was just a stroke of good luck that we got to enjoy a show with breakfast!

You never know who your neighbors will be at a campground. Sometimes you get folks who want to make friends and sometimes you get a quiet couple who keep to themselves and whom you barely ever see. But sometimes, you get a “camper of chaos”. The RV next to us housed a family of seven: two parents and five tween to teen kids. There are six in our camper and it’s tight at times. These kids weren’t exactly naughty, more like busy and boisterous, and really, really… active.

Yesterday, when we came back from Jamestown, Rob, Marlie and I found that the neighbors’ camper was wide open – door and screen – without a sign of any of its occupants. The minivan was gone, but the campsite was a disaster – cans and bottles, lawn games, bikes, chairs overturned – like there had been a struggle. Even the back bay was open with all their tools and equipment just left in the open. Very strange – no one leaves their campsite like that on purpose. Thoughts of Dateline episodes ran through my mind, but we returned from dinner to find the five kids playing some kind of ball game where they hit or kicked the ball and shouted at each other. After about 45 minutes of bicker-screaming, the ball slammed right into Kevin’s left flank and that was the end of the game. Two exhausted parents ripped into their kids and hustled them into their RV.

Fast forward to this morning and the dad was up early picking up their campsite with no sign of any kids. Mom emerged and threw some things haphazardly into the minivan – still no signs of kids whatsoever. The only words we heard uttered all morning were, screamed at top volume “Then get up and look for it!” , followed by Mom jumping in the mini-van and driving away separately from the rest of her family who followed in their RV. She was worn out. Good for her, getting some alone time. I hope she listened to her audiobook and sipped her iced coffee on her solo ride.

With two out of four kids still asleep, we made our way to the highway to begin the journey back, the familiar rhythm of the road humming beneath the wheels.

Kevin and the “toad” all packed up and ready to hit the open highway!

It was a fairly uneventful ride, except for bits of holiday traffic, especially around the DC area. Rob is our route planner and he likes to to avoid the George Washington Bridge. It is my responsibility to find some kind of roadside oddity to break up the monotony of the long drive. Today’s wacky and weird pitstop was at Cult Classic Brewing, a microbrewery in Stevensville, MD. The outside walls are painted with scenes from cult classic horror movies, plus some local additions as well (firehouse, local sites, etc.). There are dinosaurs, aliens, a giant crab with the face of Donald Trump, spiders, praying mantis, King King and more! It takes exactly two minutes to get a good look – just enough time to take a silly photo or two, stretch your legs and be on your way again. If you ever start road tripping extensively, we highly recommend working in a way to see one interesting thing every day, especially if it seems super weird. You will not regret it.

In total, we drove for about 10 hours. Good Friday felt like the perfect day to head home—quiet, reflective, and full of gratitude. We’d packed in history, beaches, thrill rides, mini-golf, and ghost stories we’ll be telling for years (or at least until the next trip!).

By the time we pulled into our driveway in CT, Kevin was a little messier (and a little smellier – we definitely need a new seal in our toilet), our heads a little sleepier, and our family a little closer (maybe also grumpier?).

I took one look at the laundry in the back of the Jeep and slowly shut the door. I’ll think about it in the morning. There’s time for cleanup when the sun rises, but for now… My bed is calling, and I must go!

History, Mystery & Barbecue

Being a New Englander of a certain age means that you have been well-schooled in the Puritanical story of the first years at the Plymouth Colony – cold, miserable, and governed by harsh rules. On this leg of the trip, we wanted the kids to experience what colonial life was like in the mid-Atlantic – hot, miserable, and governed by harsh rules (Harsh? Yes, but we can all learn a thing or two from Jamestown’s own Captain John Smith, with his part explorer, part strict dad energy—who laid down some tough rules for the settlers: “He that will not work shall not eat.” I like it.). While Plymouth was built on belief and freedom from religious persecution, Jamestown was built on ambition and capitalism.

You may notice a pattern as you read these blog entries. Only three of us take early-morning adventures, while three of us prefer to sleep in. We don’t force family fun before noon – that family fun is optional. So, if you haven’t already guessed, Marlie, Rob and I set out for Jamestown (add the “e” at the end if you prefer the spelling from “ye olde times”). Our America the Beautiful Pass got us onto the part of the settlement owned by the National Park Service and we paid a little extra to be able to enter the original archeological site and museum – well worth it! Nearby, there is a re-creation of the original fort called Jamestown Settlement – this is where every child enrolled in Virginia Public Schools was on a field trip this week. All of them.

We crossed a wooden bridge over a turtle-filled buzzing swamp toward the banks of the James River, the location of the original Jamestown fort. Since the original structures were made primarily of wood, they are no longer there, but the brick and stone foundations are visible and The Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation actively works to preserve, re-create, and dig up artifacts from the original colony. It is an active dig-site, and we observed a team of archaeologists sifting through wheelbarrows of dirt to find the remnants of the colony from over 400 years ago. Additionally, a carpenter was re-creating some of the wooden palisades by using an ax to remove the bark from logs.

We walked the same ground where early settlers tried (and nearly failed) to start a new life. Jamestown was gritty, messy, and full of drama—the original Survivor, 1607 edition. 104 of 105 passengers (all men and boys) survived the passage on three ships. (Most of the 39 crew members returned to England on two of the ships.) Picture this: three boatfuls of “gentlemen” with no farming experience show up hoping to strike it rich, plant zero crops, and find themselves in a swamp full of mosquitoes and mystery illnesses. Let’s just say their survival plan was… optimistic. And relationships with the local Powhatan people were complicated. Yes, there is a statue of Pocahontas, favorite daughter of Chief Powhatan, on the Jamestown site. Her story is not the romantic Disney version, but rather ends in tragedy with her death from respiratory illness at age 21.

Jamestown eventually found its footing thanks to tobacco farming and a little stubbornness, but not before some very lean years, including the “Starving Time” during the winter of 1609-1610 where settlers (now including a few women) resorted to eating rats, snakes, shoe leather and people. Yup. Cannibalism happened at Jamestown. Forensic evidence revealed human remains with post-mortem injuries consistent with butchery. In summary, the first few years were brutal. I’m actually not sure how anyone made it.

After scooping up the rest of the crew back at the campground, we headed into Colonial Williamsburg. We took a raincheck on the visitor’s center and decided to meander around the area without a formal ticket, taking our chances with sightseeing on our own. Colonial Williamsburg takes you back in time, and surely, life was not easy for people in the colonial period, it could not have been nearly as miserable as Jamestown. Brick buildings, stores, churches, craftsmen, and carriages give it a more modern and relatable feeling. I have only been to Williamsburg once before, when I was seven and I don’t remember much. What I do remember was how hot it was and that my brother and I both got colonial hats – I got a white bonnet with a tiny yellow bow and my brother got a black tri-cornered hat that he promptly lost when we stuck his head out of the window of our brown Subaru hatchback about 15 minutes after it was purchased. I still have my bonnet. Please enjoy these side-by-side, now -and-then photos of said bonnet below.

Ca. 1983. This was not taken in Colonial Williamsburg. This was my home and I am not wearing a costume. This is how my parents dressed me.

From 1699 until 1780, Williamsburg was the capital of the American colonies. It was a hub for political thought, especially in the lead-up to the Revolution. People believed that the government should reflect the will of (some of) the people (wealthy, land-owning white men). Interestingly, the Revolutionary War left Williamsburg relatively unscathed and it saw much more action during the American Civil War, when many of its buildings were used as hospitals for wounded soldiers. Church was a major part of community life. Morality, order, and personal virtue were considered essential for a good citizen and those not living this life were publicly castigated. (Nothing like a good dose of shame to round out the early American experience.) Freedom and liberty were woven into much of the conversations of the day. However, alongside all the talk of freedom and revolution, exists a harder truth: much of Williamsburg’s economic success was built on slavery. The stories and voices of enslaved people are vital to understanding the history of our nation and the contradictions in our society that still exist today. Williamsburg gives voice to the experiences of the enslaved people that lived and worked there so that their stories are not forgotten in time.

You certainly work up an appetite traveling back to “days of yore.” We all enjoyed a delicious barbecue dinner at Two Drummers Smokehouse in nearby Toano. Eating at a local restaurant is always on our list of “must dos” when we visit a new area. Our waitress placed trays heaped with smokey meats and sides in front of us and we dug in – fueling up for our “Williamsburg After Dark” adventure, a ghost tour right in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. No one was more excited for barbecue than Kai.

Like any historical location, Williamsburg is alive with stories of hauntings and spirits. We booked a 9:00 PM tour with Colonial Ghosts, meeting our guide and our group at the Thomas Jefferson Statue in Merchant Square. Tom, a third year law student at The College of William & Mary (right there, smack dab in the middle of Colonial Williamsburg) guided us to half a dozen locations, each with their own fantastical stories. Rob had rented an Electromagnetic Frequency Detector (EMF) and the kids all took turns testing it out at the various locations.

Thomas Jefferson statue in Merchant Square

We learned about so many Williamsburg residents, from the colonial period and beyond. We heard the story of Thomas Moore, local lothario, whose lover’s husband killed him and whose spirit now haunts young women working in local businesses near where his home stood in the 1860s (now the site of a lululemon!). The ghost of both wives of Reverend Scervant Jones of Bruton Parish can be heard arguing near the church at night and if you look carefully at the lightning-struck obelisk marking the grave of a man and his favorite dog, you can see the image of their ghostly faces. There are tales of Civil War amputees, treated at several of the makeshift hospitals by the notorious doctor known as Head Devil, digging on the grounds searching for their lost limbs. Since its construction in 1715, thirty people have died in Randolph house, famously one of the most haunted homes in America. Sadly, two young children fell from the upper left window years apart and lore has it that a silhouette can sometimes be seen against the window. Would you believe that during a housing shortage at William & Mary in the 1960s, students were housed in one of the rooms in the house? They didn’t even make it through the night before feeling icy hands tug on their legs while they slept! In the Wythe house, one of the stateliest homes near the Governor’s Palace, guest Lady Skipwith’s ghost haunts the residence looking for her lost red high-heeled shoe. Are the stories true? I’ll leave it to you to decide, but I wouldn’t spend the night in one of these old homes for all Yankee Doodle dollars!

Randolph House – do you see any silhouettes in the windows?

A fun, but non-ghost related fact about Colonial Williamsburg is that most of what we see in the historical district is not original. In fact, when the State capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond in 1780, it became a quieter rural and college town. In the 1920s, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. funded the restoration of Williamsburg to its 18th century appearance. Many of the buildings that had been demolished were reconstructed according to the original building plans and it became the living museum it is today.

So, what did we learn from this day steeped in Colonial American history?

None of our crew would have survived in Jamestown – heck half of us wouldn’t have even been invited on the first trip! Also, we are all much too tall to have lived back then.
When anyone complains about being hungry, I will remind them of the “Starving Time.”
I am able to remember a surprising amount of lyrics from Disney’s Pocahontas.
Ghost tours are 40% history and 60% jump scares by the people in your group.
There is a limit to the amount of barbecue Kai can eat. He reached it today.
I still look cute as a Colonial American.

It’s a travel day tomorrow. We will be battling that Easter holiday traffic all the way back to Connecticut. The good news is, we will be traveling paved roads and in the comfort of our trusty RV, Kevin. And when the kids complain about the length of the trip, I will remind them that they could be traveling over cobblestones in a horse drawn carriage and playing stick and hoop while eating a big bowl of shoe leather soup.

Rob with the CT flag at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor’s Center, where we visited for exactly 5 minutes.

Roller Coasters and Reminiscing

The problem with being young at heart, is that sometimes your body doesn’t get the message about your actual age. I know that people say that you are only as old as you feel. This morning I felt 21 and this evening I am rubbing in Gold Bond Therapeutic Foot Cream and drinking a hot cup of ginger tea. The mind and body are at odds. This is a really tough age. Forget being a teenager with all the angst and drama. Being a fortyager is hard (please see the post where I fell from a very low height). You’re not a cool twenty-something bouncing back from roller coaster whiplash and 20,000 steps with minimal hydration, and not yet a senior citizen (even if I have received more than two mailings from AARP), sitting out and guarding the snacks while the rest of the family enjoys a day of thrills. After spending the entire day in Busch Gardens, I am asking myself, “What will hurt tomorrow?” and “How did I get that bruise?” I don’t even know how I got to this point. I did, indeed, bring a fanny pack of single serve snacks and a Ziplock bag of Advil, and darn it, I was glad for both of those things.

Leading up to our big day, I reminded myself to take it easy. I’m about four-weeks post surgery and feeling really good, but I didn’t want to set myself back. I prepped with extra ice under my arm and made sure to prop it up on my special pillow while sleeping. I thought I would just hang with Rob, who is not taking any chances with high-speed rides after his stroke two years ago. I didn’t plan on riding a single roller-coaster, but ended up on a few after all. I was the only one of our crew who had been to Busch Gardens, and that trip was 40 years ago. To say my memories were sketchy is generous.

The park is organized into different countries, with the rides and restaurants aligned with the theme of the country: Italy, England, Germany, Scotland, France, Ireland. Crowds were mercifully light during our visit, so we didn’t wait too long for any one attraction. We broke off into two groups and made our way around the park, stopping to check out the animal exhibits – lorikeets, bald eagles, gray wolves, Scottish Highland Cattle, and hopping on and off rides. I think this may have been the most relaxing trip to a theme park EVER! No plan, no checklist, no expectations!

Bald eagles that can no longer live in nature due to injury.

Busch Gardens has around ten big roller coasters. The two oldest are “The Loch Ness Monster” and “The Big Bad Wolf,” (currently under renovation) both of which were innovative and cutting edge coasters back in the 1980s. They are both still there, “The Loch Ness Monster” is a bit of a relic these days – I would compare it to “Space Mountain” at the Magic Kingdom – a nostalgic ride, like the grandparent of thrill rides—still kicking, still wild, but definitely showing its age. The bright yellow cars clank up the first hill with a dramatic rattle that sounds like it’s held together by memories and rust. The cars creak and jerk as if they’re protesting every foot of the climb.. Then suddenly—bam!—you’re whipped over the edge and slammed into a turn that feels more like a chiropractic adjustment than a thrill ride. Every dip and curve jolts your spine, rattling your head like a bobblehead in a windstorm. We left with new appreciation for the sturdiness of the harness. Classic? Yes. Smooth? Absolutely not. I’m all set for another 40 years.

Subjecting the children to this nostalgic ride

At some point in the early afternoon, we all met up and Kai suggested we all hop on a ride together – a really sweet idea for a 16-year old boy. The ride he suggested was called the Roman Rapids, a six-person raft ride where you go through some twists and turns and you may or may not get totally soaked. Now, normally, I’m not a holdout on a water ride. On an 80-degree day, I’m all in -100%. But at 63 degrees and breezy, I hesitated. Seeing Kai’s disappointment, and checking out the riders disembarking the Roman Rapids – only about one in ten was drenched – I reluctantly agreed. We had no ponchos, no extra clothes, no waterproof pouches, just the sweatshirts on our bodies. At first, the ride was gentle. There was a small dip and some light splashing, but it quickly escalated, sending a wall of water over the side and right on top of Marlie. After a few more twists and turns, Marlie got pummeled again – I mean, completely and utterly drenched. Kai and Jools took a couple of hits. I thought that given the cooler temperatures, the water cannons surely would not be turned on. Wrong. Alyssa, Rob, and I couldn’t escape, rounding out the soaking of our entire tube of people. Even after we took a spin in the giant family dryer, it was absolutely no use for Marlie. Her sweatshirt was so saturated, we had to wring it out onto the ground. No amount of holding it near the hand dryers would help.

Everyone has their opinion on theme parks, but we have had some of our best bonding experiences in theme parks. Sure, they’re loud. They’re chaotic. They sell churros that cost $12. Someone’s always hungry. No one can agree on the next ride. But then something happens—you’re all screaming together on a raft ride in 60-degree weather, laughing at the on-ride photo, or holding up your socks in the people dryer—and suddenly, you’re not just a group. You’re a unit. A team. Because nothing says bonding like surviving a 90-minute wait for a 90-second ride with someone who wasn’t in your life eight years ago but now knows exactly how you flap your hands at the top of the first drop of a roller coaster. And that is what makes the experience worth it.

Virginia is for Rv’ers

Let’s start this blog entry with a pop quiz: Based on the paint transfer you see here on Kevin’s left rear bumper, name the gas station/convenience store chain where Rob dinged the gas pump?

Hint: They have pretty delicious coffee. Bonus points if you can identify the number of minutes Rob thought the world was ending or the number of times he said we would need to get a new camper because this one was ruined.

Answers below.

Wawa

Now, let’s begin…

Our last morning on Assateague started out rainy. After collecting our soaked camp chairs and drying off our grill, Rob, Marlie and I ventured out to the last trail in the park, Life of the Marsh. Making a quick detour on the way, I pulled the Jeep into one of the loops when I spied horses grazing in the fields among the campers. The horses seem to like the campsites on the bayside, which is where we have seen the majority of the horses. There are about 150 horses on the island, and I bet we have seen 30 different ones. Admittedly, on our first day, I uttered the statement, “They all look the same. When you’ve seen one horse, you’ve seen them all.” I regret those words. I am not tired of looking at them and they do look different. And, yes, I still yell out “horse” every time I spot one.

The Life of the Marsh trail is an extensive wooden walkway that extends over a mucky marsh teeming with plant and animal life. Far out into the swampy ooze, a small group of horses grazed lazily, not bothered by the people or the drizzle. They truly are everywhere in the park. If you think a horse wouldn’t be there, you are wrong. They even swim and cross deep channels when they want to search out food. These incredible creatures are a marvel and keeping the herd healthy and wild is top priority for the park services here on Assateague.

Having enjoyed the peace on Assateague, but also fighting constantly with the amount of sand six people tracked into the camper over a 48-hour period, we headed out toward Williamsburg. Travel days can be long and boring unless you are traveling with us. Inevitably, something will throw a kink into our plan, and, good or bad, we make the most of it.

Adding fresh water to our tank for travel

Owning an RV is a delicate balance between pleasure and pain. We love the freedom to move around the country in our self-contained unit. We love having our own comforts from home and seeing the country from the road. That said, there is no shortage of repairs that have to happen each and every time we head out. Luckily Rob is handy and after the initial panic-attack, he leaps into action and fixes the problem. Today’s problem was an old friend that keeps cropping up – the right rear jack. The jacks that stabilize the camper when we are parked retract automatically, except for the right rear one. Despite numerous resets, the system repeatedly alerted that the jacks were not completely retracted. This meant that Marlie had to sit near the control panel for the leveling system and reset it every time it began beeping – roughly every four minutes. This prompted a stop at, you guessed it, Tractor Supply Co., for a ratchet strap to hold the jack in place while the RV is in motion. Rob “McGyvered” a temporary solution while I took the rest of the crew for burgers at Hardee’s – and just like that, we were back on the road. No photo of this process due to grumpiness.

Back on the road, we headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. At the toll booth, we were instructed to pull over and shut off our propane tank before crossing. Due to high winds, Rob drove slowly in the right lane as Kevin was jostled by a brisk ocean breeze. The bridge-tunnel is 17.6 miles and has two tunnels that go underneath the bay at a depth of 25-100 feet. Normally, there is a fishing pier about halfway across the bridge where you can park and get a great view out over the water, but it is currently under construction. It’s an incredible feat of engineering, but getting across it and onto solid land was a huge relief. Getting pushed around like a toy in a 30-foot tin can would make anyone’s blood pressure skyrocket!

Crossing over from Maryland into Virginia, we immediately found ourselves in the land of chicken production. The circle of chicken expertise surrounds this specific area of the state. Within a span of 5 miles, both Tyson and Perdue have enormous farms and processing facilities. Massive galvanized steel barns set off the road house thousands of chickens, while just up the road, giant factories process birds, moving the products to industrial warehouses and distribution facilities. To be honest, it’s a little grim.

The Williamsburg Campground was like a magical oasis of hot water and electricity. Upon arrival, I immediately evacuated the camper in order to sweep the last of the sand out the door. It was in every nook and cranny. I swear, we took half the beach with us. I even had a little grit on the rim of my coffee mug this morning. We rested. We showered. We charged every device we had. Ahhhh. The campground is not the peaceful oasis that was Assategue, but we strive for balance in this family and I think I speak for the entire camper when I say just how happy we were to spend an hour doom scrolling on our devices and exploring possible activities for the next couple of days.

To cap off our first night in Williamsburg, we took the crew to mini-golf at The Pirate’s Cove! It’s always a good time mini-golfing with a party of six. (My sincerest apologies to the people behind us.) Rob and I are fiercely competitive in mini-golf and frequently are neck-in-neck for the top spot. I didn’t come out on top tonight which puts me two games behind him. To his credit, he was a good sport and quietly celebrated his victory.

We horrified all the children by having our picture taken in the stocks. Worth it. Wait until we get to Colonial Williiamsburg!

Tomorrow’s adventure is Busch Gardens! I haven’t been to this park since I was about seven, so I’m looking forward to visiting the park and maybe getting on a ride or two… being very mindful of my healing body. Stay tuned to see who rides the big coasters and who chickens out!!!

Are We Glamping Yet?

One of the best parts of camping is getting up early and having that first cup of morning coffee in peace and quiet, often with a beautiful view, before the rest of the crew gets moving. But this morning we slept in a little bit and then we watched Gayle King take her trip to space with the all-female Blue Origin crew before venturing out to enjoy the sunshine. Although the temps still made it sweater weather, it wasn’t raining, and the wind was light and warm. Let’s all remember how this trip started – scraping snow off Kevin’s roof.

Heading into Ocean City, we enjoyed a fun lunch at the super-cool Bad Monkey Restaurant before hitting the Baja Go-Kart Center in Ocean City. This was just what the kids needed – a way to burn off some energy and another chance to compete. It is impossible not to smile when you are whipping around the track trying to pass your sister, your friend, a complete stranger.,someone’s grandma. (Is it wrong to pretend you don’t know your own kid when he’s just about sideswiped a grandma on the Slick Track? Asking for a friend.). What amazes me is how busy these Go-Kart tracks are all the time. It also amazes me that the boys never got tired of the Go-Karts! We probably could have fed them a snack and circled back to pick them up the next morning.

While Rob and I sat out of Go-Karting, we did get to take an afternoon walk, just the two of us, down the Life of the Dunes trails, a sandy trail about a mile long, right near the Over Sand Vehicle Area of the park. Rob is a fast walker and long legged, while I have a more compact stature (stumpy legs) and sometimes (always) find myself half running to keep up with him. I know the back of him very well because this is what I’m looking ahead at most of the time. Part of the trail includes an old road from the 1950s that was destroyed during a hurricane and was never repaired. It’s great for climbing and you can get a nice peek at the ocean if you stand on top. When you jump off the road back onto the path, you should know that you will not land on solid ground, but rather uneven sand that gives way. When I hit the sand, face first, all I could think about was how horrifying it was going to be when the rangers had to drag me out of the trail on a stretcher. Fortunately, the only thing hurt was my pride. After he made sure I was not injured, Rob did what anyone else would do in this situation – he took a picture.

L’il Buzzy visits the Life of the Dune Trail

Road tripping in an RV means going with the flow and being adaptable to new situations. It also means that at any given point in the trip, you will need to know how long it would take to get you to the nearest Walmart or Tractor Supply Company. First of all, if you don’t visit Walmart at least three times on your road trip, are you even living? I love a good Walmart visit in another state. You might not realize it, but Walmarts carry very region-specific items, usually in the aisles right by the registers. We knew we were in the vicinity of the Mason-Dixon when we discovered pecan-nougat Easter eggs on the shelves. You also know you’re not in Connecticut when you come away from Walmart with plastic grocery bags – at no charge. We now have a bag of bags in the camper, giving early 2000s vibes.

Why the sudden trip to Walmart? Six people use a lot of water and we ran low – so low that we were in danger of running out. Now, keep in mind that we were about 50 yards from a spigot, but the thought of moving Kevin just to fill the tank with enough water to get us through until the morning seemed unreasonable. So, we ran out to buy a 6-gallon portable water tank. This will also be useful in the future, as we plan on doing more dry camping in National Parks where there are no hookups.

Using our new portable tank to add a little water to Kevin’s tank.

While we were out supporting the economy and troubleshooting our water transportation issue, Kai and Jools had some fun of their own. They made a steak dinner, complete with beans and potatoes (that didn’t quite cook) on Kai’s new camping grill. They also built a campfire in the fire ring on the dune and sat around it to eat their meal. It’s pretty awesome to see how self-sufficient they can be when they have a goal, although I was half convinced we were going to come back to the RV and find one or more of the boys with no eyebrows. Sometimes, you just have to trust that everything will turn out fine. After dark, Kai and Jools continued their evening of adventure and took off down the beach with their flashlights down to look for horseshoe crabs. And I ended my night by taking our new 6-gallon water tank to the spigot to fill it up with water douse the campfire so we didn’t get a middle of the night visit from the Assateague Island Park Rangers.

Tomorrow we move on to Williamsburg. Assateague Island has been one of my favorite places to stay, and though I wish it were a few degrees warmer, I don’t know if I would want to camp here in the height of summer. Between the heat, the bugs, and the massive crowds, I’m not sure I would find it so charming. This little visit was quite perfect.

A Hot Blast At Furnace Town & Horsey Hijinks

Furnace Town did not actually deliver the promised haunting. No spectres rattled the RV in the wee hours of the morning; the icy cold hand of a woman in white didn’t tap us on the shoulder. Nevertheless, the historical site gave us a unique glimpse (that we never knew we needed) into Maryland’s iron industry. For you New England friends, it’s like Sturbridge Village if all the “villagers” had suddenly disappeared and left you to piece together the history you were seeing. Besides the young woman who sold us our entry passes, we did not see another soul during our self-guided tour. What is currently standing at the Furnace Town site is a compilation of buildings from a similar era, collected from the surrounding areas of Maryland, to recreate the feeling of life as it was during the height of production (1828-1850).

The actual Nassawango Furnace still stands (though it is not functional) at the center of the site. Visitors can walk up the charging ramp to peek down into the furnace. Blinded donkeys were used to turn a flywheel which pulled the charging carts full of bog ore taken from the nearby swamps, flux (oyster shells that helped remove impurities from the bog ore in the furnace) and charcoal up the ramp via a pulley system, to the top of the furnace. Materials were heated to about 3000 degrees and iron from the furnace was poured into molds, loaded on barges in the nearby creek and shipped off to the Pocomoke River to the Chesapeake Bay and onto Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. (Disclaimer: This is the Spark Notes version of iron making at Furnace Town.)

Carts used to haul bog ore, shells and charcoal up the charging ramp to the furnace.

While Alyssa and Rob walked one of the loops through the woods, Kai and Jools took another path, exploring a different trail. Marlie and I decided to visit more of the buildings and caught a glimpse of the print shop, the church, the spinning house, weaving house, and the one-room schoolhouse. It’s amazing that less than 100 years ago, students were still learning in this building. School memorabilia, including desks, school supplies, books, lunch pails, and photos fill the tiny space and a huge pot-bellied cast iron stove once provided heat to students of all ages who attended. How things have changed! Can you imagine taking your lunch to school in a tin bucket or dipping your pen into an inkwell to write? There is no carpet for circle time, no whiteboard, no motivational posters… just desks in a row and a small lectern for the teacher as well as a leather strap for the occasional discipline issue. Yikes!

Even though we weren’t visited by the ghosts of iron-makers past, we did learn about one individual whose spirit still lives on at Furnace Town. Sampson Hat (or Harmon, depending on the storyteller) was a free African American who worked at Furnace Town in its prime. When the furnace closed, he insisted on staying in Furnace Town. Although his family moved away, Sampson stayed on for decades more, tending his garden and living in the same house, even when the town became abandoned. He refused to leave and was accompanied by his many cats. At 106 years old, Sampson moved into the town of Snow Hill (next to Furnace Town) and lived at the Alms House for one year until his death. He wished to be buried at Furnace Town, but he was denied. Some say they have seen the ghost of a tall black man walking the grounds of Furnace Town calling for Stormy, his beloved cat. To keep Sampson’s spirit alive, the staff at the historical site care for the stray cats on the property. Is the story of Sampson Hat’s ghost true? Who knows? But I loved this story and finding the statue of him in one of the museum buildings. He seems to have been a loyal, gentle and hardworking soul who loved his home and his cats. We should all be so lucky to live a life with such satisfaction.

After leaving Furnace Town, we ate a quick lunch in the RV and headed through the town of Snow Hill to Berlin, Maryland, about a 30-minute ride. Crossing a rising bridge onto Assateague Island, the landscape quickly changed from farmland to marshland and ocean. Immediately, yellow horse crossing signs appeared at the sides of the road. Assateague Island has both State and National Park areas. We headed through the National Park gates, using our America the Beautiful Pass for the very first time. This pass gives us (six people and our RV) access to most National Parks for a year for the very reasonable cost of $80. Since we have plans to visit at least four National Parks this year, it just made sense to get the pass this year. Just past the gate, we got our first look at the wild horses. Of course, Rob and I were the only people not either sleeping or on our phones. Of course, we yelled, “HORSE!” when we passed the two grazing horses. (Has there ever been anyone who has not yelled this out when you pass a field of horses?) Of course, everyone else missed it.

The rangers at the park take their jobs very seriously. At every turn, there are signs and warnings about interacting with and protecting the horses. As we checked in, the ranger reviewed the rules: stay at least 40 feet away from the horses, don’t feed the horses, don’t touch the horses, lock up your food if you are leaving it outside the camper. The picnic tables at each site have an enclosed compartment underneath with a metal door on one end so you can store coolers inside, away from campsite visitors. If rangers find an unattended cooler at your campsite, they will take it and leave a sign telling you to pick up your cooler at their station. “A fed horse is a dead horse.” is a very popular sign here at Assateague. Apparently, the horses know just how to get inside unlocked coolers and help themselves to human food. Just like with our New England black bears, the more the horses become accustomed to getting fed by people, the less capable they become in finding their own food, not to mention that human food is not part of the natural diet of horses. We will be keeping all our food inside the RV, so no worries about horse intruders on our campsite!

Our campsite is situated just over a low sand dune. We can see the ocean from the camper and can access it by walking two campsites over and taking the wooden footpath down to the beach. There are no hookups at this campground, meaning that we are not attached to any water or electricity. Kevin is well equipped for a couple of days of dry camping. We can run our generator from 6 AM until 10 PM (we don’t run it continuously), enough to keep it charged overnight. We emptied all our tanks and filled up the potable water tank before parking, so with conservative use of water, we will have no issue bathing, flushing, or washing up before we leave Assateague on Tuesday. Short showers for everyone, but the water is hot and we don’t need to use the pit toilets at the campground. I’ve said it before, we make no apologies for having these luxuries in the RV. When you see the campers in tents shuffling to a dark, cold pit toilet in the pitch black, you say a quiet appreciation for a generator and indoor plumbing.

Rob had talked about a “polar plunge” into the ocean for a week leading up to our vacation. Naturally, he did not bring a bathing suit or flip flops and he was discouraged that he couldn’t simply scale the dune to run down to the water from our campsite. Well, we couldn’t let this dream die, so we hunted up a spare pair of shorts, brought a towel down to the water and made this wish a reality. With only a couple of minor hesitations, Rob successfully took his “polar plunge” in 46 degree water on a 55 degree day on Assateague Island. No wild horses were harmed in the realization of this dream.

We spent the afternoon doing some exploring, relaxing, and eating. Rob, Marlie, and I took off on foot toward the Life of the Forest Trail, one of the four marked loops that weave through the island. While we didn’t see any horses on our walk, there is evidence everywhere… big piles of evidence. The horses are everywhere, even in unlikely spots like marshes and in the middle of the forest. The three of us ventured out again, this time in the Jeep, making a lap around the island at a top speed of 12 miles per hour. And just like that, we saw dozens of horses!

You can always tell where there is horse action by the line of cars pulled over at the side of the road. Little bands of horses walk on the sides of the roads, run out of the woods, play, fight and get frisky. Drivers have to be defensive. A horse might charge right at your car or two playful horses dart out in front of your vehicle. We parked to watch the horse activity and rolled down the windows to take pictures. As the horses approached the car, I rolled that window right back up. Imagine being on safari, but the only animals are horses and those animals are biters and completely unafraid of humans. I don’t feel I deserved the mocking I received from Rob. No one wants to be the example on the National Park website – woman bitten by horse in her car. Keep. Forty. Feet. Away.

Assateague is such a unique National Park. While there is beauty in the sandy dunes and beaches along that National Seashore, the horses are the real attraction. Make no mistake, these are feral animals. The horses that live here today are likely descendents from horses brought to the island from the mainland in the 17th century. Over time, the animals have reverted to a wild state and have learned to adapt to the harsh conditions on the island – poor food quality, mosquitos, scorching heat, and violent storms. They also demonstrate unique behaviors that have evolved over hundreds of years. Popular lore tells the tale of a shipwreck that stranded the horses on the island, but there is no evidence to support this story (But isn’t that a much more romantic tale? I really wish this was true!). Assateague’s sister park, Chincoteague, is on the Virginia side of the island, separated by a fence. Ladies, if you are of a similar generation as me, you may remember the popular book, Misty of Chincoteague – a good read.

Ocean City, MD is just a quick ride from Assateague. These two vacation destinations could not be more different. We went from the quiet beauty of the beaches of the National Seashore to the glaring neon lights of Ocean City in mere minutes. One of our favorite things to do on our family trips is to do an Escape Room. Everyone has different interests and different ideas of what a good vacation is, but we can all agree that we like Escape Rooms. We aren’t all great at solving the riddles, but we have refined the art of working together and we are all incredibly competitive. We ended up at Captive Escape Rooms and chose the “Thirteen Doors” scenario (an 8.5/10 difficult rating). This escape room used some of my personal information (I registered us for the activity.) integrated into the clues, which I thought was a pretty cool feature. We had to open 13 doors to get the clues to lead us to an inheritance. We learned that all of us are pretty good at starting to solve the clues, and that Alyssa is our finisher. In the end, we solved all the clues well under the 60-minute time limit and decided to treat ourselves to ice cream. Dairy Queen for the win!

Tomorrow will be a day of exploring more trails, looking for more wild horses, visiting the camp store, and just relaxing with a good book in my camp chair! Kai wants to try out his camping grill, so he and Jools will try cooking themselves a steak and potato meal on the beach. They also want to build a fire in the fire ring and will probably take off down the beach with a frisbee. Marlie has requested game night tomorrow, and that is always a hit with everyone (after we coerce and bribe the reluctant ones into joining in). Looking forward to another fun day on the island!

Life in the Slow Lane

Life in the Slow Lane

Hello, 2025 Camping Season! We are already on the road for another unpredictable adventure with Kevin, our trusty RV. Rob and I took the last trip of the 2024 season in November, spending a night up near Hyde Park, NY and visiting the Franklin Delano Roosevelt presidential library and his home as well as some fun hiking trails and a delicious farm to table restaurant in the Hudson Valley. So poor Kevin sat empty and cold for nearly four months after her winterization. During those cold winter months, we caught ourselves staring longingly out the window at the mighty Kevin dreaming of the trips we are going to take next.

We did have a bit of a mouse situation this past winter. In fact, a whole family of mice moved in and made themselves at home in all the drawers, among the pots and pans, dishtowels, tablecloths, books, and games. Needless to say, Rob spent a whole Sunday scrubbing and disinfecting, along with a lot of laundry. We’ve had chipmunks nest in the air filters before, but these were our first mice. Irish Spring and peppermint oil are already on the list for winterizing next year!

At any rate, the deep cleaning and unpacking of all the drawers inspired Rob to replace drawer slides and locking mechanisms on all of our drawers that pop open while we are in transit. No more drawers crashing open and slamming around mid-trip.

Rob also worked on adding a valve to the water tank to help stop the siphoning of water while we drive. What happens when we drive is that water sloshes around and gets siphoned out and we lose half a tank of water en route. This is a problem when we camp at places with no hookups, like some Harvest Hosts, National and State Parks or truck stops/rest areas. Sometimes finding water to fill up our tank before parking proves challenging, especially when we are in more remote, rural areas and service stations are few and far between. No one wants to be caught without water and an RV full of six people. No bueno.

Kevin also got her yearly checkup to make sure she was in functional condition to travel. Rob resealed the seams on the roof, washed the build-up off the roof, cleaned the gunk out of the air conditioner, and also started pulling the wires into position for solar prep. The RV has the proper wires, but they are not in the right position. While we are not installing solar this year, it is one of the next upgrades we are thinking about. It turns out, we are a little short on wire, so that project is on hold for now.

If you are wondering what I did to help get Kevin set and prepared for 2025’s premiere journey, please see below:

Also, I made the beds, stocked the bathroom, made a bunch of freezer meals, and did a big grocery shop. We all have different talents.

This will be a trip of firsts. This morning was the first time we had to brush snow off the camper in order to use it! This is the first trip where we will have someone from outside our family joining us. I think we can act normal enough to avoid Kai’s total and complete humiliation. Kai’s friend, Jools, is along for this adventure since Amaya will not be going (She has classes and also she didn’t want to come.). This trip also marks our first family venture without bikes – we might regret this. We will be testing out our new Starlink satellite internet before our long summer trip. We will be traveling through some remote areas in the western U.S. and Canada and this will allow us to have internet access. Yes, I know we all used to travel without cell phones and internet access, but we don’t have to anymore. And, if you have ever driven across the vast expanse of I-90 and not passed another car for hours, the reassurance of being able to Google is a huge comfort. Finally, this will also be the first trip where Rob and I now both need special pillows for sleeping to accommodate our respective medical conditions. Hooray for getting older!

April break is upon us, although you’d never know it by the two inches of snow Rob cleared off the RV roof this morning.

We couldn’t even bring in the slide, there was so much heavy slush on top! So, where are we going on this trip? It was a bit of a last-minute adventure since we were not sure if I would be up for travel or not. It turns out, this is a perfect window of time and we all really need this getaway. So, we chose Assateague Island on the National Seashore, between Maryland and Virginia. We all liked the idea of more of a relaxing vacation and my preference was to drive a shorter distance than last year. God-willing, we will also have better weather than our Pigeon Forge trip last year. (I can still smell those wet dogs. Please note, no dogs were invited on this trip.) Assateague Island is famous for the colony of wild horses that live there.

After looking at fun things to do and reviewing the National Park website, we thought this would be a great destination. We love the area. We love the beach. We love animals. Seemed like the perfect place, so we booked three nights there. To my surprise, I realized we had already been there when a photo memory popped up on my phone last week. Welp. I suppose that I thought it also looked perfect five years ago when my kids and I vacationed with my best friend and her kids down in Ocean City Maryland. Nevertheless, we are all looking forward to seeing the horses (some of us for the second time) and then we will move on to Williamsburg. Once again, we will subject the children to learning about American history when we visit Colonial Williamsburg. (Maybe they can learn a trade and earn their keep.) Hopefully, we’ll balance America’s origin story all with a day at Busch Gardens where the kids can ride some amazing roller coasters.

Good times are ahead, but today, we will enjoy the journey. We are far enough south that there is no longer snow on the ground, but there are gray skies as far as the eye can see and it’s still chilly. On the bright side, there are more buds on the trees and the grass is green! I’ve made five sandwiches already, I’m sipping a delicious cup of coffee, and and Rob and I have been rolling through the greatest alt rock hits of the 90s on one of our legendary playlists. Am I thinking about all the things I forgot? You betcha. Will we survive without them? Absolutely. Life is good.

Part 2

All settled in at our campsite, a Harvest Host, smack dab in the Furnace Town Historic Site. Campsite might be an overstatement. “Sandy parking lot with only one other camper van” might be more accurate. We jumped out and did a quick flashlight tour of the area before calling it a night. Furnace Town was a town built by the Maryland Iron company that had its heyday between 1828 and 1850. About 300 people lived and worked here making iron which they sent to a nearby canal to be sent to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Hopefully we can see what remains tomorrow and explore a couple of the hiking trails before heading to Assateague. Supposedly this place is haunted and it certainly seems like that might be true… maybe it’s better we are in pitch black!

“Campsite” at Furnace Town complete with Starlink mounted on the top of the Jeep. Don’t let the night filter fool you. It is very, very dark here.

“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” – Back to the Future

But we could have used a map… so there’s that.

Happy Birthday, America! What better way to celebrate the good ol’ U.S. of A. than with a visit to one of America’s National Parks. And let me tell you, we spent a GOOD chunk of time in Acadia National Park today. We spent some time there intentionally, with a planned hike up Beech Mountain to one of the few remaining fire towers in the area. Then, we spent some additional time also getting to know the Canada Cliff trail because we are the worst at reading trail markers. How did this even happen, you ask? Aren’t there two highly functioning adults leading this ragtag group of campers through the northeastern coastal wilderness? I can’t really explain it except to say that BOTH of us need to pay attention. It’s a careful system of checks and balances. We got cocky and we paid the price.

The day started out overcast and cool, the best kind of day for hiking. I pulled on my most festive, spangly American flag t-shirt to commemorate this most patriotic of days, and threw on an Elon College ball cap to keep the hair out of my face. Everyone grabbed their water bottle shoulder straps and I squirreled some snacks, bug spray, band-aids, and a roll of toilet paper in my backpack (fool me once…). We had chosen a moderate hike with some light scrambling (using hands and feet to climb steep and rocky slopes), wooden stairs, steep inclines, and the reward of some scenic views from the summit. Beech Mountain is located in the quieter western part of Mount Desert Island (where Acadia National Park is situated), a part of the park we had not yet been to. The 45-minute ride offered a glimpse into some small local villages like Southwest Harbor, where a good number of the residents work in the lobster industry. Lobster traps, lobster boats, and lobster pounds (a place where trapped lobsters are kept alive by running seawater through their tanks) lined the streets and a view of the harbor revealed dozens upon dozens of lobster boats bobbing peacefully in the water.

Southwest Harbor at low tide – lobster boats in the distance

We found the Beech Mountain Trailhead easily and parked the Jeep. Within a few minutes we were off in the direction of the fire tower. The entire loop would take an estimated 90 minutes to complete. We enjoyed the challenge of navigating the rocks and scrambling up the giant boulders. Was it a graceful ascent? No. But was it fun? Absolutely. Just when your legs began to burn, there was a stopping point to see something beautiful: a mountain, a lake, or just a view over the treetops. There were several other groups of hikers enjoying the fresh air and wandering along the paths. We picked some of the wild blueberries growing along the path and after seeing other hikers eat them (and not die of poisoning), we also tried them. The terrain varied from flat dirt to gravel, to boulders, to a system of tangled roots. As usual, Rob and the girls were several meters ahead, and Kai spent time climbing anything and everything, while Amaya and I brought up the rear at a steady pace. I like to wander and observe and I am very cautious when descending, especially on uneven surfaces. How embarrassing would it be to break an ankle and have to be emergency-evacuated from the park? No, thank you. I will bump down on my behind like a toddler all day long.

By the time we reached the summit and climbed the fire tower, the sun began to poke through the clouds. We began our descent back to the parking area and were thrilled to find a few more places where we had to scramble over rocks to make our way down the marked trail. It wasn’t long before we encountered another group of hikers deciding on their route at a juncture along the trail. Confidently, we turned a hard right and continued our gradual descent to street level.

We should not have turned right.

It was only after we arrived at a dirt road that we did not recognize that Rob and I opened up Google Maps to access our downloaded maps of Acadia. Fortunately, we had thought to download the maps since the cell signal in the parks is sporadic. Unfortunately, we should have opened those maps at the previous juncture. We were four miles from our car by the road or 1.4 miles from our car by the path we had just emerged from. This was not good news. We had intentionally chosen the direction of the loop based on advice from hikers who recommended climbing up the ladders rather than trying to navigate them on the way down. Going in reverse would be more difficult and we were already tired. We found a route that seemed like a compromise between street route and trail route. If we walked at a good clip, we could make it back to the car in 48 minutes.

Thank goodness for water and snacks. After a hydration station and a quick refueling, we set out on this (unexpected) back leg of of this hike. The kids suggested flagging down a car for help, but Rob and I insisted we make the trek on foot. After all, there were six of us and though we were tired, we were physically able to do this. I will admit that when we turned onto the Canada Cliffs trail with .8 miles left to go until reaching the parking area, I teared up a little bit. Switchbacks. Of. Stairs. There were so many stairs. It’s one thing to know up front you are taking a four hour hike, but something completely different when you feel like you’re done after two hours, and then, surprise, you have another two hours ahead of you. All because you didn’t use your map. I’d like to say we learned our lesson, but we probably didn’t.

We ate a delicious lunch at Eat-a-Pita in Southwestern Harbor and made the short drive to the Bass Harbor Head Light Station in Tremont. This is one of three lighthouses managed by the Acadia National Park. Built in 1858, it housed a lightkeeper all the way until 1974 when it was automated. The U.S. Coast Guard was responsible for the lighthouse until 2020 when it was transferred to the National Parks. Currently, a couple lives in on the property in a private residence. They care for the grounds, provide information to guests, and report any parking incidents or accidents. The lighthouse is simple and stands just 37-feet. I loved seeing the bright white of the lighthouse nestled among the huge coastal rocks, contrasted with the bright blue sky and jewel-green water. Bass Harbor Head and other coastal Maine lighthouses played such a pivotal role in the maritime transportation network, guiding ships safely into harbors, especially during stormy weather.

We spent the afternoon relaxing at the camper and preparing a Fourth of July cookout of burgers and hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob and strawberry/blueberry shortcake. It was a great way to top off our accidentally-long hiking day! Around 9:00 PM we took our camp chairs over to the community seating area at the campground where the workampers had set up three firepits and were handing out s’mores kits and wooden skewers for all us campers to toast marshmallows while we waited for the fireworks over Frenchman’s Bay. Is there anything more American than a s’more? It’s such a perfect little bite of dessert, especially when you’ve got that perfect crispy golden crust on the outside of the marshmallow and the gooey inside! A few stray fireworks set off from someone’s boat popped over the bay as we settled in our chairs. We waited. We saw some intense flashes of light and the familiar sound of fireworks behind some trees far out in the bay. Surely, these were not the Bar Harbor fireworks over Frenchman’s Bay. We waited some more. After a few minutes, it fell silent. One of the workampers exclaimed, “That was it!” and just like that, fireworks were over. Like most of the other campers, we packed up our chairs and headed back to our camper. It seems the fireworks at Frenchman’s Bay are not, in fact, visible from the Acadia Seashore Campground and Cabins.

While other families may have celebrated July 4th differently, we chose to spend the holiday spending time in nature. However, we have realized that while we enjoy being outside, we aren’t always the best at navigating it and we would not survive all that long if we were to actually get lost in the woods. Also, as much as we love our time outside, we love coming back to a cool, dry space with beds and running water. I think this makes us more of an “outsidey” than “outdoorsy” family, but we like it this way. That said, we are planning a long trip to Glacier National Park in Montana and Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada for next June. Now, those are two parks where we would prefer not to get lost. There are much bigger predators and the weather is more severe. So, we have some map skills homework before next June!

At any rate, Happy Birthday, America! Thank you for your beautiful landscapes and the opportunity to enjoy the National Parks!

“The forests and the flowers, the open prairies, the slopes of the hills, the tall mountains—the granite, the limestone, the caliche, the unmarked trails, the winding little streams—well, this is the America that no amount of science or skill can ever recreate or actually ever duplicate.”

— Lyndon B. Johnson